DELIVERANCE FOR IMMANUEL S PEOPLE ISAIAH 10:1-34

Transcription

1 1 Commentary by Ron Thomas Questions by John C. Sewell DELIVERANCE FOR IMMANUEL S PEOPLE ISAIAH 10:1-34 Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

2 2 Text: Isaiah 10:1-34, Deliverance for Immanuel s People by Ron Thomas 1. Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 2. to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. 3. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? 4. Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. 5. "Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! 6. I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. 7. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. 8. 'Are not my commanders all kings?' he says. 9. 'Has not Calno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus?

3 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria- 11. shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?' " 12. When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, "I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. 13. For he says: " 'By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. 14. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.' " 15. Does the ax raise itself above him who swings it, or the saw boast against him who uses it? As if a rod were to wield him who lifts it up, or a club brandish him who is not wood! 16. Therefore, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. 17. The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. 18. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away. 19. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. 20. In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. 21. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. 22. Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous.

4 The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land. 24. Therefore, this is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says: "O my people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did. 25. Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction." 26. The LORD Almighty will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt. 27. In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. 28. They enter Aiath; they pass through Migron; tey store supplies at Micmash. 29. They go over the pass, and say, "We will camp overnight at Geba." Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. 30. Cry out, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! Poor Anathoth! 31. Madmenah is in flight; the people of Gebim take cover. 32. This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem. 33. See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. 34. He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One. (NIV) Commentary: The Lord s Anger Against Israel, Continued Isaiah 10:1-4, Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and

5 5 withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (NIV) I. In chapter 9, on three (3) occasions, the Lord s word to Isaiah was an exclamation that the Lord s wrath was not finished (9:12, 17, 21) and we see the same in 10:4. A. Isaiah 9:12, 17, 21, Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows, for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks vileness. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (NIV) B. Isaiah 10:4, Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (NIV) 1. As one can tell, this is a continuation of the woes in chapter This particular woe attended to the matter of the government. 3. With the earlier woes the Lord spoke against Samaria (9:9), now He probably speaks against Judah (Willis, p. 192, also Hailey).

6 6 a. Isaiah 9:9, All the people will know it Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria who say with pride and arrogance of heart. (NIV) C. Regardless of whom He spoke against, note the accusations: unrighteousness is decreed (Psalm 94:20-21), which most effected the poor and fatherless. 1. Psalm 94:20-21, Can a corrupt throne be allied with you one that brings on misery by its decrees? They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. (NIV) II. Because the ruling class was in charge, the Lord directed three (3) questions to them: A. What will you do in the day of punishment? 1. The day of punishment is coming, and since it is coming from the Lord, what will they do on that day? 2. An unspecified day is in view here, but a day that was most certainly coming! B. To whom will they flee for help? 1. They have already cast off the Lord. a. To whom will they turn when the Lord s wrath comes upon them in the form of a foreign army? 2. During the time of the Lord Jesus, the disciples were perplexed at the substance of Jesus teaching; as the Lord

7 7 watched many turn away, He asked His disciples, Will you also go away? a. Peter replied, Lord to whom shall we go.? b. John 6:66-69, From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (KJV) C. Where will you leave your glory (wealth)? 1. This question addresses that which man values. 2. When the Lord is against something or someone, there is nothing that can be done to thwart it except to plead for mercy. a. Judah would be defenseless if attacked by Assyria; there was no other nation to whom they could go for help, and whatever glory they had would vanish away. Note: The Lord s questions are designed to touch the heart of the person, but, as the Lord continued on, even when destruction is experienced, still the Lord s wrath was not finished. A pretty stark picture!

8 8 God s Judgment on Assyria Isaiah 10:5-11, "Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. 'Are not my commanders all kings?' he says. 'Has not Calno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria-shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?' " (NIV) I. Assyrian arrogance was being addressed by the Lord, and in 10:5,6, the Lord identified how he will use Assyria s arrogance to persecute a nation gone astray. A. Isaiah 10:5-6, "Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. (NIV) B. This begs the question: Why does the Lord use wicked people to accomplish His purpose? 1. To ask the same question a different way: If Israel is God s chosen people, then why use wicked nations to destroy/punish them?

9 Another question: If the Lord was going to use them for His purpose, then why did He turn upon them when they accomplished His purpose? a. Hailey made an important comment when he said, It was not the Assyrian s intention to serve God s purpose. (p. 113). b. Note Isaiah 10:7, But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. (NIV) c. It was not Assyria s intention to use its military power to execute God s wrath. d. Assyria believed that its purposes were set by those in Assyrian power and this power was used for their own selfish reasons. i. (Verses 8-11, the Lord stated what Assyria s actual motivations were). ii. Isaiah 10:8-11, 'Are not my commanders all kings?' he says. 'Has not Calno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria-shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?' " (NIV) iii. A remarkable thing about this text is the Lord s sovereignty: while Assyrians think they

10 10 are accomplishing their own purposes, the Lord was in control. C. How can the Lord do what He does and still allow the people to have free will? 1. Daniel 4:17 speaks of the Lord s having control and working in the affairs of man, but man is culpable for his actions. a. Daniel 4:17, " 'The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.' (NIV) 2. God is sovereign and man has free will, one of the great perplexities in religious thinking. a. God is able to balance His control and work within the kingdom of man, and still bring man to account before Him amazing! Isaiah 10:12-19, When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, "I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. For he says: " 'By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.' " Does the ax raise itself above him who

11 11 swings it, or the saw boast against him who uses it? As if a rod were to wield him who lifts it up, or a club brandish him who is not wood! Therefore, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. (NIV) 1. The Lord s response to Assyria s arrogance was not going to go unchallenged. A. Assyria, not for one moment, would believe that God used them as an instrument of punishment against His people. 1. Rather, the king of Assyria asserted as he did in verses 13 and 14, that it was by his strength that he plundered nations. a. Isaiah 10:13-14, For he says: " 'By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.' " (NIV) 2. In fact, take note of 10:12, this was the Lord s work! a. Isaiah 10:12, When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, "I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful

12 12 pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. (NIV) b. The Assyrian king, did not see it that way; after all, was it not his military armor, his military strategy, the blood of his men, etc? c. The king spent the money to raise the army, and train its personnel. d. It was the strategy of the wise commanders and their execution of this strategy that brought about victory; this is what he (they) would have you to believe (note the personal pronouns in 10:13-14). i. Isaiah 10:13-14, For he says: " 'By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.' " (NIV) 3. The Lord s response to Assyria consisted of three (3) penetrating questions regarding the axe, the carpenter s saw, and the rod. a. Who is going to use whom, is the idea. b. Can the axe, the carpenter s saw, and the rod use itself or must it be used by one greater?

13 13 c. Of course, the answer is obvious. d. Coffman says the Assyrians were stupid not to know God was using them. i. Yet, how could they know? ii. How could they know at the carnal level? iii. Did they not reject the very notion of God as He revealed Himself to the Hebrews? iv. This writer does not think it is reasonable at all that the Assyrians would know that God was using them. e. However, there is within man a restraint that should prevent cruel and inhumane actions. f. The Assyrians were brutal and their brutality was of their own design, which resulted in arrogating themselves to a position greater than God. i. In any case, with such arrogant talk (thinking), the only place to go is down. 4. That was exactly what the Lord was going to do to Assyria. a. He was going to punish them (10:15-19), and the manner in which this was done was called a wasting sickness (ESV). i. Isaiah 10:15-19, Does the ax raise itself above him who swings it, or the saw boast against

14 14 him who uses it? As if a rod were to wield him who lifts it up, or a club brandish him who is not wood! Therefore, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. (NIV) b. Expositors generally understand this disease to be figurative. c. Willis notes this prediction was fulfilled when the Assyrian army was destroyed by the Lord in a single night (2 Kings 19:35). i. 2 Kings 19:35, That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning there were all the dead bodies! (NIV) d. Rawlinson thinks it was more general and describes the nation s decay (p. 187). 5. The Lord s response to this would be action.

15 15 a. The Assyrians were fat from the plundering of the nations; now the Lord would see to it they became lean. b. Under the glory of the king of Assyria, the army would begin to be decimated. c. The figurative expression in the latter part of verse 16 has been interpreted by some to be a terrible sickness of high fever, and ultimate destruction by forest fire (cf. Coffman). d. As Coffman said, the remarkable thing about this is the suddenness of it in one day! e. In Isaiah 37:36, we read about this occurrence. i. Isaiah 37:36, Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning there were all the dead bodies! (NIV) ii. Barnes writes, An expression denoting the utter impotency of all the mighty armies of the Assyrian to resist Yahweh. iii. As dry thorns and briers cannot resist the action of heat, so certainly and speedily would the armies of Sennacherib be destroyed before Yahweh. (E-Sword)

16 16 The Remnant of Israel Isaiah 10:20-23, In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land. (NIV) I. With the news of impending doom to Israel and then to Assyria, the Lord offered hope to those few who refused to depend upon a foreign power, though they are subjected (submissive) to it. A. They are called the remnant. 1. When Ahaz thought it best to trust in Assyria for his protection, the Lord said it would lead to his death. 2. However, in spite of Ahaz, there would still be those who trusted the Lord. 3. They may be few in number, but they are significant to the Lord. 4. The word remnant comes from a Hebrew word that means, essentially those remaining. 5. Substituting the Hebrew word for remnant, we get an idea of its meaning. a. Romans 9:27-28, Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel

17 17 be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. (KJV) Isaiah 10:24-34, Therefore, this is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says: "O my people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did. Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction." The LORD Almighty will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt. In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. They enter Aiath; they pass through Migron; tey store supplies at Micmash. They go over the pass, and say, "We will camp overnight at Geba." Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. Cry out, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! Poor Anathoth! Madmenah is in flight; the people of Gebim take cover. This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem. See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One. (NIV) I. Here we have an encouraging word from the Lord. A. The Israelites, on the receiving end of Assyria s wrath are told not to be afraid of the Assyrians because, like the nation s experience in Egypt, the period of the Lord s wrath would be short and Assyria s subjugation would be brought to an end. 1. This short period, Hailey says, lasted about 30 years.

18 How can this be of any encouragement? 3. Things to remember: a. First, it was not because the Lord wanted Assyria to be punished; it was because they refused to listen to Him. b. Second, from the Lord s viewpoint which always takes priority, this is a relatively short time and the people ought to be grateful the Lord does not mandate a longer period of time! c. The Lord s approval of the remnant will break the yoke of the Assyrians and all other attempts to thwart the Lord s people. Isaiah 10:28-34, They enter Aiath; they pass through Migron; tey store supplies at Micmash. They go over the pass, and say, "We will camp overnight at Geba." Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. Cry out, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! Poor Anathoth! Madmenah is in flight; the people of Gebim take cover. This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem. See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One. (NIV) I. In verses 28-32, the Lord painted an intimidating picture of Assyria s advance, from one city to the next, closer and closer to Jerusalem. A. Isaiah 10:28-32, They enter Aiath; they pass through Migron; tey store supplies at Micmash. They go over the pass, and say, "We will camp overnight at Geba." Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. Cry out, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O

19 19 Laishah! Poor Anathoth! Madmenah is in flight; the people of Gebim take cover. This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem. (NIV) B. The people hear this and their fear is magnified. C. Strangely, the note in the JSB says, The events that should follow the defeat of the arrogant empire have still not come to fruition, even though Isaiah probably thought they would happen in his own lifetime (p. 806). D. This reads as if Isaiah got it wrong! 1. That s Jewish theology for you! E. In any event, Isaiah paints a very frightening picture; one that could easily be painted in the mind s eye. 1. But no more does the picture get painted, that Assyria is at the doorstep. 2. In 10:33-34, the Lord swoops down to bring the matter to an end. a. Isaiah 10:33-34, See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One. (NIV)

20 20 Questions On Isaiah 10:1-34 By John C. Sewell (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. Woe to those who make. Woe to those who the of their. Woe to those who from the of my. Woe to those who make their and the. (See verses 1 and 2.) 2. What will the above described sinners do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will they run for help? What would happen to their riches then? (See verse 3.)

21 When would this day of reckoning occur and what is the far place from which disaster would come? 4. Nothing would be left for these sinners but to among the or among the. Yet, his is not, his is still. 5. In verse 4, who is referenced by the word his? 6. Why was woe pronounced on Assyria whom God was using to do his will regarding punishing Israel? 7. What was the godless nation that angered God? (See verse 6.)

22 God had sent the Assyrians to and, to them down like in the. 9. Assyria did not intend to do God s will. The Assyrian s purposed to, to put an to. 10. Assyria was arrogant and claimed that all their were. Assyria had conquered many nations, and and were included in its military targets. (See verses 9-11.) 11. Identify, locate and give information regarding Calno, Carchmish, Hamath, Arpad, Samaria and Damascus. 12. When the had finished all his against and, he will say, I will the of for the of his and the in his. (See verse 12.)

23 How did Assyria pridefully boast? (See verses 13-14). 14. Did the Assyrians, the Babylonians or both afflict Mt. Zion, Judah and Jerusalem as predicted in chapter 10? Explain your answer. 15. What is the point God is making by reference to the ax, the saw, a rod and a club in verse 15? 16. Therefore, what will the Lord Almighty do? (See verse 16.) 17. Who or what is the Light of Israel? What would the Light of Israel do? (See verses 17-19).

24 What is meant by the remnant of Israel as used in Isaiah 10 and as used in the New Testament? (See verse 20.) 19. The time will come when the of would to the. Only a will return because the will carry out the upon the. (See verses 20-23). 20. The Lord Almighty says, O my who in, do not be of the, who beat you with a and lift up a against you, as did. Very soon my will be to their. (See verses 24-25). 21. The Lord Almighty will the with a. (See verse 26.) 22. Give details, information about God s striking Midian at the rock of Oreb. (See verse 26.)

25 Give details, information about God s raising his staff over the waters in Egypt. (See verse 26.) 24. The time would when s will be from s. (See verse 27.) 25. Why would the yoke be broken? Who had grown fat? Who had worn the yoke? (See verse 27.) 26. Who are they in verses 28-32? Give reasons for your answer. 27. Locate and give information regarding the following places: (1) Aiath (2) Migron

26 26 (3) Micmash (4) Geba (5) Ramah (6) Gibeah (7) Gallim (8) Laishah (9) Anathoth (10) Madmenah (11) Gebim (12) Nob 28. What is the point of what is said in Isaiah 10:28-32? 29. According to verses 33-34, what will God do to Assyria?

27 When was the prophecy of verses fulfilled? Give the circumstances and details surrounding the fulfillment of this prophecy.

28 28