Isaiah 10

Isaiah continues The Lord’s prophecy against Israel and Judah.

Verses 1-4 are essentially a continuation of chapter 9, “His Hand is stretched out still.” The Lord exacting punishment on His people because of their continual neglect of God’s way and they continually sought outside sources for help.

Verse 1-4 deal with the leaders who make evil statutes,make unjust decisions, deprive the needy, robbing the poor of God’s people of what is right.

Taking advantage of the widows and orphans.

Isaiah speaking for the Lord asks them where will they go for help in the day of visitation/desolation (punishment/devastation)?

At the end of verse 3........Reckoning: a concealed reference to Assyrian invasion. The now all-commanding rulers of Israel and Judah ,will then have neither future (To whom … run?) nor past (where … leave?). Riches (or ‘glory’): i.e. not just cash but also self-importance, pride of person and position.

Verse 4: ...............Isaiah 9:8 “The Lord sent a word into Jacob, And it hath lighted upon Israel.”............ . To refuse the revealed word may well seem an irrelevance in the ‘real world’ of construction programmes (9:10), political manoeuvrings and superpower posturings (9:10), of prominent civil and church leaders (9:15), or average human wickedness (9:18) and governmental mismanagement, but in the long run it is the word which ‘falls’ (9:8) and those who have rejected it fall among the slain.

This is the hand of God outstretched, His anger is not turned away!

Verses 5-18......This is essentially God’s declaration that Assyria will be the rod of His anger......the weapons that they see in the Assyrians hands is His is indignation.

Indignation-Anger caused by a displeasure in something or someone.

The Lord will send Assyria against Israel & Judah, a hypocritical nation (godless nation)

Israel and Judah will be plundered at God’s command.

Assyria would simply be allowed, by God, to level them in complete devastation.

Verse 7 God makes it clear that this not of Assyria’s doing, it was His.

Assyria did not realize that it was the Lord’s instrument, but though that it’s conquests were the result of it’s power.

They did not care about God’s glory at all, but God used their evil to exact His punishment.

Verse 8-9 speaks of Assyria’s confidence which was in their past accomplishments and resources they had.

Their view of themselves was rather inflated.

Verses 10-11.......As I have done to Samaria and her idols, shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols? Here, the LORD describes the proud, arrogant heart of the Assyrians. Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, which was given over to gross idolatry. Jerusalem was the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah, which still maintained some worship of the Lord GOD. In Assyria’s pride, they thought the Lord GOD nothing more than one of the idols that they had conquered in Samaria or in many other cities. The Assyrians were in for a rude wake-up call!

“The cities mentioned in verses 9 and 10 came under Assyrian control between 740 and 721 B.C., and none of the gods of these areas had provided the slightest help.” (Wolf)

Verses 12-14.....I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks: The pride of Assyria and her king was found in his arrogant heart, and exposed by his haughty looks. How much pride can be revealed by a haughty look!

The Bible describes God’s opinion of haughty looks: A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin. (Proverbs 21:4) The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure. (Psalm 101:5) For You will save the humble people, but will bring down haughty looks. (Psalm 18:27)

By the strength of my hand I have done it: Again, the LORD is revealing the heart of Assyria. They glory in their own strength and wisdom (by my wisdom, for I am prudent). They exaggerate their power (I have gathered all the earth).

Julius Caesar had this heart of pride when he said of his military conquests: Veni, vidi, vici (“I came, I saw, I conquered”). Charles V had a better heart when he said of his military conquests, Veni, vidi, sed Christus vicit (“I came, I saw, but Christ conquered”).

Verses 15-19......The Lord declares that Assyria is nothing more than an instrument.

And when the Lord finishes using Assyria as His instrument, He will terminate their existence.

Sidenote: “If it is easy for an unknowing instrument of God to become proud, it is also easy for a willing instrument of God to become proud. Jesus said we should have a different attitude: So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, “We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:10) As wonderful as it is to be an instrument in the hand of God, the instrument deserves no special glory.”

Everything that they gloried in will be burned up......

Verse 17 states that the “Light” of Israel.....His “Holy One of Israel” will be the flame........Most commentators have stayed away from this verse but it seems to speak of Jesus and His exacting of judgement on the earth or maybe it speaks of their looming judgement.

It seems however that this judgement is with Jesus.

The destruction will be so horrific, that a child, who can only count to 5 or 10 can number what is left.

Verses 20-34.......Speaks of a remnant

The remnant of Israel … will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the LORD. The LORD promises His people, “You are going through this now because you will not trust Me. But I am going to change you so that you trust Me again, and you will once again depend/stay/rely on the LORD.”

Yet a remnant of them will return: The suffering of God’s people at the hands of the Assyrians and others would make them feel as if they would certainly be destroyed. God assures them that this is not the case. He will always preserve His remnant.

The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness: When God allows destruction—whether in outright judgment or loving correction—it is always righteous, and never unfair. In fact, His judgment overflows with righteousness!

For the Lord GOD of hosts will make a determined end: An end of what? An end of Judah’s trust in nations like Assyria. They will never again depend on him who defeated him.

Therefore … do not be afraid of the Assyrian:He shall strike you with a rod, yet do not be afraid. He will lift up his staff against you, but do not be afraid. Why shouldn’t they fear? Because the Assyrians are not in charge, the LORD is. In a very little while … the indignation will cease, as will My anger. We can always be comforted by the fact that God will never leave His people to the mercy of their enemies. Even when He uses the Assyrians to bring judgment and correction, He is still in charge.

The Lord will take care of the Assyrians after they do His bidding.......He will take care of them like He did for Gideon in Judges 7, as He caused the Midianites to slaughter themselves.....It was miraculous!

Just as it was in Exodus 14, when the Red Sea fell on the Egyptians! Miraculous!

In both events it was a complete and utter destruction of those empires!

It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck: Assyria would indeed trouble and oppress Judah, but not forever. Instead, the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. Because of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit among Judah (represented by the anointing oil), the yoke of bondage would be destroyed.

Bultema thinks that because of the anointing oil should really be seen as because of the anointed one, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He is the source of our victory and freedom from the yoke of bondage!

However, some think...... “The yoke will be broken because of fatness” simply means that wealthy Assyrians who have become fat will not get any fatter by their heavy taxation of Judah, in fact their oppressive taxation will cause their downfall.”

A prophetic description of the arrival of the army of the Assyrians (28–32)

Because of the word of comfort and encouragement in the previous section, Judah might think that God wouldn’t send judgment among them at all. This section, with the specific mention of many cities of Judah, is meant to show that God will indeed allow the invasion of the Assyrians, even though He will restore after the attack.

The listing of cities flows from the north to the south, describing the course of the Assyrian invasion. Nob is right on the outskirts of Jerusalem. This is as far as the army of the Assyrians came against Judah. They were stopped here when the LORD killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night.

“With a deft poetic touch, Isaiah told how the enemy moved through twelve different locations, coming ever closer to the capital.” (Wolf)

2 Kings 19:35 “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”

2 Kings 19:36-37 “So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 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.”

The LORD humbles the proud among the people of Judah (33–34)

Those of high stature will be hewn down: The LORD promises that His judgment will extend even against those of high stature. A mighty forest seems invincible and seems as if it will stand forever, but the LORD can cut it down. Even so, the LORD will cut down the proud and those of high stature among Judah. All that will be left in a once-mighty forest will be stumps.

And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One: The forests of Lebanon were known for their large, mighty cedar trees. God will judge the proud among Judah—and all the nations for that matter—and leave a once mighty forest of those of high stature as if they were just stumps. The bigger they are, the harder they fall!

Sometimes righteous people do not know why they suffer, but at other times God clearly reveals that people are being punished for their sins (as in Isaiah 10). In such cases, it is always wise for the sinners to return to God and rely on him. Trusting in other men or nations will only lead to disappointment. The only true source of hope is to lean on Almighty God and fear only him.

Psalm 46:2-3 “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.”