How and Why God Judges the Nations

Isaiah 12:2 (ESV) “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2–3 (ESV) “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He has become my 3 salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Big idea: God judges the nations with total devastation to accomplish His purposes of humbling their pride and destroying their idols so that His rebellious children (both Jew and Gentile) will look to Him as Saviour and unite in true worship. 1. How God Judges the Nations 2. Why God Judges the Nations 1. How God Judges the Nations Devastatingly devastate 1: to destroy a place or thing completely or cause great damage 2: to make someone feel very shocked and upset https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/devastate. accessed 7 March 2026 1. How God Judges the Nations Devastatingly Isaiah 13:5 (ESV) They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy [lit. to ruin] the whole land. 1. How God Judges the Nations Devastatingly Isaiah 13:9 (ESV) Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation [or horror] and to destroy [lit. to wipe out / exterminate] its sinners from it. 1. How God Judges the Nations Devastatingly Isaiah 15:1 (ESV) An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone. 1. How God Judges the Nations Devastatingly Isaiah 23:1 (ESV) The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them. 1. How God Judges the Nations Devastatingly Isaiah 23:14 (ESV) Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste. 1. How God Judges the Nations Devastatingly Isaiah 14:5 (ESV) The LORD has broken [or shattered, smashed] the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers 1. How God Judges the Nations Devastatingly Isaiah 14:25 (ESV) that I will break [or shatter, smash] the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 1. How God Judges the Nations Devastatingly cf. Isaiah 30:14 (ESV) and its [the wall’s] breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.” 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—emotional pain Isaiah 13:6 (ESV) Wail [Babylon], for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—emotional pain Isaiah 14:31 (ESV) Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—emotional pain Isaiah 15:2–8 (ESV) He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon, to the high places to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn; 3in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears. 4Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles. 5My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction. . . .8For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—emotional pain Isaiah 16:9–11 (ESV) Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench 10 you with my tears, . . . And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are 11 raised; . . . . Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab . . . 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—emotional pain Isaiah 17:11c (ESV) . . . the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—emotional pain Isaiah 22:4 (ESV) Therefore I said: “Look away from me; let me weep bitter tears; do not labor to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.” 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—emotional pain Isaiah 23:1 (ESV) The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! Isaiah 23:6 (ESV) Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coast! Isaiah 23:14 (ESV) Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—psychological pain 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—psychological pain Isaiah 13:7–8 (ESV) Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. 8They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—psychological pain Isaiah 17:14a (ESV) At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—psychological pain Isaiah 21:3-4 (ESV) Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I 4 cannot see. My heart staggers; horror has appalled me; the twilight I longed for has been turned for me into trembling. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—economic pain 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—economic pain Isaiah 15:6 (ESV) the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—economic pain Isaiah 17:1–2a (ESV) An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. 2The cities of Aroer are deserted; 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—physical pain Isaiah 13:15–16 (ESV) Whoever [in Babylon] is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword. 16Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—physical pain Isaiah 13:18 (ESV) Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—survivor pain 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—survivor pain Isaiah 13:14 (ESV) And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—survivor pain Isaiah 15:5 (ESV) My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction; 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—survivor pain Isaiah 15:9 (ESV) For the waters of Dibon are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land. (Reuters: Alexander Ermochenko) 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—survivor pain Isaiah 16:2 (ESV) Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 1. How God Judges the Nations Painfully—survivor pain Isaiah 17:13 (ESV) The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm. 1. How God Judges the Nations Purposefully 1. How God Judges the Nations Purposefully Isaiah 13:3–6 (ESV) I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my 4c mighty men to execute my anger. . . The LORD 6 of hosts is mustering a host for battle. . . . Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! 1. How God Judges the Nations Purposefully Isaiah 14:24–27 (ESV) The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have 25 purposed, so shall it stand, that I will break the Assyrian . . . 26This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 27For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? 1. How God Judges the Nations Purposefully Isaiah 23:8–9a (ESV) Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? 9The LORD of hosts has purposed it. . . . 2. God’s Purposes in Judging the Nations 2. God’s Purposes in Judging the Nations God’s immediate purposes. i. God judges nations to smash human pride. Isaiah 23:8–9 (ESV) Who has 9 purposed this against Tyre . . . The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth. pompous: having or exhibiting selfimportance : ARROGANT https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pompous. accessed 7 March 2026 i. God judges nations to smash human pride. Isaiah 13:11 (ESV) I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. i. God judges nations to smash human pride. Isaiah 14:13–14 (ESV) You [the king of Babylon] said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of 14 assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ i. God judges nations to smash human pride. Isaiah 16:6 (ESV) We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right. ii. God judges nations to smash their idols. Isaiah 19:1b–4 (ESV) and the idols of Egypt will tremble at His [God’s] presence, and the heart of the Egyptians 3 will melt within them. . . . and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the 4 necromancers; and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. ii. God judges nations to smash their idols. Isaiah 21:9 (ESV) And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs!” And he answered, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.” ii. God judges nations to smash their idols. Isaiah 17:7–8 (ESV) In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look 8 on the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. 3. God’s Purposes in Judging the Nations God’s longterm purposes. iii. God punishes the nations to smash His rebellious children’s false hope of trusting other nations. iii. God punishes the nations to smash His rebellious children’s false hope of trusting other nations. Isaiah 20:5-6 (ESV) Then they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and of Egypt 6 their boast. And the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day, ‘Behold, this is what has happened to those in whom we hoped and to whom we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria! And we, how shall we escape?’ ” iii. God punishes the nations to smash His rebellious children’s false hope of trusting other nations. Isaiah 19:19–20 (ESV) In that day . . .When they [the Egyptians] cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. iv. God punishes the nations so that rebellious people from many nations will come to know Him. iv. God punishes the nations so that rebellious people from many nations will come to know Him. Isaiah 19:21a (ESV) And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD . . . iv. God punishes the nations so that rebellious people from many nations will come to know Him. Exodus 5:2 (ESV) But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” iv. God punishes the nations so that rebellious people from many nations will come to know Him. Exodus 7:5 (ESV) The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” v. God punishes the nations so that rebellious peoples will worship Him. v. God punishes the nations so that rebellious peoples will worship Him. v. God punishes the nations so that rebellious peoples will worship Him. Isaiah 19:21 (ESV) And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. v. God punishes the nations so that rebellious peoples will worship Him. Isaiah 19:23 (ESV) In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. vi. God punishes the nations so that the world will be blessed. vi. God punishes the nations so that the world will be blessed. Isaiah 19:24–25 (ESV) In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in 25 the midst of the earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” vi. God punishes the nations so that the world will be blessed. Genesis 26:4 (ESV) I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,