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Scripture Reading: Isa. 9:8-21; 10:1-34; Rom. 9:27
In chapters four, six, seven, eight, and nine of Isaiah, eighteen items of Christ are revealed. In chapter four Christ is the Shoot of Jehovah, the Fruit of the earth (v. 2), the canopy (v. 5), and the tabernacle (v. 6) to be the shade, refuge, and cover to God's chosen people. In chapter six Christ is the One sitting on the throne in glory (v. 1). In chapter seven Christ is the child who is called Immanuel (v. 14), and in chapter eight Christ is the sanctuary to His people but a striking stone, a rock of stumbling, and a trap, and a snare to His opposers (v. 14). In chapter nine Christ is the great light (v. 2), a child born, a son given, the Mighty God, the Wonderful Counselor, the Eternal Father, and the Prince of Peace (v. 6).
Chapters nine and eleven of Isaiah reveal Christ in a wonderful way, but chapter ten deals with Jehovah's judgment (not merely His chastisement) on the kingdom of Israel and His judgment on Assyria. Chapter ten is inserted between these two chapters for the purpose of showing us how to possess and enjoy the good things of Christ presented in the earlier chapters of Isaiah.
If we would know how to enjoy Christ, we must first know our real situation. Our real situation is not good, because we are under the judgment of God. If we would enjoy Christ as our salvation, we must realize that we are under God's judgment.
The principle is the same in preaching the gospel. In preaching the gospel, it is best not to present the good things first but the bad things. If you present only the good things, you may not touch a person's conscience. The best way to touch a person's conscience is to say something about his actual situation in a nice way.
Isaiah 10 shows that both the oppressed, the kingdom of Israel, and the oppressor, the kingdom of Assyria, were under the judgment of God. Israel was once a single nation, but after the time of Solomon, the nation was divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Because the kingdom of Israel had fallen to the extent that it was on the level of the Gentile nations, even becoming an ally to the king of Aram, Israel was not only under God's chastisement but also under His judgment. God's chastisement on Israel became His judgment on Israel. For this reason, it is correct now to speak not only of God's chastisement on Israel but also of His judgment on Israel. Furthermore, the two judgments in this chapter — the judgment on Israel and the judgment on Assyria — are actually one (vv. 22-23). Israel had become one with the Gentiles; therefore, these two judgments became one in nature.
In 9:8—10:4 we see God's judgment on the kingdom of Israel.
God's judgment was on their pride and haughtiness (9:9-10). Ephraim (the kingdom of Israel) and the inhabitants of Samaria (the capital of Israel) said in their pride and haughtiness of heart, "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with cut stone;/The sycamores have been felled, but we will put cedars in their place" (v. 10). In their pride they said that they would build with something stronger than bricks and that they would replace the sycamores with cedars.
Jehovah exalted the adversaries of Rezin against Israel and goaded Israel's enemies on (9:11). Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west devoured with an open mouth. But by all this Jehovah's anger was not turned; His hand was still outstretched (v. 12).
Jehovah's judgment was on their not turning to Him nor seeking Him. Verse 13 says, "Yet the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,/Nor do they seek Jehovah of hosts."
Jehovah cut off from Israel head (the elder and the highly regarded) and tail (the prophet and the teacher of falsehood) and those who mislead this people (vv. 14-16). Because of this the Lord would not rejoice in their young men and would not have compassion on their orphans and widows. All of them were profane and evildoers, and every mouth spoke foolishness. By all this Jehovah's anger was not turned; His hand was still outstretched (v. 17).
Jehovah's judgment was also on their wickedness. Their wickedness burned like a fire, devouring thorn and thistle. It burned in the forest thickets, and it rolled up into a column of smoke (v. 18).
At the overflowing wrath of Jehovah, a land was burned up, and the people were like fuel for fire (v. 19a). No one spared even his brother (v. 19b). One carved on the left side, but was hungry; and another ate on the right side, but was not satisfied. Each ate the flesh of his own arm: Manasseh, Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh, and these together against Judah. But by all this Jehovah's anger was not turned; His hand was still outstretched (vv. 20-21).
Jehovah's judgment also came upon their injustice. Concerning this, 10:1 and 2 say, "Woe to those who decree decrees of iniquity,/To the busy writers who are busy writing trouble, /In order to turn the needy away from judgment,/And to tear justice away from the poor among my people;/That widows may be their spoil,/And they may plunder orphans." These verses indicate that there was no justice in Israel.
Isaiah 10:3 says, "And what will you do for the day of visitation/And for the devastation that comes from afar?/ To whom will you flee for help?/And where will you leave your glory...?" Here the day of visitation refers to the day of judgment, and glory refers to wealth. Verse 4 goes on to speak of one crouching behind prisoners and falling behind the slain. But by all this Jehovah's anger was not turned; His hand was still outstretched.
In 10:5-34 we also see Jehovah's judgment on Assyria.
Verses 5 through 19 and 28 through 34 speak of Jehovah's judgment on the haughtiness of the king of Assyria.
Although Assyria was the rod of Jehovah's anger, He pronounced woe to Assyria. "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger!/The staff which is in their hand is My indignation. / Against a profane nation I send them out/And against the people of My overflowing wrath I command them,/To make spoil of the spoil and to prey on the prey,/To make them a trampling ground, like street mire" (vv. 5-6).
Assyria, however, did not think it so, and their heart did not conceive it so (v. 7a). Rather, destroying was in their heart, and the cutting down of no few nations (vv. 7b-11). This means that because Israel had become corrupt, God used Assyria as a rod and a staff to judge Israel. But Assyria, overstretching beyond the limitation, did not think of the matter in this way, nor did their heart conceive it in this way. Assyria therefore acted excessively.
Verses 13 and 14 expose the haughtiness of the king of Assyria. Verse 12 reveals that this haughtiness would be punished by Jehovah. "When the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He says, I will punish the fruit of the king of Assyria's haughtiness of heart and the glory of his haughty eyes."
Verse 15 says, "Should the ax glorify itself above him who chops with it?/Or should the saw magnify itself above him who wields it?/It would be like the rod wielding him who lifts it up,/Like the staff lifting up him who is not wood." Here God is saying that it was He who used Assyria as an ax to chop His people, but now this ax is glorifying itself above the One who chopped with it. Jehovah, therefore, would judge the king of Assyria, as described in verses 16 through 19. He would send leanness to the fat ones of the king of Assyria, and under his glory He would kindle a kindling, like the kindling of fire. Furthermore, the Light of Israel would become a fire, and His Holy One a flame; and it would burn and devour his thorns and his thistles in one day. The glory of his forest and of his garden land Jehovah would destroy, both soul and body; and the king of Assyria would be like a sick man wasting away.
The king of Assyria moved terrifyingly through many nations and eventually swung his hands over the mountain of the city of Zion, over the hill of Jerusalem (vv. 28-32).
The Lord Jehovah of hosts would lop off the boughs with an awful crash. Those which were tall in height would be hewn down, and those which were lofty would be laid low. He would chop away the forest thickets with an iron ax, and Lebanon would fall at the hands of the majestic One (vv. 33-34).
Isaiah 10:20-27 speaks of the return and release of Israel. After the judgment on Israel and the judgment on Assyria, there would be the return and release of Israel.
Then in that day the remnant of Israel and those of the house of Israel who have escaped will no longer rely upon him who strikes them — the king of Assyria — but they will rely upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth (v. 20). To rely upon Jehovah in truth is to rely upon Him in honesty.
Verses 21 and 22a go on to say, "A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant among them will return." This word is quoted by Paul in Romans 9:27. The reason that only a remnant will return is given in Isaiah 10:22b-23. "Annihilation is strictly decided, overflowing with righteousness. For utter destruction and a strict decision is Jehovah of hosts performing in the midst of the whole land."
In verse 24 Jehovah tells His people dwelling in Zion not to fear Assyria, which strikes with the rod and lifts up the staff against them the way Egypt did. Then in the following verses Jehovah says, "For in a very little while My indignation will be completed, and My anger will be turned toward their destruction. And against them Jehovah of hosts will rouse up a whip like the stroke against Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the sea, and He will lift it up the way He did in Egypt. And in that day their burden will be removed from your shoulders, and their yoke from off your neck; and the yoke will be broken due to the fatness" (vv. 25-27). From this we see that God's judgment will eventually issue in the return of His people.
