Welcome to BibleStudyMinistry.com, your online Bible Study Supplement Source. Today we conduct a Sabbath Study titled, “Your Turning Of Things Upside Down.”
It comes from the scripture from the prophet Isaiah in his book, chapter 29 verse 16, it reads:
Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
Let’s start with prayer:
Eternal Father, Almighty and awesome, You keep Your covenant of love with those who love You and keep Your commandments, we come before You on this holy Sabbath day with hearts humbled in amazement of Your greatness. You are faithful, and Your righteousness endures forever.
We confess, O Eternal Father, that we have fallen short of Your commands. We have strayed from Your ways, neglected Your wisdom, and pursued our own desires. Our communities and our families, as well as our leaders and our people, have turned away from Your guidance. We have not always heeded Your word, nor have we honored the counsel of Your prophets who spoke in Your name. We acknowledge the confusion and distress that surround us, knowing that these arise from our failure to follow Your paths of peace and justice.
But to You, Almighty, belong mercy and forgiveness.
Though we have rebelled against You, we return now, seeking Your compassion. We remember Your deliverance of Your people, how You freed them with a mighty hand from the land of Egypt, and how You guided them with love and patience through the wilderness. You are the One who restores and redeems, and we look to You for grace today.
On this Sabbath, we ask You, Eternal Father, to turn Your face toward us once more. Let Your mercy flow upon us. Heal our hearts and restore us to walk in Your ways. Strengthen us to forgive others as You have forgiven us, to seek Your truth, and to live in harmony as You have called us.
And, O Eternal Father, we remember those who are afflicted and distressed around the world. We lift up our brothers and sisters in Haiti, in Congo, Sudan, the Sahel, Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia. For those enduring hardships and persecutions, bring Your deliverance, protection, and peace. Hear their cries, and let Your mighty hand be with them. Guide their steps, comfort their hearts, and bring an end to violence and suffering in their lands.
Eternal Father, we present our prayers not because of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercy. May Your name be glorified, and may Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
For Yours, O Almighty, is the power and the glory forever.
Let it be.
Now, let us look at this scripture from Isaiah 29 and receive context.
Isaiah was the son of Amoz or Amozi. And he saw visions concerning Juda and Jerusalem during the days of kings Uzziah or Uziya, Yotamu (Jotham), Ahaz (Ahasi), and Hezekiah (Esékias). He was a very well-known prophet in his day. He shouted destruction or woe to Ariel, the city where King David dwelled. Ariel is Ari’El, meaning lioness of El, so it is Canaanite or Phoenician in dialect and not Bantu or Hebrew. It was a symbolic name for Jerusalem because that is where the mighty king, King David dwelled.
The Almighty will distress His city!
Jerusalem will face distress, sorrow, and a siege. This judgment serves to humble and correct the city despite their own efforts. The city will be brought down, so low, it will be as if it is speaking out of the ground.
By verse five, the chapter switches tones to when Jerusalem will be delivered from its enemies. Jerusalem will be visited by the Almighty with thunder, earthquake, great noise, storm, and flame of devouring fire. When the multitude of all the nations come to fight against Ariel (Jerusalem), they will be destroyed quickly. It will be so quick that it will be as if everyone who viewed it had a dream or night vision.
The nations that attack Jerusalem will suffer hunger and thirst. They will dream of food but awake to aching stomachs. This is how it will be for those who fight against Jerusalem.
Let it be.
But this cannot come about for Jerusalem because the people are withholding it. The chapter turns to condemn the foolish prophet who refuses to see. They shall be shocked and stunned because they refuse to see. These are drunken but they are not drunk with wine or palm wine. They are not drunk with strong drinks. The Almighty has poured out the spirit of deep sleep.
Have you ever seen anyone in Deep Sleep?
It is nearly impossible to wake this person. The Almighty has done this to the prophet and the people because they desire it so. He has closed their eyes, both prophets and rulers. The visions of the prophets have become like words of a book that is sealed. A sealed book given to even a learned man cannot be read because it is sealed.
The unlearned or uneducated illiterate man cannot read it either, whether it is sealed or not because he is unlearned. The Almighty confesses that “this people” draw near to Him with their speech, but their hearts are far from Him. All that we, and we refer to the religions and people of the earth today at large, know about the Almighty has been taught to us by the precept of men. In other words, we worship the Almighty by rituals and rules made up by humans. For this cause, the Almighty will do amazing shocking, and wondrous work before the people.
The wisdom of the “wise men” will perish.
We will ultimately see modern-day religion, science, technology, and more fall flat on its face in the face of the Almighty’s true prophets. The Almighty declares destruction to those who search deep to hide your counsel from the Almighty. If you believe no one sees your works, you are mistaken and will be sorry. Then the prophet says “Surely your turning of things upside down will be esteemed as the potter’s clay.”
This tells on someone; it tells us that people have turned things upside down.
The Word of the Almighty presents a creation story; Almighty Mighty Creator creates Heaven, Earth, Adam, and all things. The world’s education says we had a big bang and began to evolve in a process called, Evolution.
This verse, from Isaiah 29:16, uses the metaphor of a potter and clay to address human arrogance and the distortion of the Almighty’s design.
“Surely your turning of things upside down:”
This phrase describes how people have reversed or distorted the Almighty’s ways and order. The phrase implies a complete inversion of truth and perspective. For example, people in Africa have declared Africa to be Eden for years, even decades and centuries. However, theologians and scholars have written Southern Iraq, The Persian Gulf, the Armenian Highlands, Iran, Lebanon, Xinjiang, and the Philippines as possible places for the Garden of Eden and Eden.
However, according to a recent DNA study, the Garden of Eden was likely located in southern Africa, south of the Zambezi River in Botswana.
The study traced the maternal genetic lineage of modern humans and found that it most closely resembles the people living in this area. This is from an article from The Week published in 2019; surely your church and minister haven’t informed you of this. Science once again supports spirituality and original history. People have reversed and distorted the Almighty’s order in a way where human pride and self-will have led people to act in opposition to His established order.
“Shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay:”
The Almighty declares that the misguided thinking of people will ultimately be shown to be as malleable as clay in the hands of a potter. Just as clay can be shaped, reshaped, or even broken down by the potter, human plans and perspectives can and will be overturned or corrected by the true Creator.
“For shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not?”: This rhetorical question; points out the absurdity of creation, humans, denying its Creator. It implies that for created beings (humans) to deny or ignore the One who formed them is as illogical and unnatural as a clay pot claiming it has no maker. This is what man has proclaimed and gained much support in their proclamation.
“Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?”: This second question deepens the illustration. Here, the verse emphasizes the foolishness of created beings assuming that they know more than the Creator or doubting His wisdom. It compares human arrogance to a crafted object questioning the skill or intelligence of its craftsman.
Overall Interpretation:
This verse speaks against human pride and the tendency to challenge or ignore the Almighty’s authority. Comparing humans to clay, and the Almighty to a potter, it showcases that we, as the Almighty’s creations, cannot rightly question His wisdom, purpose, or existence. The verse serves as a warning: any attempt to “turn things upside down” by denying the Almighty’s role will ultimately be as futile as clay arguing with its maker. The Almighty, as the ultimate Creator, has absolute authority and understanding over all He has made.
The remainder of the chapter follows this; in just a little while, Lebanon will be transformed into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will be regarded as a forest. On that day when this happens, the deaf will hear the words of the book. Yes, and the eyes of the blind will see out of obscurity and darkness. The meek will increase their joy in the Almighty, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One.
For the oppressor will be brought to nothing. Who are the oppressors or oppressors of the world today? If you ask Google they will say there are many examples of oppressors in the world today, including governments, institutions, and individuals who use their power to discriminate against marginalized groups (Human Rights Watch, hrw.org).
They also listed nations Russia, China, Afghanistan, Brazil, India, and the US.
Oppression is a system that results from a combination of prejudice and institutional power. It can be based on many factors, including race, gender, class, language, and more recently gender orientation. Oppression can cause deep suffering, diminished experiences, and divided communities. Oppressors will be brought to nothing.
In addition, the scorner will be consumed, and a scorner is a person who expresses contempt or disdain for someone or something. “Yeah, yeah, God’s coming back, and Africans will rule the world, in your dreams pal!”
That’s the sound of the scorner.
Also part of those who will be consumed are all those who plot wrongdoing will be cut off. Those who condemn a person for a mere word, set traps for the one who speaks truth at the gate, will be consumed. And those who turn aside the just for something worthless.
Therefore, this is what the Eternal Father, who redeemed Abram, says about the house of Jacob or Akobe: Akobe will no longer be ashamed; his face will no longer grow pale. A pale face is not a white person. A pale face, also known as pallor, is when the skin appears lighter than normal, usually due to a reduced amount of oxygen-rich hemoglobin in the skin. This is because of stress and difficult conditions. No longer will Akobe’s face grow or wax pale.
When he sees his children, the work of My hands (the Almighty speaking), in his midst, they will sanctify My name, and they will honor the Holy One of Akobe and revere the Almighty of their people. Those who have erred in spirit will come to discernment, and those who murmured will learn instruction. Everything turned upside down will be corrected and returned to the right side up or downside up.
Be edified, come out of confusion, stop hoping things will get better, and be confident it is and will. Learn today and obey the will of the Almighty.
Minister Koko
Teaching Priest, BSM
