I have come across several bible passages. None can be as difficult to interpret or explain as Isaiah 59 verse 19.
“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” (King James Version).
Looking at the sentences or the phrases in the verse, you will notice that the verse can’t be explained in one perspective.
I am not an English student but I have a school knowledge of communication in English and Igbo. I have looked at this passage from grammatical and spiritual perspectives, both seem not to explain it to my satisfaction.
I have actually heard many pastors quoted it, they too seem to be attacking it from differing angles.
See what I mean; “When the enemies shall arise, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall raise a standard against him”.
There are three parts and three different meanings in this passage:
- When the enemies shall rise
- Like a flood
- The Spirit of the Lord shall raise a standard against him.
Looking at this passage from first angle, it can mean to say that when the enemies shall rise like a flood. That is, the enemies rising or coming to attack like a flood.
On the second part, we can interprete it to mean; when the enemy shall rise; like a flood, the Lord shall raise a standard against him. This is means to say that the enemy will be dealt with like a flood.
The third meaning to this verse could be: when the enemy shall rise; like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall raise a standard against him. What it may mean here again is that the Lord will behave like a flood in dealing with the enemy. The flood has peculiar ways of moving (standard). The Lord will manifest Himself like the flood activities.
How do you interprete or quote this passage?
- Is the enemy rising like a flood?
- Is the enemy to be dealt with like a flood
- Is the Spirit of the Lord raising a standard like a flood?
I found a sermon on the bible passage by Pastor Daniel Olukoya. This is how he explained it.
“It is the Spirit of the Lord that shall rise like a flood, not the enemy. … like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall raise up a standard against him”.
