The Deaf Hear, the Blind See (Isa 29:15-24 questions)

"In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see" (Isa 29:18).

1. [15-24] What is the rebuke of the third "woe" (Isa 29:15; Gen 3:8)? What are they hiding (Isa 30:1-2; 31:1)? What are the first two woes that brought sorrow (28:1ff [1-13]; 29:1ff [1–14, esp. 9–14])? What brings woe and sorrow here? How does it relate to the first two woes (Isa 2:22; 7:9b)?
2. How do they turn things upside down (Isa 29:16; Rom 9:20-21)? How easy is this to do? Do you think you can hide things from God (Gen 3:7-8)? Do you use God to further what you want to accomplish?
3. Notice the proportion of condemnation (29:15-16) to promise (29:17-24) here as opposed to the proportions in 28:1–22 (28:16-21) and 29:1–14 (29:5-8). Keep this in mind in the next four chapters.
4. What is promised (Isa 29:17-19, 20-21)? How does it relate to the problems detailed thus far in chs. 28–29 (28:1, 9, 14, 23; 29:1, 9-14, 15-16)?
5. What is the predicted response to conviction, repentance and redemption (Isa 29:22-24)? How do we do that?

When thinking of the tone of this section [29:9-14] as compared with the previous one remember Isaiah's typical approach to promise: it is to bring his audience back to the present reality.