(Isaiah 10:1-34)
1 Woe to those who enact unjust statutes
And to those who constantly record harmful decisions,
2 So as to deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor among My people of their rights,
So that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the orphans.
3 Now what will you do in the day of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives
Or fall among those killed.
In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
6 I send it against a godless nation
And commission it against the people of My fury
To capture spoils and to seize plunder,
And to trample them down like mud in the streets.
7 Yet it does not so intend,
Nor does it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is its purpose to destroy
And to eliminate many nations.
8 For it says, “Are not my officers all kings?
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish,
Or Hamath like Arpad,
Or Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not do the same to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?”
12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the arrogant pride of his eyes.” 13 For he has said,
“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,
Because I have understanding;
And I removed the boundaries of the peoples
And plundered their treasures,
And like a powerful man I brought down their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest,
And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing, opened its beak, or chirped.”
15 Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like a club wielding those who lift it,
Or like a rod lifting the one who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the God of armies, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors;
And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the Light of Israel will become a fire and Israel’s Holy One a flame,
And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number
That a child could write them down.
20 Now on that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will no longer rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
22 For though your people, Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For a complete destruction, one that is determined, the Lord God of armies will execute in the midst of the whole land.
24 Therefore this is what the Lord God of armies says: “My people, you 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 ended and My anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 26 The Lord of armies will wield a whip against him like the defeat 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 on 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.
28 He has come against Aiath,
He has passed through Migron;
At Michmash he deposited his baggage.
29 They have gone through the pass, saying,
“Geba will be our encampment for the night.”
Ramah is terrified, and Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah and wretched Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32 Yet today he will halt at Nob;
He shakes his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, the God of armies, will lop off the branches with terrifying power;
Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down,
And those who are lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
And to those who constantly record harmful decisions,
2 So as to deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor among My people of their rights,
So that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the orphans.
3 Now what will you do in the day of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives
Or fall among those killed.
In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
6 I send it against a godless nation
And commission it against the people of My fury
To capture spoils and to seize plunder,
And to trample them down like mud in the streets.
7 Yet it does not so intend,
Nor does it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is its purpose to destroy
And to eliminate many nations.
8 For it says, “Are not my officers all kings?
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish,
Or Hamath like Arpad,
Or Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not do the same to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?”
12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the arrogant pride of his eyes.” 13 For he has said,
“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,
Because I have understanding;
And I removed the boundaries of the peoples
And plundered their treasures,
And like a powerful man I brought down their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest,
And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing, opened its beak, or chirped.”
15 Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like a club wielding those who lift it,
Or like a rod lifting the one who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the God of armies, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors;
And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the Light of Israel will become a fire and Israel’s Holy One a flame,
And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number
That a child could write them down.
20 Now on that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will no longer rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
22 For though your people, Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For a complete destruction, one that is determined, the Lord God of armies will execute in the midst of the whole land.
24 Therefore this is what the Lord God of armies says: “My people, you 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 ended and My anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 26 The Lord of armies will wield a whip against him like the defeat 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 on 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.
28 He has come against Aiath,
He has passed through Migron;
At Michmash he deposited his baggage.
29 They have gone through the pass, saying,
“Geba will be our encampment for the night.”
Ramah is terrified, and Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah and wretched Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32 Yet today he will halt at Nob;
He shakes his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, the God of armies, will lop off the branches with terrifying power;
Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down,
And those who are lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
This chapter answers our question as to why God allows evil to exist in this world. God is just and fair, and God is love; therefore He has given all of us a free will - freedom to choose for ourselves whether we accept or reject Him and His salvation. He does not force anyone to love Him back, nor does He force anyone to obey His instructions, yet God is Sovereign, which means that nothing happens without Him allowing it to happen.
This chapter then also answers our question as to why God allows natural disasters, diseases, and evil to TEMPORARILY "get away" with things. For believers, it can be a test, or level of discipline, and/or a way to get our attention - to remind us to continue depending on and staying close to the Lord!. For unbelievers, it can be a level of punishment, and/or a way to get their attention - to help them see their need for the Lord in their lives!
Everyone will experience both available options: evil, darkness, destruction and death; or God and His goodness, joy, peace and eternal life. And our options are very clear when we open our spiritual eyes. There is evil at work, and there is most definitely the Lord at work, doing great and mighty things!
Verses 10, 11 and 22 show us how fair and just God is. At some point, there will be a reckoning! No matter who they are or how "good" they have tried to be, every unbeliever will be judged according to their sins. There will be no escape, unless one has turned to the Lord for His salvation and forgiveness. Since He died for all sins, He is able and willing to forgive all sins, no matter how big they are! This is because He desires that all come to know Him personally!
For all believers, since all our sins have been forgiven, and the Lord has saved us from His wrath, it doesn't matter how bad we might be or what mistakes we make, God's grace keeps us secure in Him. Therefore, He will judge and reward our good deeds that we have done with righteous motives, all to God's glory! In our thankfulness and in His love, we will want to strive after His will and obey His instructions, to serve Him and serve and help others. And in our trust and in fearing the Lord with great respect and honor, we do not have to fear anyone or anything! And no matter what is happening to us or around us, the Lord is faithful and is our constant help and Friend!
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