The Assyrian Threat
Labels:
Isaiah
12. An
expository study of Isaiah, chapter 10
Justice and defense for the needy
Chapter 10
begins with some particular complaints that God has against the legislative and
judicial system in Judah. He calls their attention to evil statutes that they
have drawn and unjust decisions made by their judges (v.1-2). God takes notice
of those things in a nation, particularly in the physical nation, which is
called by His name. He does not tolerate it, when the rights of the poor are
ignored and not enforced. They have little means of procuring these rights and they lack ways, in which to defend themselves, if they are accused. Orphans and widows
are of great concern to God and Judah's treatment of them is a chief cause for coming judgment. “A father of the fatherless and a judge for
the widows, is God in His holy habitation” (Ps.68:5).
However, in
God’s economy, the humanitarian duties of the church are carried out in an orderly
and just fashion, so that it will reach to those who are truly needy. See Paul’s
instructions to Timothy: “Honor widows
who are widows indeed… Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left
alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night
and day… A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than 60 years
old, having been the wife of one man… having a reputation for good works; and
if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if
she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if
she has devoted herself to every good work… If any woman who is a believer has
dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so
that it may assist those who are widows indeed” (1 Ti.5:3-16). The church
was not a welfare system for those, who shirked family responsibility or
manifested a lack of commitment to God.
Still God is
the defender of the defenseless (v.3) and, sooner or later, justice prevails. It
would be of interest to be able to see how judgment falls in manifold ways upon
today’s society for the reasons mentioned. Sometimes the punishment is obvious
and other times it is more subtle; sometimes it is immediate and other times it
builds and gains force for a future time. Someone gave the example of a drawn
slingshot, in what would seem to be a delay in God’s judgment, to illustrate what would seem to be a delay in God's judgment, depicting Newton’s
law of motion: For every action there is an
opposite and equal reaction. The farther back it is pulled, the greater the
thrust and impact.
Assyria, the rod of God’s anger
 |
| King Sennacherib of Assyria on his throne |
God has His
people in mind, as He conducts the affairs of the world. In His justice system,
He uses entire nations as executioners. In the case of Israel, it will be “Assyria, the rod of My anger” (v.5). Because
they did not live and act in the fear of God, He abandons them to their doom,
and death and captivity lie before them (v.3-4) Twice in chapter nine, the Lord
shows that his wrath has not been satisfied, even after partial judgment has
been executed. In the final analysis, it is fully poured out, either at Calvary
or in the flames of hell. In chapter ten, again we read of continuing anger. The
wrath of God is an awesome matter and is worthy of fear in the hearts of His
wayward, hypocritical people. “A godless
nation,” He calls them, “the people
of My fury” (v.6), to be trampled down and plundered.
We are
learning the ways of God and we need to pay close attention. “My son, do not regard lightly the
discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom
the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb.12:5-6
quoting Pr.3:11,12). Oh yes, brothers and sisters, there is reason to fear the
Father’s rod under the New Testament. That rod can take many forms and we
should not limit it to certain sources that we might prefer. He will use
whatever means necessary to bring about the desired effect in our lives.
However, Assyria
is not aware that he is nothing more than a tool of God (v.7). He has his own
goals of destruction and conquest. As nation after nation fall, his princes or
commanders become rulers over them (v.8). Assyria boasts of his might and sees
the present foe in the light of past victories (v.9). The disappearance of
borders to create an empire is attributed to national power and wisdom (v.13).
The accumulation of other countries’ populations and treasures has been
performed with relative ease… “as one
gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth,” he says (v.14).
He sees
nothing beyond the might of his armies, and He ranks Jerusalem among the pagan,
heathen nations (v.10-12). We will see this later in his negotiations with
Hezekiah in Jerusalem. What is likely to produce more doubt among the Jews, about
Assyria’s capability to overcome them, is due to the fact that their brother
nation to the north (represented by its capital city, Samaria) has also fallen.
God never
ignores arrogance. He turns from the punishment of His people, towards the oppressor
used to execute the punishment. He states very clearly that Assyria is an “axe,
a club, and a rod” (v.15). God is the wielder of the instruments and by His
power and authority and for His purposes, Assyria has been raised up. It
happens commonly in Scripture that the armies that are used to bring discipline
upon Israel are later destroyed, because they did not give glory to God and
their hatred and violence against His people exceeded His intentions.
Assyria’s humiliating downfall
Notice how
the Lord humiliates Assyria, weakening his strong points: “The God of hosts will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors”,
“under his glory a fire will be kindled”,
and “He will destroy the glory of
his forest and of his fruitful garden” (v.16,18). We see in their downfall a physical
manifestation of divine principle, stated by the apostle, “that no flesh may boast before God” (1 Co.1:29).
In verse 17,
Isaiah writes, not of Israel, but of the
Light of Israel, and Israel’s Holy
One, Who will bring the destruction upon Assyria in one day (v.17). The Lord sees all of
his might as “thorns, briars, a sick man, and small in number”. The sum of their army will be reduced to
a number, which will be simple arithmetic for a small child (v.19). This was fulfilled in a single day, exactly
as here stated, and we will see it in the story of Hezekiah later on in this
book.
A nation
under threat from a stronger power will often compromise, as Israel did various
times in the latter part of its Old Testament history, and once conquered will yield
in dependence on the victors. However, the remnant, who return from captivity,
will determine never again to be defenseless before their attackers (v.20). In
this century, the prime minister of Israel has taken up the vow that there will
never be another holocaust. If no one will support Israel, they will defend
themselves. If ever there was a need for them to depend upon the God of
Israel, it is today. Isaiah’s prophecy lies before them in the Sanctuary of the
Book and the vision, which he saw in chapter six, evoked the title that Isaiah
gave to the One that he saw high and exalted upon the throne. The seraphim
cried, “Holy, Holy, Holy” and Isaiah calls Him, the Holy One of Israel.
“A remnant will return… to the mighty God” (v.21).
Because they return to God, He will free them from captivity and they will rely
upon Him. He had determined a righteous judgment, after which only a minority
will remain (v.22). The fear of God has fallen upon the remnant and there is no
need to fear Assyria (v.23-24) or any of the other world powers. The Psalmist
said, “The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever” (Ps.19:10). His fear is wholesome, health to the soul,
not as the fear of man which ensnares and torments. Another Psalm assures, “The Lord has disciplined me severely, but
He has not given me over to death” (Ps.118:18).
There is an
end to His indignation against His people and it will turn against their
enemies (v.25). Twice a comparison is made between Egypt and Assyria, between
the liberation from Pharaoh to the deliverance from Assyria (v.24,26). Jeremiah
wrote of two great works of God for Israel at the beginning of their history
and at the end of the Old Testament: “Behold,
days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the
Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As
the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north
and from all the countries where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them
to their own land which I have given to their fathers” (Jer.16:14).
The God of restoration and hope
God is the
God of restoration and of hope for those who fear Him. Another historical
victory is mentioned; Gideon’s victory over Midian and King Oreb (Jdg.7:25).
These historical events serve as reference points to the faithfulness of God towards Israel
against the upcoming danger. There is apparently a great difficulty in the
interpretation of verse 27: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that
his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy
neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” What is beyond dispute is that God promises deliverance
from Assyria, who is now oppressing Judah, but the means, which God uses, could
be another reference to the anointed Messiah, the Christ, or perhaps it means
that, because Israel is the anointed and peculiar possession of God, He will
break their yoke through the swelling of that anointing.
The approach
of the enemy army is depicted, arriving at the northern portion of the tribe of
Benjamin, Aiath (or Ai), on to Migron and finally arriving nine miles north of
Jerusalem at Michmash (v.28). They lay down their baggage there and prepare for
the onslaught. Ramah and Gibeah are well-known cities of Benjamin from the days
of King Saul (v.29). On the army marches ever closer and a cry of alarm goes up
from Gallim, Laish and then Anothoth, which is only three miles from Jerusalem
(v.30). Nearby Madmenah is evacuated and the inhabitants of Gebim, (both are unknown villages to us) flee, taking with them what they can of their possessions
(v.31). Nob, the city of priests, where David was received, when fleeing from
Saul, becomes a stopping point and is near enough so that the Syrian can shake
his fist at Zion, the hill of Jerusalem (v.32), in defiance.
 |
| Assyrian archers |
At that
point, with his eyes on the target, the enemy army is met by the Lord, the God
of hosts, as has already been predicted in verses 16 through 18. He “will lop off the boughs” (v.33) of “the glory of his forest” (v.18). “His stout warriors” (v.16), “who are tall in stature will be cut down
and those who are lofty will be abased”. Here Lebanon, famous for its
beautiful forests, is descriptive of Assyria, whose army is likened to a magnificent
woodland, but God, the Mighty One, will bring it down (v.33).
Israel’s comfort
and hope is in the word of its prophet and so our future is sure through the
Word of God, which lives and abides forever. His promises are surer than any
country’s defense department. He is the Lord of Hosts and every one of our
enemies will fall, as the mighty army of the Syrian world power fell before
Jerusalem. We will study the details in chapter 36.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Recommended Books
Post a Comment