Assyria Judged Because of Pride
Isaiah
10:5-34
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.
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?'"
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."
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.
20 The Returning Remnant of Israel 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.
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.
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 was written after the fall of Samaria
? This prophecy was to the Assyrians who were marching into Judah, even to the gates of Jerusalem.
? The names mentioned in verses 28-32 refer to the cities north of Jerusalem.
? God indeed used the Assyrians to punish Israel but warns them about boasting, He goes on to guarantee them a time when they will be humbled.
? Assyria?s humiliation will be like when Midian was humiliated by Gideon in the Book of Judges, and when the Egyptians were humbled when the Red Sea washed away their army.
? One year after Sargon destroyed Samaria, he came south and invaded Judah (720 B.C.). He captured the Philistine cities and then defeated Egypt. In 713 B.C. Sargon invaded Judah again, and Philistia, Edom, Moab. In 701 B.C. Assyria came up against Jerusalem and suffered such a humiliating defeat by the hand of God that they never attacked Jerusalem again. (Isaiah 37:36).