Isaiah 10: 24-27

²⁴ Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, 
“O My people who dwell in Zion, 
do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod 
and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. 
²⁵ For in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent 
and My anger will be directed to their destruction.” 
²⁶ The Lord of hosts will arouse a scourge against him 
like the slaughter of 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. 
²⁷ So it will be in that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because of fatness. 

Where the Scripture passage from last week had some hope interspersed with times of trial for Israel, this week's passage has some trials interspersed with a promise of eternal freedom from slavery. Isaiah says that not only will a remnant be spared but Assyria, the conqueror, will no longer be a threat. Can you rejoice when you know your enemies will not defeat you? This is what we're talking about today!

We do need to put this passage into a time reference, however, or we'll forget that Israel is going to face "a complete destruction." (vs. 23) Israel does go into exile in Assyria, and God's "indignation" (vs. 25) will be upon the people throughout that time and then some. What is indignation? Love the Hebrew definition from Strong's: "Strictly froth at the mouth, i.e. (figuratively) fury (especially of God's displeasure with sin)."

"Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is My indignation."

--Isaiah 10:5

Yet though God's fury results in strong disciplinary action, He does not mean it to be a forever punishment. A remnant will be saved! That remnant might fear the future, however, given the strain and dominance of the empire under control. God says, "...Do not fear the Assyrian...." Do you hear echoes of Isaiah's words to Judah's King Ahaz? "Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted," he says in 7:4. God zeroes in on a primary concern, seeing as time in Assyria would look like time spent by the Israelites in another place of slavery.

<sup>In verse 24, God makes specific reference to the Israelites' time in Egypt--the rod and staff used against the people under Pharaoh. One of the cross-references for this passage is in Exodus 5. Moses and Aaron appeal to Pharaoh to let the people have time away from their labor to worship and sacrifice to God. Of course, Pharoah sees this as ludicrous and responds by having the Israelites make bricks by not only mixing and forming them but also gathering the straw to make them. Same quota of bricks, but they no longer had the straw supplied. The rod and staff came out to beat them when they fell short. The Israelites would know such conditions again in Assyria, but another rescue was in the works.

"Do not fear the Assyrian...." Why? "For in a very little while...." (vs 25) the tables will be turned completely. God will be done foaming at the mouth over Israel's disobedience and will then direct His anger toward the destruction of Assyria. Now, we can quibble over "very little while" in defining what that means exactly. From my reading, especially given what's coming in Isaiah, Chapter 11, we have not yet reached that time. With God speaking and His timing not being ours, "very little while" is what He says and means it is, despite our definitions.</sup>
 

"Note, God’s anger against his people is but for a moment, and when that ceases, and is turned away from us, we need not fear the fury of any man, for it is impotent passion."

--Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

"For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning."

--Psalm 30:5

With verse 26, then, we read how God will take action, arousing a scourge within the Assyrian. Here, 'scourge' is used figuratively to mean affliction. [International Standard Bible Encyclopedia] Later on, with the rising of the Roman Empire, scourging would come to mean something much more harsh. Not a mere lashing, but lashing with a whip containing multiple leather straps affixed with pieces of bone or other sharp materials designed to tear into the flesh. Still, the affliction will ultimately meet with a similar end as a Roman scourging, with God clearly being in control of the elements.

Isaiah recalls two events from past history to demonstrate the power of God's actions as well as to instill a sense of calm and safety. The prophet has made mention of the slaughter of Midian earlier, in 9:4, and you can read about it fully in Judges 7. There are many amazing aspects of this story, but God setting the stage for battle is one of my favorite details. There are too many men to fight, "for Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me,'" He says. Even with a remnant, God can demonstrate His might and uphold victory!

The miracle of the parting of the Red Sea--the rescue of the Israelites--would also resonate in the memory. Isaiah practically reenacts the scene, with Moses lifting up his staff at God's command, leading the people to safety. With such a staff, God will again bring His people home--out of slavery--leaving the enemy tossed under the waters.

Our passage today finishes with a picture we have seen before of a yoke being removed.

"And it shall be in that day that the burden of [the Assyrian] shall depart from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck. The yoke shall be destroyed because of fatness [which prevents it from going around your neck]."

--Verse 27, Amplified Bible

There will come a day when the burdens of slavery to another nation will leave Israel once and for all. The yoke that determines the way of the people will not only be removed but "destroyed." When I looked up the Hebrew for 'fatness', I noticed a figurative definition beyond the denotative ones--"God's goodness." [Strong's] "In a very little while," by God's grace, for those who remain faithful through the time of burdening, the chains will be gone, and they will be set finally and eternally free.

"There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.

There is no place where earth’s sorrows
Are more felt than up in Heaven;
There is no place where earth’s failings
Have such kindly judgment given....

Souls of men! why will ye scatter
Like a crowd of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts! why will ye wander
From a love so true and deep?

It is God: His love looks mighty,
But is mightier than it seems;
’Tis our Father: and His fondness
Goes far out beyond our dreams...."

 --from There is a Wideness in God's Mercy (lyrics by Fred­er­ick W. Fa­ber)

 

How Assyria will finally fall, as Chapter 10 concludes.... 'Til next Wednesday!

Photo: www.thewayofthe21stcentury.com

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Next week: Isaiah 10: 28-34

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).

Isaiah 9: 4-7

⁴ For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
⁵ For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
⁶ For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

This is going to be an interesting post. I say that because even though it contains one of the most oft-quoted passages of Scripture for this upcoming season, I find myself reading it with new eyes. I've spent enough time with the prophets, thinking about their call and how they carried it out, that I'm starting to see this more from the point-of-view of the prophecy's first audience. That's good for my understanding, but, knowing how Judah and the nation of Israel have yet to come around to the true knowledge of the passage makes reading this not nearly as exciting as it should have been, perhaps.

Last week's passage left off with a time of celebration and thanksgiving, with God being the One celebrated and thanks being given to Him for what He had done. Celebrate "as men rejoice when they divide the spoil." (vs. 3) The next verse picks up with similar thoughts, as the people will celebrate as conquerors because God has broken the yoke of their oppression. (vs. 4) God had freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and He would do it again in breaking the yoke of the nation's ties to foreign nations. They would not be in alliance with them nor would they be held in captivity by them. More figuratively, God would also break the yoke of the Law, once and for all, in the manifestation of His Son as King upon this earth. The invitation for yoke-breakage is available now:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

--Jesus speaking in Matthew 11: 28-30 

Before we leave verse 4, just a note on the reference to the "battle at Midian." This is the story of Gideon's victory over the Midianites, as mediated by God. (You can read this wonderful account of God's hand and provision in Judges 7.) Such a trust Gideon had built up through God's working in him. God also helped him to understand that the battle truly does belong to the Lord, and success comes through Him and not the power of the people alone. Judah needed to hear that message again in light of its kings and its kings' ways.

"If God makes former deliverances his patterns in working for us, we ought to make them our encouragements to hope in him and to seek to him."

^{--Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible}

<sup>Love Matthew Henry! Feel like you don't see God at work? Sometimes, it's just a matter of looking to the past and remembering. This is advice passed down through the generations back to Abraham. How many times does God tell people in His Word to remember?

Verse 5 continues on the theme of battle, speaking of a time of no war, as the boots and cloaks of warfare will be burned. According to the Reformation Study Bible, "The debris left from battle can be removed and burned when the fighting stops." "Every boot," the passage says will be available for burning. A time of ultimate peace was coming, and it would come through the sign that Isaiah revealed in Chapter 7.</sup>

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."

--Isaiah 7:14

As we go through these phrases, try to put yourselves in the shoes of the first hearers. What were their impressions of this prophecy? Not trying to be cynical. Just remembering what it was like not to know the Truth.

^{"A child is born...a son will be given"--Isaiah revealed the sign of the Lord, that a newborn son would usher in an era of unknown and lasting peace. From Chapter 7, we know his name is Immanuel, which means God with us. Every name in Hebrew is significant. But were the people thinking literally or that this was just the announcement of another birth of a son, born under very unusual [unexplainable] circumstances?}

"Government will rest on His shoulders"--With the addition of this phrase, it now suggests that Isaiah is announcing the arrival of another king. Good news or same-old/same-old? Later, in verse 7, he says that this king will be "on the throne of David." Would that create a flurry of activity as present-day family members were sought for clues and details? Despite his shortcomings, David was still an honored name as far as kings went. "Justice and righteousness" would be established and upheld. (vs. 7) The longing for a good and proper king would be fulfilled. I can see how anyone in the nation of Israel at that time would be anxious for restoration of government. But, did anyone understand that this King's kingdom was not known of this world?

"Wonderful Counselor"--This phrase denotes a thoughtful wisdom. All kings should possess this quality, and smart Judeans should have questioned King Ahaz's counsel, especially in conspiring with nations that would ultimately defeat and haul away the homeland. Did anyone suspect that the King to come would truly display signs and wonders, not to mention the wisdom of the ages?

"Mighty God"--Strength! This king would not be a wimp. But, Judah would not understand that it was literally God who would be--and should have always been--its King. Had they only embraced His power and might in seeking Him sooner.... Would this king be a mighty warrior, like a Gideon or David or Joshua, or would they understand that He would come with the might to save them for all eternity?

"Eternal Father"--Looking at the line of kings, they were fathers, but many not great fathers. What would an "eternal" father have looked like to them? Did they understand that God the Father had been their Father from the beginning of time and was providing them an eternal salvation? Maybe so, yet this eternal salvation would come not through their own efforts or merit or history, but through the giving of His Son, the child born?

"The Jewish nation, and particularly the house of David, were preserved many a time from imminent ruin only because that blessing was in them. What greater security therefore could be given to the church of God then that it should be preserved, and be the special care of the divine Providence, than this, that God had so great a mercy in reserve for it?"

 --Matthew Henry

"Prince of Peace"--King and Prince? A champion of peace? In a nation that to this very day continues to be warring, could Israel accept the arrival of a Prince of Peace?

"As a King, he preserves the peace, commands peace, nay, he creates peace, in his kingdom. He is our peace, and it is his peace that both keeps the hearts of his people and rules in them. He is not only a peaceable prince, and his reign peaceable, but he is the author and giver of all good, all that peace which is the present and future bliss of his subjects."

--Matthew Henry

This was a kingdom that would have no end to its increase or its peace. (vs. 7) Unheard of, right? So many things desired. So much to put one's hope toward. But, what is Isaiah really saying? When? Who? Really?! Given the political climate and worldview of the day, it strikes me, not surprisingly, that people missed it. Even with the heritage, the covenants, the promises, the teachings.... They were still looking to fill holes on the outside instead of those in the inside. What do you think?

But, if you do believe, you know that hearing these words of prophecy throughout this Advent season is a source of great comfort, encouragement, hope and joy!

"'...Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'"

--Luke 2: 10-14

"God's anger with Israel's arrogance." 'Til next Wednesday.... 

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Next week: Isaiah 9: 8-12

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).