Season 6, Podcast 58, Isaiah 10:1-17, “Fall of Assyria.”

Season 6, Podcast 58, Isaiah 10:1-17, “Fall of Assyria.”

Isaiah 10 begins with a very familiar word in the Bible—‘Woe.” Even the sound of the word denotes sorrow. It is also often used as a warning or a curse or a judgment that is about to fall. The reason it comes before the fall rather than after is because the ‘woe’ can be averted if the people repent. In other words, they don’t have to suffer needlessly.  There is a pattern in the Holy Scripture. The Lord always warns the Israelites that they are about to fall. Its purpose is to urge them to action, to change their behavior, to alter their course.

Notice who the ‘woe’ is directed toward.

Isaiah 10:1-2

1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed.

2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

That is as true today as it was 2500 years ago. To ‘decree unrighteous decrees’ is to pass unrighteous laws. The Lord is speaking to political and ecclesiastical leaders who prey on the poor. We think of prescriptions as medicines to heal, yet the prescriptions of the leaders are to cause grievousness or pain or sorrow. One is reminded of the words of James.

James 1:27

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

The opposite of pure religion is impure religion. The Lord often condemns the leaders of his people.

Isaiah 1:23

23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

Does that not sound familiar today? The Lord calls them to repentance.

Isaiah 1:16-17

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

But they didn’t listen to God’s prophet; therefore, a woe is pronounced upon them.

Isaiah 10:3-4

3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

The ‘day of visitation’ refers to the Second Coming of Christ. Isaiah uses events of the day to give warning to the future. The Lord uses the Assyrians, enemies to Israel, to exact his judgment.

Isaiah 10:5-6

5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Armies will have different names but the results may be the same. The Assyrians are ‘the rod of God’s anger.” He uses the staff—or weapon—in the hands of the Assyrians to punish Israel which he refers to as “an hypocritical nation.” Israel has become the ‘people of God’s wrath.’ To the Assyrians God gave ‘charge to take the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire in the streets.’

If we step back and look at the scene from afar, we can see the hand of the Lord and comprehend how he works. Chapter 10 is a very strange chapter in that the “woe” is not only pronounced against the House of Israel, but it is also pronounced against the Assyrians. The Lord uses the wicked to destroy the wicked and neither one sees the hand of God.