As Isaiah chapter ten continues, God further describes the defeat of Assyria and the restoration of Israel. God had used Assyria to judge nations, including Israel; but one day God would use Israel to judge Assyria. Let us look at verses seventeen through nineteen. “17) And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; 18) And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. 19) And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.” (Isaiah 10:17-19) Although God judged Israel in His wrath, a remnant of Israel would remain. They would then be used of God to judge Assyria. The judgment of Assyria would be complete – both soul and body, also property such as the fruitful field and the trees. As the king of Assyria did not have compassion on others, there would be no compassion for him. As far as Israel was concerned, there would be only a remnant left, and they would return unto the Lord. Let us consider the next verse. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” (Isaiah 10:20) When Israel was in captivity, they had to depend upon their captors. Any sustenance they received came from their captors, cruel and unkind captors. When they would come out of captivity and return to the Lord, then they would stay upon Him. The word “stay” means to lean upon, to lie, to rely, to rest. As mentioned previously, there would be only a remnant of Israel left, but that remnant would return unto the Lord. “21) The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. 22) For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 23) For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.” (Isaiah 10:21-23) When Israel had to stay upon their captors, there was no guarantee of provision for their needs or even of their life. Many died. However, when they would return unto the Lord, they could stay upon Him and be confident. In Psalm 34:9, the Bible assures, “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” The very next verse says, “they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” (Psalm 34:10b) What is our choice today? Are we choosing our own way that leads to captivity by the enemy and to destruction? Are we in a captivity that causes us to lean upon our captors and wonder if we will get what we need or if we will even live to see the next day? Or, are we fearing the Lord and staying on Him? If we are not, we can return unto the Lord and be restored to fellowship and to His assurance of provision and help in all our needs – the needs of both body and soul. Upon whom will we stay today? As Isaiah chapter ten goes on, the Lord continues to tell about the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria was supposed to be like a rod and a staff in God’s hand to bring judgment on various nations. God gave him power over those nations. But the heart of the king became lifted up and he took credit for all God gave him power to do. In Isaiah chapter ten verses thirteen and fourteen, we seem more things that the king of Assyria said, “13) For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: 14) And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.” Seven times here it is mentioned that the king boasted himself and said that he had made those conquests by his own might and hand. When the king of Assyria made boastful statements such as those mentioned above, he was really boasting himself against God. Verse fifteen says, “Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.” The king was supposed to be like a tool in God’s hands. However, instead of submitting to the Master's control, the tool magnified itself and took credit for the doing. Because of the king’s boasting and arrogance, God would send judgment upon him. In verse sixteen we read, “Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.” The end of this proud man would be destruction, and the finish of him would be a great fall. Truly, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) On the other hand, Proverbs 22:4 says, “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.” Which one will we choose today – pride or humility? destruction or life? Assyria was the rod of God’s anger, and their staff He used to execute His indignation. However, the king of Assyria was very proud, and God would judge him for that pride. God sent Assyria to execute vengeance, but when they did, the king boasted that his own hand had done it. Therefore, God pronounced judgment and also promised to punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks. God made this proclamation of judgment by the hand of the king of Assyria, “5) O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6) I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.” (Isaiah 9:5,6) God’s plan was that the king of Assyria would be used as His hand to judge nations upon which He would execute His wrath. But the king of Assyria, Sennacherib, became lifted up with pride. Here are some of the boastful claims that the king of Assyria made, “7) Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. 8) For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? 9) Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? 10) As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11) Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?” (Isaiah 10:7-11) In II Kings 18:33-35, we read again the boastful words of Sennacherib as he sought to frighten the people of Jerusalem. Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, was king in Jerusalem at that time, and Sennacherib was trying to convince the people not to trust the words of Hezekiah but to surrender to him instead. He said, “33) Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34) Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand? 35) Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?” God pronounced judgment on Sennacherib for his pride and high looks. “Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.” (Isaiah 10:12) We see the fulfillment of this in II Kings 19:36,37. Sennacherib was killed by his own sons. “36) So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 37) And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.” This is an important lesson for us. No matter what God allows us to do or accomplish in life, we should never get lifted up or think too highly of ourselves. If we do, we will surely fall. “Every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:14b) When unrighteous rulers decree unrighteous ordinances and laws, the needy and the poor are oppressed. It may seem like they are getting away with these things for a season, but God says, “1) Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; 2) To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!” (Isaiah 10:1,2) When we see unrighteous laws being passed that cause hardship for the poor and needy and specific groups of people, perhaps we ask ourselves, do these lawmakers really know what they are doing? Or do they do this by design? It appears from these verses that unrighteous rulers who do such things know very well what they are doing. The things they do are not done to help the country or to help people in need. They are done so that these rulers can have everything for themselves. These people are greedy of gain. This type of evil goes all the way back to Isaiah’s day. What does God say about this type of oppressive government? He says, “Woe unto them.” “Woe” means “alas” and indicates grief, sorrow, misery and heavy calamity to come. Like the old song says, “You can’t do wrong and get by.” If you do not pay for wrong doing now, there will surely be a payday some day. In the previous chapter, we saw that God was going to punish everyone, even the fatherless and the widows and the poor and the needy. He would do this because they all had forsaken Him and walked in sinful ways. But God still takes oppression of these members of society as a very grievous thing. He will not let it go or turn a blind eye to it. Regarding those who are guilty of such oppression, God says, “3) And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? 4) Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain.” (Isaiah 10:3,4a) God will bring them down. From their high and lofty positions, they will be brought very low. They will bow under the prisoners and fall under the slain. They will be brought down from their high positions until they are lower than the lowest of society. After all this, there was still no repentance of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. God again spoke these sorrowful words, “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 10:4b) So, how shall we pray for our nation? We can pray that our leaders will enact righteous legislation and will remember the poor and needy and widows and fatherless. We can pray that they will not pass laws that oppress the people. We should also pray for our rulers to be saved. I Timothy 2:1,2a says, “1) I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2) For kings, and for all that are in authority.” What should we intercede and pray for, and why? a.) For the good of the people of the land, especially Christians. The rest of verse two says, “…that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” b.) For the good of our leaders, that they will be saved and thus escape God’s wrath and also lead righteously. I Timothy 2:4 says that God, “…will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Jesus Christ is the only One who can save a nation and bring peace to a people. “5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (I Timothy 2:5,6) Why were the people of Isaiah’s day so evil? Why were they bent on doing wrong? Isaiah 9:16 gives a reason, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.” They had evil leadership. The leadership caused them to err, and the people just went right along with it. How extensive was the wickedness? It affected everyone – from those at the top, all the way to the fatherless and widows. God would not have mercy on any particular group because they all were bent on doing sinful things. “Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly.” (Isaiah 9:17) Usually, God takes special care of the fatherless and the widows, especially those who have no family to care for them. However, In Isaiah’s day, even the fatherless and widows were evildoers and hypocrites, and their mouths spoke folly. The sins of the people affected everyone, from the highest to the lowest. These things led to the sad remark from God in the last part of verse seventeen, “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” Wickedness was running so rampant that it devoured the land. “For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.” (verse 18) Because of all this wickedness, God would pour out His wrath upon the land. They would have dark times in their country, and their minds and hearts would be darkened too. People would turn against each other, even against those in their own families. “Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.” (verse 19) One effect of the sin of Isaiah’s day is that there would be hunger, unsatisfied hunger. Also, people would turn against each other and against the people of their own lands. For example, Ephraim and Manasseh would not get along with each other, and they would fight against Judah as well. “20) And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm: 21) Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah.” (verses 20,21a) The sad conclusion of all these things was spoken in the last part of verse twenty-one, “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” This is not a happy post. It is a very sad post. But, it describes what happens when a people forget their God, when their heart is set on doing evil and wickedness, when they follow after wicked leaders. The leaders were wrong, and the people were wrong too, because they followed after whatever their leaders told them. Things do not have to be this way. They can be prevented if a people will humble themselves and seek to God and fear Him. What will we choose as a nation today? With this particular post, I want to politics aside and think a few minutes on the crises facing the world. Why is it so important to us to consider what is happening in other parts of the world?
1.) Because the situation makes work very hard for missionaries and Christian workers in those countries. 2.) Because many souls a day are passing into an eternity without Christ. Some nations are in great turmoil. Myanmar is an example. Many there are dying every day due to violence and oppression that is a result of the military coup in Myanmar. One missionary said Christians in Myanmar are sharing the gospel as fast as they can. So many are dying that they do not know who will be the next to die. They cannot reach all the people with the gospel, but they are reaching as many as they can as fast as they can. One missionary (and those working with him) had the option to leave. After praying they decided, “No, we will stay and die with our people.” Covid is claiming the lives of thousands of people in India and other countries. Although, when one looks at statistics, the mortality rate seems fairly low in proportion to the infection rate, there are millions of people infected. This is causing many thousands of deaths. Others are very seriously ill. In India and some other places, hospitals are overwhelmed. I have personal friends who are affected by this situation. The Indian strain has been found in seventeen countries so far, including the US, UK, several European countries, Brazil, and Singapore. Other nations of the world are having considerable unrest. In North Korea, there is some uprising. The country still has probably the most repressive regime in the world, yet the political situation even there is unstable. Conditions there for the average citizen are beyond what most of us in the Western world are even able to fathom. We live in relative peace here in the US. Though there is trouble and unrest, we still live fairly sheltered lives compared to much of the rest of the world. Sometimes, it is easy to settle into our comfortable life and think, “Oh well, this is going on elsewhere in the world. It doesn’t affect me.” But, even we have no guarantee of tomorrow. In fact, we have no guarantee of the next ten minutes. However, everyone who has Jesus Christ as Savior has guarantee of eternity. We should not let our heart be troubled. We should not be overwhelmed with what is going on in the world. But, neither should we turn a blind eye and pretend nothing is happening. We should not be happy in our little bubble while millions perish without Christ around the world. II Peter 3:9 says that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” At the very least, we must pray. Give to those doing God’s work. If God opens, the door, we should be willing to go. The need is urgent, time is fleeting, day is coming to a close, and it will not be long before “the night cometh, when no man can work.” (See John 9:40) In this next passage of Scripture, we see the judgment that is to come upon the kingdom of Israel, particularly Ephraim and Samaria because of what they had done to Judah and Jerusalem. Remember that God had promised King Ahaz that Ephraim, Samaria, and their leader Rezin would not prevail against them. God would raise up enemies to Judah’s enemies. Ephraim, Samaria, and Rezin had built up so much confidence in themselves that they thought they could beat their enemies. But they did not consider that they were really fighting against God. God would bring enemies upon them that they could not defeat. Pride and stoutness of heart were the downfall of Ephraim, Samaria, and their leader Rezin. They trusted in their own strength and valor instead of humbling themselves before God. Isaiah 9:9,10 give us a look at their hearts, “9) And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, 10) The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” Even when all the odds seemed stacked against them, they thought they could work their way out of trouble by reason, strength, and courage. What did God say would happen to these enemies of Judah and Jerusalem? Let us see in the next two verses, “11) Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; 12) The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 9:11,12) As mentioned above, Israel here is talking about the kingdom of Israel, which, at that time, was going against Judah and Jerusalem. The judgment mentioned in these verses was quite severe, but it did not end there. God would bring even more judgment because they did not humble themselves and repent. “For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.” (verse 13) Who would be destroyed in the judgment God was bringing upon the kingdom of Israel? Verses fourteen and fifteen tell us, “14) Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. 15) The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.” Why would God bring such judgment upon these people? Besides the fact that they were proud and unrepentant, God had one more indictment against them. Their own leaders – even the elders and the prophets (spiritual leaders) – taught the people to err and led them to paths that would destroy them, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.” (verse 16) Does this sound anything like America today? Are we proud and stout of heart? Do we think we can take care of ourselves, no matter what the challenge? Have we hardened our hearts against God? Do we refuse to humble ourselves and seek to the One who is smiting us and repent? Do we have leaders – even our elderly and spiritual leaders – that are teaching this people to err and leading them in paths of destruction? We do not have to continue down this path. We do not have to harden our hearts against God. We do not have to carry on until we reach destruction. Jesus said, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 14:11) What will our choice be today? Will we humble ourselves and see God’s hand of wrath turned away? Or will we trust in our own strength and courage, continue to listen to wrong counsel, and choose the path of destruction? Will we choose the way of life, or the way of destruction? |
AuthorI am a concerned citizen of the United States of America. And I am a Christian who believes in salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray this blog will honor the Lord.
My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. Hosea 4:12
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