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Isaiah 10

Isaiah 10 warns of God's coming judgment against the proud and oppressive Assyria, which He used as an instrument of discipline against Israel but which went too far in its cruelty. The chapter highlights God's sovereignty over nations and His ultimate plan to restore a remnant of Israel while punishing the arrogance of Assyria. The chapter also shifts towards a message of hope for Israel, pointing to the eventual deliverance of the people from oppression.

Isaiah 10:1-4 (NKJV)
1 "Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees,
Who write misfortune,
Which they have prescribed
2 To rob the needy of justice,
And to take what is right from the poor of My people,
That widows may be their prey,
And that they may rob the fatherless.
3 What will you do in the day of punishment,
And in the desolation which will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your glory?
4 Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners,
And they shall fall among the slain."
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

God condemns those in positions of authority who create laws that oppress the vulnerable, such as the needy, widows, and orphans. These leaders are warned that their injustice will lead to severe consequences on the day of God's judgment. They will be left defenseless and without any means of escape when punishment comes. Despite the impending destruction, God's wrath continues because the people persist in their ways.

Isaiah 10:5-7 (NKJV)
5 "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
6 I will send him against an ungodly nation,
And against the people of My wrath
I will give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Yet he does not mean so,
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations.

Assyria is depicted as an instrument of God's anger, used to discipline the rebellious people of Israel. However, Assyria's heart is filled with its own pride and cruelty, aiming not just to punish but to completely destroy nations. Though Assyria is unknowingly carrying out God's judgment, its own intentions are corrupt and self-serving.

Isaiah 10:8-11 (NKJV)
8 For he says,
"Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols,
Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?"

The king of Assyria boasts about his conquests, comparing the cities and nations he has defeated to one another. He views Israel and Judah as no different from the other idol-worshiping nations he has conquered. In his arrogance, he believes that just as he defeated Samaria and its idols, he will do the same to Jerusalem, disregarding the sovereignty of the true God.

Isaiah 10:12-14 (NKJV)
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say,
"I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria,
And the glory of his haughty looks."
13 For he says:
"By the strength of my hand I have done it,
And by my wisdom, for I am prudent;
Also I have removed the boundaries of the people,
And have robbed their treasuries;
So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.
14 My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people,
And as one gathers eggs that are left,
I have gathered all the earth;
And there was no one who moved his wing,
Nor opened his mouth with even a peep."

Although God used Assyria as an instrument of judgment, He will also punish Assyria for its pride and arrogance. The king of Assyria attributes his success to his own strength and wisdom, not realizing that he is merely a tool in God’s hands. His belief in his own superiority and his boasting about plundering nations like gathering eggs will ultimately lead to his downfall.

Isaiah 10:15-19 (NKJV)
15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?
Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?
As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up,
Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
Will send leanness among his fat ones;
And under his glory
He will kindle a burning
Like the burning of a fire.
17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire,
And his Holy One for a flame;
It will burn and devour
His thorns and his briers in one day.
18 And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field,
Both soul and body;
And they will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest
Will be so few in number
That a child may write them.

God mocks Assyria's arrogance, reminding the nation that it is only an instrument in His hands. Just as an ax or a saw cannot act independently, Assyria's might is meaningless without God. As a result, Assyria will face destruction; its strength and glory will be consumed by God’s judgment, leaving it weak and devastated. The destruction will be so thorough that only a remnant will remain, so few that even a child could count them.

Isaiah 10:20-23 (NKJV)
20 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
Will never again depend on him who defeated them,
But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God.
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
A remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord God of hosts
Will make a determined end
In the midst of all the land.

After Assyria's downfall, a faithful remnant of Israel will return to God and no longer rely on foreign nations or military power. This remnant will trust in the Lord alone. Though many of Israel’s people will be destroyed due to their sin, a small portion will survive, and God's plan for them will prevail. God's righteous judgment will bring about this purging and restoration.

Isaiah 10:24-27 (NKJV)
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts:
"O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian.
He shall strike you with a rod
And lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt.
25 For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease,
As will My anger in their destruction."
26 And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him
Like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb;
As His rod was on the sea,
So will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.
27 It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

God reassures His people that although Assyria will oppress them for a short time, they should not be afraid. Just as God delivered Israel from Egypt and defeated their enemies in the past, He will once again intervene and break the yoke of Assyria’s oppression. The burden that Assyria imposes on them will be lifted by the power of God’s deliverance.

Isaiah 10:28-34 (NKJV)
28 He has come to Aiath,
He has passed Migron;
At Michmash he has attended to his equipment.
29 They have gone along the ridge,
They have taken up lodging at Geba.
Ramah is afraid,
Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Lift up your voice,
O daughter of Gallim!
Cause it to be heard as far as Laish—
O poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled,
The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge.
32 As yet he will remain at Nob that day;
He will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
The hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord,
The Lord of hosts,
Will lop off the bough with terror;
Those of high stature will be hewn down,
And the haughty will be humbled.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

This passage describes the march of the Assyrian army as it advances closer to Jerusalem, terrifying the nearby cities. However, just when the Assyrians reach the vicinity of Jerusalem and threaten Zion, God will intervene. The proud and mighty will be brought low, and Assyria’s power will be cut down like trees in a forest. The prophecy concludes with a vision of the ultimate downfall of Assyria by the hand of God, symbolizing the humbling of all who oppose Him.

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