Question 1

Who or what is Ariel in this passage and why is Jerusalem called by that name?

Accepted Answer

Ariel is a name for Jerusalem that can point to both its strength and its altar. The word can carry the idea of a “lion of God,” hinting at a strong city of David, but it is also used for the altar where sacrifices are burned. Here God calls Jerusalem “Ariel” to show that the city, which trusted in its temple and offerings, will itself become like an altar covered in blood and sorrow. It reminds the people that religious symbols cannot protect them if their hearts are not truly turned to God.

Question 2

Why does God warn Ariel even though the people are still offering sacrifices year after year?

Accepted Answer

God warns Ariel because the people are adding “year to year” in their religious calendar while refusing to change their hearts. They keep the sacrifices and festivals going, but they are using these as a shield instead of truly repenting. God is saying that outward worship does not cover ongoing sin and pride. As long as they think rituals alone will keep them safe, they are deceiving themselves. The warning shows that what God wants is sincere obedience, not a busy schedule of religious activity without real faith.

Question 3

What does it mean that the people are drunk but not with wine and in a spirit of deep sleep?

Accepted Answer

When God says they are drunk but not with wine, He is talking about spiritual confusion, not actual alcohol. The people stagger because they no longer see clearly what God is saying. God has given them a “spirit of deep sleep,” which means He has handed them over to the blindness they have chosen. Even prophets and leaders are pictured as having their eyes closed. The result is that God’s word no longer moves them, even when it is right in front of them. They go through the motions, but their hearts stay untouched.

Question 4

What is the picture of the sealed book, and what does it show about the people?

Accepted Answer

The sealed book picture shows people being unable to take in God’s message, even when it is offered to them. A scroll is given first to a learned person, but he says he cannot read it because it is sealed. Then it is given to someone uneducated, and he says he cannot read because he is not learned. Together, this shows that both the educated and the simple are missing the point. The real problem is not their minds, but their hearts. They are unwilling to hear, so God’s truth remains closed to them.

Question 5

What does it mean that the people honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him?

Accepted Answer

This line exposes religious hypocrisy. The people say the right words and perform the right acts in worship, but inside they are not devoted to God. Their “fear” of God comes from human rules they have been taught, not from a living trust and love for Him. They treat faith as a set of learned habits instead of a real relationship. Because of this, God says He will do a work that will overturn their fake wisdom, showing that clever talk and outward religion cannot replace a true, humble heart before Him.

Question 6

Why does God say He will make the wisdom of the wise perish in this passage?

Accepted Answer

God promises to remove the supposed wisdom of the wise because they have used their skill and planning to avoid listening to Him. Leaders and thinkers in the city trusted in their own ideas, alliances, and religious systems instead of humbling themselves. By letting their plans fail and their insight collapse, God shows that human wisdom is empty when it stands against His word. This judgment is not random; it is a way of exposing pride so that people might see how much they need God’s guidance instead of their own schemes.

Question 7

What does the image of the potter and the clay teach about those who hide their plans from God?

Accepted Answer

The potter and clay picture shows how upside down it is for people to act like they can hide from or outsmart their Creator. The people make secret plans in the dark and say, “Who sees us?” God answers by reminding them they are like clay in a potter’s hands. Clay does not tell the potter he did not make it or that he has no understanding. In the same way, people cannot escape God’s knowledge or authority. The image calls them back to humility, honesty, and the truth that God sees and shapes their lives.

Question 8

How does this passage show both judgment on Jerusalem and the emptiness of her enemies’ plans?

Accepted Answer

First, God says He Himself will surround Ariel with siege works and bring the city low. This is His discipline for their pride and empty religion. Their voices will come from the dust, showing deep humiliation. But then God also speaks about the nations that attack Ariel. Their huge numbers will become like dust and chaff, and their dream of victory will vanish like a night vision when a hungry or thirsty person wakes up still empty. So Jerusalem is judged, yet the nations who think they control her fate find their plans are just as empty before God.

Question 9

How can the warning against empty worship and hidden sin in this passage speak to people today?

Accepted Answer

This passage pushes anyone who hears it to ask whether their faith is only outward or truly from the heart. It warns against trusting in church habits, religious words, or a faith tradition while keeping sin hidden and living as if God does not really see. It also challenges the idea that human plans and cleverness can secure our safety without obedience to God. For someone today, this can mean examining whether worship is genuine, confessing what has been kept in the dark, and remembering that God values honest hearts more than any show of religion.

Isaiah 29:1

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

Woe to David’s City

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Isaiah 29:1

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

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Woe to David’s City

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