Isaiah 10:20-34

Chp 10 Continued; A Remnant will Return.

Tonight we come back to chapter 10, and tonight we hope to look at verses 20-34, and finish up this chapter.

Remember last week, God was pronouncing woes on the people of God for their sin, sinful actions.

They have trust in their self and in other nations instead of God and He will hold them accountable for their actions. we look at that...

But today, God is promising hope in the midst of sorrow, joy, where grief once was and they now have peace. God is with them..

So, lets look here...

Isaiah 10:20 ESV

20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

IN that day, This phrase is a promise toward a great, future event. Something that is better than what has already been experienced...

So God says that there will be a remnant returning in the future, a group of people will come and will inhabit the city.

And when that day comes, they will understand there trust is in the Lord and not in those who they trusted in to protect and help them when enemies came there way. They trusted Aram to be their friend, when for centuries they were an enemy.

God forgives is the message, even when we lean on others instead of Him.

What did we formerly put our trust in???

Money, job security, even false gods....

Now, lets look at verses 21-23

Isaiah 10:21–23 ESV

21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.

So a remnant will return the Lord says, a remnant of Jacob.. not only to the city, but they will return to God the Father as well. And even though God says their numbers were once like the sands of the sea, literally no many to count...

Genesis 22:17 ESV

17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,

In the future, His people will be a few, a remnant is a small portion of that which was originally bigger, larger my friends.

And even though the destruction coming to them cannot be stopped, it will indeed take place. Yet we know according to His righteousness, the return will happen.

If God promises a remnant, then a remnant will come to them.

The Lord will ensure all these things happen, no doubt about it.

No lets move on..

Isaiah 10:24 ESV

24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did.

You know if Assyria overtakes Israel, Judah should be afraid as well, but here the Lord tells them, His ways are different than mans, there is no need for them to be afraid. He is in control, he is the Lord their God and the one who delivered them out of Egypt, can deliver them now.

The Lord is on their side, how wonderful to know that the Lord is on our side.

And here is a little secret, the Assyrians victory will only be as the Egyptians, against you. Do you remember what happened to the Egyptians? They perished… God knows and is able my friends to take care of all the issues of man.

Now lets move on to Isa 10:25

Isaiah 10:25 ESV

25 For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.

The anger the Lord feels is passing the wrath he expressed will lead to the Assyrians destruction, and all this will very soon come to an end. Faith is the imminent expectation for man to have toward God.

Does your faith in God mean you trust Him to care and protect you?

Now verse 26 Isa 10:26

Isaiah 10:26 ESV

26 And the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt.

So here even more information is given here. The Lord will whip them, made me think of Jesus as he braided a whip and drove the money changers out of the Temple area.

We know from Gideon in Judges 7:25 ...the Lord destroyed the people foes raising his staff against them. and also Exod 14:16… recalls how the Lord delivered his people.

The Lord will punish those who seek to overcome His people out of their greed and lust for power.

Now we enter a new paragraph with verses 27-34,

Isaiah 10:27 ESV

27 And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”

So the result of the Lord’s help is that Judah will be freed from the yoke and burden of Assyrian domination and taxation. The phrase of the fat is a bit odd ( most scholars note this here ). But the idea is that the fatness of its neck will break the yoke. In truth the Assyrians are so wealthy (fat) will not become fatter off of the burdens placed on Judah. This will come to and end and will be their downfall.

Now with verses 28-34, we find the Assyrians cut off...

So lets look at verses 28-32 Isa 10:28-32

Isaiah 10:28–32 ESV

28 He has come to Aiath; he has passed through Migron; at Michmash he stores his baggage; 29 they have crossed over the pass; at Geba they lodge for the night; Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul has fled. 30 Cry aloud, O daughter of Gallim! Give attention, O Laishah! O poor Anathoth! 31 Madmenah is in flight; the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety. 32 This very day he will halt at Nob; he will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

Suddenly the Lord of Judah intervenes by destroying majestic trees and humbling the lofty, cutting down the forests with an ax.

The trees referees to the proud and the lofty ones, but while Assyrian as been allowed to come to Israel we know that Judah will not suffer the same punishment from them at this time.

The mighty God will humble the proud King of Assyria.

We know that Assyria will enter Judah’s territory, this is seen in the cities that could not stop his progress. But they will not pass by Nob, a mile from Jerusalem itself.

He will threaten, literally shake his fist at Jerusalem. But it will be to no avail....

And now the last two verses

Isaiah 10:33–34 ESV

33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low. 34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe, and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.

So the felling of the trees is the destruction of Assyria right before the gates of Zion, the falling of the great tree is the dramatic.

The Lord will take care of his people and defeat their enemy.

We know that is it not his purpose for Judah to go into captivity just yet, their time will come because of their sin