An overview.
Chapters 7 – 12 of Isaiah are known as the Book of Immanuel, with chapters 8 – 10 largely concerning Messiah’s glorious land. In chapter 10 we also see the condemnation of Ephraim and Judah for fearing other nations and not trusting in Adonai. We see Judah’s political entanglements with other nations.
Chapter 10 verses 1 – 4. Woe to those who gain from evil actions.
Chapter 10 verses 5 – 11. Assyria to be used to punish Ephraim and Judah.
Chapter 10 verses 12 – 19. In turn, having used Assyria, Adonai will punish them for their wickedness.
Chapter 10 verses 20 – 23. Israel’s remnant will return and depend on Adonai.
Chapter 10 verses 24 – 27. The Lord of hosts will intervene to free Judah for Assyrian domination.
Chapter 10 verses 28 – 32. Assyria’s march on Jerusalem.
Chapter 10 verses 32 – 34. Assyrian army halted before Jerusalem.
Isaiah warns Judah and her king of the consequences of their rebellion against Adonai. Their misconduct will bring the curse of the Mosaic covenant upon the people. Parallel to these warnings, comes the promise of a future restoration of the nation. We see the same approach in Isaiah’s contemporaries, Hosea and Micah.
Verses 1 and 2.
“Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who write misfortune, which they have prescribed 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.”
In verses 1 – 4, the prophet returns to the issues which have caused the wrath of Adonai: inequalities in the administration of the law; and harsh treatment of those in need (widows and orphans).
“Woe” is perhaps the most chilling word in scripture. As we have seen the target here are the leaders who write laws that perpetuate evil.
The “poor” and needy are regularly seen in scripture as those to whom the righteous should have true pity. When people reach out to help those who cannot help themselves it is seen as pure, Biblical religion.
James 1: 27.
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble …”
Conversely, the mark of the ungodly can be seen in their oppressive actions against people who are vulnerable. The wicked set themselves up for sure judgment from Adonai.
Verse 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?”
These questions are posed to those who would make unjust laws and administer unfairly.
The term “day of punishment” here refers to the punishment of Adonai manifested in the invasion of Judah by Assyria.
When trouble comes (as it surely will), the wicked will not be able to turn to Adonai because they ignored His warnings and rejected His ways (chapter 8 verse 6, “these people refused the waters of Shiloah”).
They will lose all their wealth (“glory”) which they gained through graft and extortion.
Verse 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.”
The wicked will feel the force of Adonai’s wrath, punished either by being led away in to exile or killed. But they need not think that it is over. “His hand is stretched out still”, which we have seen means further punishment.
Verse 5.
“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation.”
In the coming verses (5 – 19), arrogant Assyria is also judged. Assyria was the instrument of Adonai’s fury against Judah, the staff of His indignant hand.
Isaiah 7: 17.
“The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house …”
But now “woe” will come upon Assyria. Though Adonai in His sovereignty uses sinners as instruments of His will, they will be held accountable for their own wickedness. Thus, Adonai shows that He is just in all His ways.
Adonai used Assyria to punish Ephraim and Judah, but Assyria had bigger plans than that. They wanted to build a world-wide empire through conquest.
After He had used them, Adonai sent a wasting disease on the Assyrian army, and they were forced to retreat from Jerusalem. Assyria was eventually conquered by Babylonia in 609 BC.
Verses 6 and 7.
“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 in the street. 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.”
The “him” referred to here is Assyria. We see here Adonai’s anger against arrogant Assyria who is seeking to build an empire through conquest and destroying other nations.
Assyria did not realize that she was Adonai’s instrument but thought her conquests were the result of her superior power. Adonai’s wrath against them was strong and He has a very different plan for them, as we have seen.
But we should note that Adonai refers to Judah as “an ungodly nation”, yet they are still His people!
Verses 8 and 9.
“For he says, “are not my princes altogether kings? Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?”
The joining word “For”, indicates that we are about to receive evidence of Assyria’s arrogance and aggression.
The cities listed here have already fallen to Assyria. They see no reason for their conquests to come to an end. These cities were situated in Babylonia, on the Euphrates, in Syria and in Ephraim. They were taken as Assyria marched through the region and the cities which stand before them now, they see as no greater than these.
Verses 10 and 11.
“As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?”
Here arrogant Assyria is giving warning to Jerusalem as its army approaches the city.
They argue that they have conquered the nations before them who had false gods (presumably not the Assyrian gods). They warn that Jerusalem would be overcome in the same way, because they have overcome cities with more powerful gods.
They could speak of “Jerusalem and her idols”, because although the living God should be worshipped in Israel, they had repeated broken that commandment. But what Assyria does not know was that Adonai had decided that they would go no further, and that they would face His wrath. He had not abandoned His people, Israel.
Verse 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.”
The Lord expresses His intention to punish Assyria because of the king’s pride, after He had finished using that nation to punish Jerusalem.
The “fruit” of the king may refer to his thoughts, words and deeds. The Lord clearly felt disdain at his “arrogant heart” and “haughty look”.
Isaiah 2: 11.
“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down.”
Proverbs 16: 18.
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Verses 13 and 14.
“For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent; also I have moved the boundaries of the people, and have robbed their treasuries; so I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. 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 even a peep.”
The linking word “For” indicates that the king of Assyria has condemned himself out of his own mouth, leading to Adonai’s punishment of Assyria.
He claims that his conquests have come “by the strength of my hand and by my wisdom”. The wicked are likely to take all the credit for their successes. The righteous are likely to give praise to Adonai for any accomplishment.
Verse 15.
“Shall the axe 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!”
This, of course, is Adonai speaking. An implement in the hands of its user has no reason for boasting. Assyria was merely a tool in the hands of Adonai; they have no cause to boast. Indeed, their lack of wisdom is shown in the fact that they did not realize that they were being used.
Verse 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.”
Adonai will inflict an emaciating disease on the well-fed Assyrian army and will destroy its glory like a kindled fire that will burn and burn. In Leviticus 26: 16 we see that a wasting disease was one of the threatened punishments Israel could expect for disobedience. But this is the coming judgment on Assyria.
Verses 17 and 18.
“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. 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.”
The “Light of Israel” is Adonai Himself. It is Adonai who will strike Assyria with a terrible disaster.
Assyria’s “thorns” and “briars” likely refers to the mighty warriors of Assyria who shall be struck down “in one day”. The “forest” and “fruitful field” may refer to the lands they have taken possession of.
There will be an ignominious end to Assyria’s advance against Jerusalem.
Isaiah 37: 36.
“Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when the people arose early in the morning there were the corpses – all dead.”
Verse 19.
“Then the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few in number that a child may write them.”
The surviving Assyrian troops will be so few that a young child would be able to count them.
Verses 20 and 21.
“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 Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.”
Verse 20 commences the next section of chapter 10 (up to verse 27). It is headed “The Returning Remnant of Israel”. This reminds us of Isaiah’s first son, Shear Jashub (“a remnant will return”).
The remnant of this generation, in Isaiah’s time, will not again depend on the Assyrians as Ahaz had done. This could also refer to the returning exiles from the Babylonian captivity imposed because of their idolatry.
But this prophecy very much looks forward to the Second Coming of Messiah. In the Tribulation, the remnant will not depend on the Antichrist. The “remnant” there, is that portion of Abraham’s offspring whom Adonai preserves through the Great Tribulation. In the messianic kingdom, Israel will finally completely depend on Adonai and their trust in the Lord will be unchanging.
Till then there will always be a righteous remnant in Israel, even amid the worst apostacy. The few will preserve, obey and pass on the law of Adonai. There will always be a remnant because Adonai will never forsake the Abrahamic covenant.
Micah 2: 12.
“I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob. I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture; they shall make a loud noise because of so many people.”
Paul writing in Romans (chapter 11 verse 5) noted “Even so then, at the present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”
Verses 22 and 23.
“For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant will return, the destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a determined end in the midst of all the land.”
Most of the people in the northern kingdom were carried off by the Assyrians into captivity. But some from Ephraim escaped into Judah and became part of the southern kingdom. These people and their descendants would act as a remnant by preserving the names of the northern tribes among the people of God.
The wrath of Adonai must be faced but it will not lead to the annihilation of His people.
Romans 9: 28.
“For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”
Verses 24 and 25.
“Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. For yet a little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.”
We see here the phrase, “O My people”, which expresses Adonai’s loving care for His people, Israel.
Though the Assyrian king will march against Jerusalem from the north, the people of Jerusalem need not be afraid because Adonai will intervene, and Judah will be freed from Assyrian domination.
The period of trial, at least from the viewpoint of eternity, may be “a very little time” and Adonai’s anger against His people will be assuaged.
Verse 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.”
Isaiah selected two examples from the past to illustrate the Lord’s future deliverance of Israel. Gideon led Israel to overcome the Midianites (Judges 7: 24 and 25). Oreb was one of the princes of Midian. “On the sea” refers to Adonai’s triumph over Pharoah at the Exodus (Exodus chapters 14 and 15).
Verse 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.”
At a future date, when the Lord is victorious, the “yoke” of oppression will be removed from Israel. It will be free from any compulsion to render service to foreign oppressors.
The “anointing oil” may refer to the blessing of Adonai; could be rendered “the yoke will be destroyed by your prosperity” (the neck will be too fat because of their good life to fit in the yoke).
Verses 28 and 29.
“He has come to Aiath, he has passed Migron; at Michmash he has attended to his equipment. They have gone along the ridge, they have taken up lodging at Geba. Remah is afraid, Gibeah of Saul has fled.”
In these verses we have Isaiah’s vision of the relentless march south of the Assyrian army. The cities listed are ever closer to Jerusalem. Each town conquered was another step closer to the city.
Aiath (Ai) was ten miles north of the city. At Michmash they stored their equipment, taking only what was required for the assault on Jerusalem. They spent the night at Geba. Everywhere the Assyrians caused panic and people fled before them. Finally, they came into sight of Jerusalem.
Verses 30 – 32.
“Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Cause it to be heard as far as Laish. O poor Anathoth! Madmenah has fled, the inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge. 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.”
The “he” referred to is the Assyrian army. Certain cities are mentioned here. Laish is mentioned in Judges 18 in relation to the expansion of the territory of Dan. Geba and Anathoth were cities set aside for the Levites in the land of Benjamin (Joshua 21: 18). Nob was where David sought refuge from Saul and took the showbread for food (1 Samuel 21: 2 – 6).
The panic of the people of Judah is evidenced by their loud cries of consternation. These are the actions of a frightened people facing defeat and disaster. The Assyrian army nears and threatens Jerusalem.
Verses 33 and 34.
“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. He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.”
The “bough” here is the king of Assyria and the “thickets” are his army. Assyria is represented by the mighty and majestic ceders of Lebanon. These majestic trees will be cut down by Adonai.
When the Assyrians reached the walls of Jerusalem, the sovereign Lord intervened and destroyed the army as if cutting down trees with an axe. Thus, bringing judgment on the instrument He used to punish Israel. We have already seen this in Isaiah 37:36 but it is well worth repeating.
2 Kings 19: 35 and 36.
“And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses – all dead.”