Isaiah 9:8

The Lord sent word unto Jacob, and it is lighted upon Israel. All the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in the pride and stoutness of their heart, "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones. The sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars." Therefore, the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him and join his enemies together, the Syrians before and the Philistines behind, and they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is outstretched still.

Let's pray. Lord, as we consider this fourfold judgment that You proclaimed against Your people tonight, I ask, Lord, that You would give us insight and teach us. Help us to make application as we look around our own nation and the world today. We know that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever, that You are the Lord and You change not. Jesus, You are the one who said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the one who was and is and is to come."

As we read how You worked among Your people 2,800 years ago, I pray, Lord, that we would be able to see that You still work in much the same way today, and that we learn from this, where we ask it in Jesus' name. All God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." You can be seated.

Isaiah chapter 9 began with that great prophecy about the coming of the Messiah. It spoke about the darkness, the dimness that was upon the area of the northern ten tribes, but how a great light would shine there. Ultimately, a great light would come, and it would bring joy to the people of that region. We know that this is fulfilled in Jesus. We can see that in Matthew chapter 4. It is literally fulfilled in Jesus' coming and how He would minister in that area around the Sea of Galilee, Galilee of the Gentiles.

We saw that in verse 6; it is very clearly prophesied that this coming one, this light, would be a man, a child. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given."

And the government shall be upon His shoulder. His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom, He will order it and establish it with judgment and justice. From henceforth, forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it.

Now, there is that great comforting prophecy that the Messiah would come to that region. However, as we continue through the remainder of Isaiah chapter 9 and on into Isaiah chapter 10, we will see that before that prophecy of comfort comes to pass, before the joy of the Messiah arrives in that region, there will be a fourfold judgment upon the children of Israel, specifically the northern ten tribes.

We read in verse 8, "The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it has lighted upon Israel." We have considered this a little as we have been going through the book of Isaiah. God's people, the children of Israel, had been divided into two kingdoms. After the reign of King Solomon, a civil war took place under King Solomon's son, Rehoboam, and the nation was split in two. You had the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and then you had the northern tribes, the remaining ten tribes, which were often called Ephraim or sometimes referred to by their capital city, Samaria.

Isaiah was a prophet primarily to the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but he also had a stern warning for the people of the northern ten tribes. This is what we see in this passage in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 8 and onward. The judgment proclaimed against the northern ten tribes serves as a warning to the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin that they too will be judged if they do not heed the message being delivered to them.

God sends a word into Jacob, and it falls upon Israel, the northern ten tribes. All the people shall know it; everyone will see that God's word will come to pass. Even Ephraim, referring again to the northern ten tribes, and the inhabitants of Samaria, the capital city of the northern ten tribes, will be aware of this.

He begins to outline for us why He is going to judge them at the end of verse 9. These people say in the pride and stoutness of their heart, "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones. The sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars." In another translation, this reads...

The bricks are fallen; let us hew stones, cut down sycamores and cedars, and build for ourselves a tower. The idea is this: God has already judged us, but we are just going to build stronger than ever. They didn't even see it as the judgment of God; they just saw it as an invasion of the enemy. The enemy had come through and trampled down some of their cities, and they had experienced some hard times in the northern ten tribes. But they said, "This devastation that we've experienced, we're just going to build stronger and better than ever."

I don't know if you noticed, but that seems to be the heart and mindset of people oftentimes when they go through devastating events. When we see a hurricane come through a city in our nation, like we had in 2005 when Katrina hit down in New Orleans and upon the Gulf Coast, people often say, "We're going to build stronger and better than ever." In 2001, when the towers fell in New York City and when these terrorist attacks came upon our nation, the mindset of the people of America within days was, "We're going to build stronger and better than ever" as a sign to the world that we will recover and can keep on going after this happens.

It's a sign of pride, and we understand that there's a hint of national pride that's a part of that. However, we should recognize, as we see in this passage, that perhaps God is sometimes seeking to speak to us through those devastating events.

In Luke chapter 13, there was a group of people that came to Jesus and asked him a question about some devastating events that had happened in the nation of Israel during their day. Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that those upon whom this tower fell, the tower of Siloam, fell because they were more sinful than the rest of the people of Israel?" He said, "I say no, but unless you repent, you will also likewise perish."

Jesus was calling their attention to the fact that when we see these devastating events happen in our world, they occur as a result of sin. They happen because of the fall of humanity, because of the fallen condition of this world. That's why there is death, suffering, and all the different tragedies that happen in our world. It is a result of the fall. He asked, "Do you suppose that this tragedy happened to this group of people because they are more wicked than the rest of the people?" No, but unless you repent, you will also likewise perish. He was calling their attention to the fact.

We need to take note that God often speaks through events and circumstances. Here, God was clearly trying to communicate with the people of the northern ten tribes, judging them because of their sin. One of the sins they exhibited was pride and stoutness of heart. This was evident in their declaration that they would build bigger, stronger, and better than ever. Instead of falling on their faces in contrition and repentance before God, asking Him to come and heal their land and bring about true transformation, they focused only on a superficial transformation.

This is the great danger for any group of people when they encounter the effects of sin and the fall in this world. We should see sin for what it is, bring it before the Lord, confess it, and ask Him to move in a powerful way to bring about transformation and cleansing. However, many times we merely build stronger and better than ever, trying to make it look like everything is okay, as if everything is just fine.

The nation of Ephraim, the northern ten tribes of Israel, was devastated due to a moral decline that had overtaken their nation. They had turned from the Lord and were experiencing the consequences of that turn. Their nation was beginning to be judged by God. He was saying, "I am punishing you for the purpose of purification. I seek to turn you in repentance back to Me, but you won't listen. You won't bow in repentance, so I will continue to judge you."

Therefore, the Lord shall set up adversaries against you. In verse 11, we see that Rezin, the king of Syria, would be brought against them. God would join their enemies together: the Syrians before and the Philistines behind, and they would devour Israel with an open mouth.

Prior to this judgment being spoken, the Syrians were allies of the northern ten tribes. If we turn back in our Bibles to Isaiah chapter 7, we read in verse 1, "And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, the king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but they could not prevail against it." You may remember that when we looked at Isaiah chapter 7 several weeks ago, the northern ten tribes were confederate with the Syrians.

They had an alliance between these two nations to come against Judah and the south. But God gives a proclamation. He gives a prophecy here, and he says, "The Syrians are going to come against you. They're going to turn against the northern ten tribes. They are going to gather together with the Philistines, and they shall devour Israel with an open mouth." This turn of events was literally the judgment of God.

If you were to look at it from a purely political standpoint, you might say, "Well, this is just one group of people turning against another group of people for war." However, if you look at it through a spiritual lens, you'll see that, in reality, God was allowing this to take place and even directing it as His judgment.

Look at the end of verse 12: "For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still." We saw that exact phrase back in Isaiah chapter 5, verse 25. In Isaiah chapter 5, God was speaking woe unto His people, the children of Israel. Six times He said woe to them in Isaiah chapter 5. Then, in Isaiah chapter 5, verse 25, after He had proclaimed certain destruction against His own people because of their sin, we read, "Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against His people. He has stretched forth His hand against them, and He has smitten them, and the hills did tremble, and their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is outstretched still."

We are going to see this very same phrase a few more times in our passage of study tonight in Isaiah chapter 9 and Isaiah chapter 10. God is directing His judgment against the northern ten tribes of Israel because of their sin, because of their departure from His word and from His counsel. He is going to use what appears to be just a very earthly sort of event. A war is going to come against them by the hands of the Syrians and the Philistines, and ultimately the Assyrians. This is going to be from the hand of the Lord.

The anger of the Lord is stirred against the northern ten tribes, and He is going to punish them. It is as if God is getting ready to spank them, literally. He spanks them once, and they do not repent. They do not turn. They are not disciplined. They are not chastened by the chastening of the Lord. And so God says, "Listen, I have struck you once."

I've spanked you once. My hand is outstretched still. I'm ready to strike you again. I want you to turn back to me, but you refuse to do so. We see that exact thing in verse 13, the very next verse: "For the people turn not unto him that has smitten them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts."

One of the things that we will see throughout the book of Isaiah is that God's punishment is for the purpose of purification. God will discipline a people or even an individual to draw them back to Himself, to restore relationship, and to restore fellowship.

Now, how many of you, as children, were disciplined by your parents? I definitely was. I've said before, and I absolutely mean it: one of my mom's favorite verses was, "Beat your son, he will not die." So, I was disciplined as a child. You were disciplined as a child. Typically, discipline came about because we broke the rules; we were disobedient. When there is disobedience, when there is a breaking of the rules, there is no koinonia. There is no fellowship. You cannot have a tight relationship with the lawgiver, the ruler, if you've broken the rules.

Discipline comes as a way to restore relationship, to cause the one who has turned away to turn back once again. Here, God has stricken His people; He has smitten His people. The whole purpose was, "I want you to turn back to me." The Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 12, "Whom the Lord loves, He chastens." He disciplines every child that is His. He desires to have a good relationship, a strong fellowship with us.

But we are sinners at our heart, and so we will sin against God. Oftentimes, the Lord will, in that sin, bring about the consequences of that sin. He'll allow the consequences of that sin to come about in our lives, hopefully to stir us to come back to Him, to confess our sin, and to see a restoration of relationship.

And so, the people would not turn to Him that had smitten them. Neither do they seek the Lord. It was God's desire that they would. As 2 Chronicles chapter 7, verse 14 says, "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, they'll call to me, they'll pray, they'll seek my face, then I will hear their prayers, and I will heal their land." If the people of the northern ten tribes would humble themselves and turn to the Lord at this time, then God would have heard their prayer. He would have heard their plea, and He would have answered their prayer. Well, they would not turn to Him.

That had smitten them, neither would they seek the Lord of hosts. Therefore, because of this, verse 14 states that the Lord will cut off from Israel the head and the tail, the branch and the rush, in one day. God says, "Because you will not turn to me, I've already disciplined you once. I've brought about the Philistines and the Syrians to come and bring judgment upon you, and I'm calling out to you to turn to me. I've already spanked you once, and my hand is ready to strike again. Would you turn back to me?" But they wouldn't. Therefore, the Lord is going to cut off from them the head or the tail, the branch or the rush.

A lot of times when we read a verse like that in the Scriptures, we wonder what in the world it means. He is speaking in very poetic language, and we can struggle over that verse. I've talked with many people in the past who have struggled over a verse for days, and they come in asking, "What does this verse mean?" I often say, "Read the next verse." It is very dangerous to get stuck on one verse without considering the context, but the next verse answers the question for us.

What is the head and the tail, and the branch and the rush? The ancient and the honorable is the head, and the prophet that teaches lies is the tail. God tells us that He is going to cut off from the northern ten tribes the leaders of that nation, the ancient and the honorable. He is the head. But He is also going to cut off the false prophets who are speaking to them.

As you read through the books of Kings and Chronicles, you'll notice that there were many prophets who prophesied in the nation of Israel, both in the southern and northern kingdoms. However, there were often hundreds of false prophets who prophesied lies to the people. In 2 Chronicles, you will come to the passage that deals with King Jehoshaphat. You will see that there was a whole group of several hundred prophets who were given a spirit of deceit, lying to the kings of Israel and telling them false prophecies.

Here, God says, "I'm going to cut off the head and the tail." That's the ancient and the honorable, but also the false prophets from the nation. The leaders of this people caused them to err, and those who are led by them are destroyed. As you study through Kings and Chronicles, you will read about the kings of the northern ten tribes. You will see that never in the history of the northern ten tribes, from the time they split from the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, was there ever a good king among the northern ten tribes. Wicked, wicked men ruled the people in the north.

They caused them to err. They caused them to follow after false gods. They caused them to seek after drunkenness and all kinds of wicked things. As a result, we read here that the leaders of this people caused them to err. God says, "I'm going to judge their leaders, the false prophets and these wicked leaders. I'm going to destroy them in one day."

The sad fact is that the people of the northern ten tribes also felt the effects of that judgment because they followed their wicked leaders. They did not depart from their wicked leadership and seek the Lord. There are times when a nation has wicked leaders, and the people have a choice whether or not they will follow the way of the wicked leaders or follow the way of the one true God. The people of the northern ten tribes had the choice to submit to and seek after the God of Israel. Instead, they often followed their leaders right into wicked practices, right into the worship of Baal, Asherah, and all kinds of different false gods.

Those who are led by them are destroyed. Therefore, in verse 17, the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall He have mercy on their fatherless and their widows. For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is outstretched still.

In this second of the fourfold judgments, we read that God is going to judge the northern ten tribes. He is going to cut off their wicked leaders and their false prophets. He will also judge the people because they were following the decrees of these wicked leaders.

Verse 17 presents a very interesting point: the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, and He shall not have mercy on their fatherless and their widows. It is hard for us to imagine that God would not have mercy upon the fatherless and the widows. Many times in the Old Testament, God proclaimed a word of judgment against those who did not show mercy upon the fatherless and the widows. The fatherless and the widows are the defenseless of a nation, and we are to defend the cause of the defenseless. God constantly speaks about this in His Old Testament word, emphasizing that we are to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Yet, the God who is mercy—this is one of His attributes—shows a different side in this judgment.

It's one of the aspects of God's nature and character. He says, "I am not going to be merciful upon the fatherless and the widows." This reminds me of another New Testament verse in James chapter 2, verse 13. You may want to jot it down in your notes. It states, "For he shall have judgment without mercy that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment." God indicates that the one who does not show mercy will receive judgment without mercy. Even a merciful God will be a judge without mercy upon those who do not show mercy.

This also reminds us of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Here, God tells us that He will not have mercy on the fatherless and the widows of the people of the northern ten tribes. Essentially, God is saying that His judgment will extend to all the people in the north. No one will be able to escape the judgment of God in the northern ten tribes.

Why, though? He states, "For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly." Why would God show judgment without mercy even upon the defenseless, the fatherless, and the widows in the northern ten tribes? Every single one of them was an evildoer. Each had become hypocritical, and all of their mouths spoke foolishness and folly. The sin of the northern ten tribes had penetrated every aspect of society from the top down. The entire nation had departed from the rule of the Lord and rebelliously turned away from God. Therefore, God declares that His judgment will come upon them completely.

Once again, that statement rings true: "For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is outstretched still." God has judged them and disciplined them, yet they refused to be disciplined. Consequently, He disciplines them a second time and calls out to them in mercy. He says, "Listen, turn to Me, and I'll stop. Repent, and I'll turn My wrath away from you." But they wouldn't.

In verse 18, we read of the judgment continuing: "For wickedness burns as a fire. It shall devour the briars and thorns."

And shall kindle in the thickets of the forest. They shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts, the land is darkened, and the people shall be as fuel for the fire. No man shall spare his brother.

God, in the third wave of judgment here, says that the wickedness is so great among the northern ten tribes that it is like fuel for the fire of God's wrath. God's wrath is going to come through like a burning wildfire, and the people are so wicked that their sin is like gasoline for that fire. He says it is just going to kindle, devour, and burn everything there. It will burn through all the briars and thorns, which are related to sin.

Remember, the first time we see thorns in the Bible is in Genesis chapter 3. It was a result of sin, a consequence of the fall, that thorns came into this world as part of the curse. Many times, when you see thorns and briars in Scripture, they symbolize sin and wickedness. God says here that His wrath is going to burn through like a fire. It will devour all their sin. The punishment of God serves the purpose of purification. God is coming in like a refining fire, destroying all the trash and wickedness that was there.

When a fire comes through, we see it here whenever we have these wildfires every few years. After the fire burns through, the land is darkened; it is all blackened. God says His fire is going to come through and consume everything. The people shall be as fuel for the fire, and no man shall spare his brother.

When the judgment of God comes upon this people, essentially what will happen is that it will be every man for himself. When we read that no man will spare his brother, it indicates that everyone will seek to flee for themselves because of the wrath of the Lord. They shall snatch on the right hand and be hungry, and shall eat on the left hand, yet they shall not be satisfied. They shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm.

You can see the great selfishness in this kind of every man for himself mindset as the judgment of God comes upon them. They will begin to bite and gnash at one another.

In verse 21, Manasseh, one of the chief tribes of the northern ten tribes, and Ephraim are mentioned. Manasseh and Ephraim together shall be against Judah. For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is outstretched still. God says that His judgment is going to come upon the northern ten tribes because their wickedness is so great. Their wickedness will be like fuel for the fires, and His wrath, like a fire, will come through and consume it all until the entire land is blackened and everything is done away with.

During that time, the love of many will grow cold. They will gnash and bite at one another and fight among themselves. No one will spare his brother; no one will look out for another. They will only look out for themselves. God says that in this third wave of judgment, His hand is outstretched still. He is ready to strike again. If they will but turn to Him, He will turn His wrath from them.

In Chapter 10, verse 1, it states, "Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees and that write grievousness which they have prescribed 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 may rob the fatherless." What will you do in the day of visitation and a desolation which shall come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your glory? Without Me, they shall bow down under the prisoners and fall under the slain. For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is outstretched still.

God proclaims a fourth judgment upon the northern ten tribes here. Woe unto them that declare unrighteous decrees! Destruction is certain for those who are unjust in their judgments and issue unfair laws. Destruction is certain for those who deprive the poor, the widows, and the orphans of justice. The nation had been so turned around that they were given to bribes. When they would come before the judges of the northern ten tribes, it was whoever could pay off those judges the best that would find justice from them.

More fully, what God is speaking to here is that those who have stolen from those who have nothing will be judged. They have stolen from the needy and the fatherless. They have robbed the fatherless and the widows, making them their prey. God says, "What are you going to do?"

In the day of visitation, how are you going to stand up for yourself when I come to judge you after you've done these wicked things? On the day of God's judgment, having sinned so greatly before God, what will you say for yourself? Imagine for a moment if you one day have to stand before God without the atonement of Christ. What would you say for yourself if you had to stand before the holy God on the day that He sits upon the throne of judgment, and you have no one to stand in your place and plead your case for you?

Essentially, that's what God is saying to the people of the northern ten tribes here. He says, "What are you going to do on the day of visitation, the day of desolation, which shall come from afar?" This speaks about the judgment of the nation that will come against them. To whom are you going to flee for help? Who will you call out to on that day when you stand before God? Well, if you have no one to plead your case, as these people did not, He says, "Without Me, they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain." If you don't turn to Me, you'll have no one to help you.

And once again, even in that one little statement we see there in verse 4, God is giving them an opportunity. If you'll turn to Me, I'll stand in the place. I'll plead your case. Without Me, they'll bow down; they'll fall under the slain. If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land. But they would not do it.

And so once again, we read, "For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still." There is no excuse for these people. They turned aside the needy for judgment and would not plead the right of the poor. I wonder, as we read through these things and consider them in their context, if we see ourselves, our own nation, in these things. Sometimes the judgment of God comes in a very physical, earthly sort of way.

And truly, it's not politically correct to say it, but what if terrorism in our day in 2010 is God allowing His judgment to come upon our own nation for the sin of our nation? You see, 2,800 years ago, when the Assyrians, as we're going to see in the remainder of chapter 10, would rise up to destroy the northern ten tribes, we will see...

It was God who directed them. They were the tool, the rod of God in His hand. When the Syrians and the Philistines turned against the northern ten tribes, they were the rod in God's hand. When the Babylonians turned against Judah and Benjamin and destroyed them, they were the tool in God's hand. We read about that in the book of Habakkuk. Time and time again, we see how God would use one nation to stand up against another nation for judgment. Then He would judge the nation that He used, the wicked nation, but still, it was God's judgment.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He changes not. Jesus said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the one who was and is and is to come." Does God work the same way in 2010 that He did in 722 B.C. when these things took place? He has told us in His Word, "I do not change." In fact, in the very last book of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi, God tells us, "I am the Lord, I change not," right before we enter into the New Testament period.

Yet, for some reason, many times, we seem to think that the God of the Old Testament was different from the God of the New Testament. The God of the Old Testament was some sort of angry God, like a punk in His teenage years, walking around looking to pick a fight, ready to throw down and bring down fire from heaven to destroy cities. We think that He kind of grew up when He came to the New Testament, and that Jesus is meek and mild, really kind of chill.

We have this idea, this picture of Jesus in our minds, that He has a sweet goatee and nice flowing hair, typically with blue eyes, which makes no sense from the place in the world that He came from. We have this American Jesus in our minds. We have posters of Him and t-shirts of Him, and He is always so meek and mild until you read the book of Revelation, where His eyes are a flame of fire and He comes with a sword attached to His hip, ready to destroy the world. We go, "Wait a minute. That's not the same Jesus I thought."

We need to recognize that Jesus, when He came the first time, did come as a lamb. He came to destroy the work of the devil and to destroy sin and death. But when He comes a second time, He will judge the world. John chapter 5 tells us that God the Father has committed judgment for the entire world into the hands of the Son. He will come a second time, and His judgment will be without mercy, as the Scriptures tell us, when He comes. It will be completely justified and completely righteous because it will be against the sin of this world. He has made a provision that you and I can be saved.

We can turn to Him in repentance and not receive the wrath of God, but the wrath of God will come. The book of Romans, chapter 2, says that the wicked of this world are storing up for themselves wrath for the day of wrath. It's as if, in heaven, there is a warehouse of God's wrath that is just being stored up for that day when He is going to pour it out. That's a scary thing to consider, but it's exactly what the Scriptures teach.

God poured out His wrath without mercy in the Old Testament, and I believe that there are times when we see God's judgment being brought about upon the world today. It's hard for us to imagine that, and it can be misconstrued and misunderstood. Just a couple of weeks ago, when the earthquake first happened in Haiti, there was one well-known Christian leader in our nation who stood up and said this was because of a pact that they made with the devil. That's complete lunacy. That's foolishness. It's not because of their individual direct sin or this supposed pact that God brought an earthquake. No, that's not what happened.

Earthquakes, death, war, famine, and pestilence are all results of sin—the fall of mankind. When the sin of the people becomes so great, those judgments do seem to increase. I believe this is because God can have no fellowship with sin, and so He removes His hand of protection. It's not God up in heaven thinking, "How can I judge these people? Okay, I'll destroy them with an earthquake, and I'll destroy them with a terrorist attack, and then I'll bring this hurricane." No, God is not doing that. Instead, God removes His hand of protection because He cannot bless the people who have departed from Him.

When God moves His hand of protection, the enemy is able to come in like a flood. We see that in the book of Job very clearly. God removed His hand of protection from the life of Job, and in one day, he lost all of his goods, including his children. The enemy was allowed to come in and take those things, and it happened through what we would call very earthly methods. How did he lose his children? A great windstorm, a tornado, came and destroyed the house where they were gathered together, and they all died. How did he lose all of his goods? A group of thieves came in, stole everything, and killed his servants. Only one escaped, beaten and bloodied, to tell Job what had happened.

Came and stole it and killed everybody. We look at it and say, well, it was just a random act of wickedness, but in reality, what it was is that God removed His hand of protection, and the enemy was able to come in like a flood. The same thing is true in this passage. God had removed His hand of protection from the northern ten tribes, and now their enemies were coming to destroy them. God was using it as a way of judging His people for the sole purpose of purifying them, causing them to turn back to Him, but they wouldn't turn.

As we continue in verse 5, we begin to read how God works in humanity. O Assyrian, God says, the rod of My anger and the staff in their hand is My indignation. The empire that was ruling the world at this time in the 8th century B.C. and a portion of the 7th century B.C. was the Assyrians. The Assyrians had grown to great power, and during this time, their king was a man by the name of Tiglath-Pileser. You can read a little bit about him in 2 Kings chapters 15 and 16. Tiglath-Pileser ruled from 745 B.C. to 727 B.C., and so the events that we're reading about right here are taking place during that time.

This actually took place, and for the next many years, through four kings in Assyria, they would devastate the nations. They would go out to conquer and destroy, first under Tiglath-Pileser, then under Shalmaneser V, then under Sargon II, and ultimately under Sennacherib. We will see during this passage of Scripture, from Isaiah chapter 7 until Isaiah chapter 39, that these events are taking place during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser until Sennacherib, all through those four kings. They are on a warpath, conquering city after city after city.

The Assyrians were known for their wickedness and cruelty. Their capital city was Nineveh. Remember who was sent to Nineveh to tell them that they were going to be destroyed because of their great wickedness? It was the Assyrians who first began to crucify people. It was the Assyrians who developed some of the most severe torture tactics. There is a lot of talk about torture in our days, and everybody talks.

Waterboarding is terrible, but let me tell you about some of the Assyrian torture methods. They would take a body and place it upon a long stick that was pointed at the top. They would put weights on the arms and legs and let that body slowly come down the pole. That's torture. They were also known for a method called scraping, where they would skin a person alive, beginning at their fingers and continuing all the way back.

The Assyrians were feared by the people of the world because they would come into a city, destroy it, and then set up pyramids of the skulls of the people they killed outside the city. They would behead their victims and display their skulls. Archaeological findings near the city of Nineveh, which is in modern-day Mosul, Iraq, reveal places where these stacks of skulls were found, serving as a grim warning to others.

During the time between 745 B.C. and 681 B.C., the Assyrians were on the move, boasting about their conquests with a proud, stout heart. The interesting thing is that the Assyrians were nothing without the hand of God. This is hard for us to imagine because we wonder how God could possibly use a wicked nation such as this.

In verse 5, we read, "O Assyrian, the rod in my anger, the staff in my hand is my indignation." God says He will send the Assyrians against a hypocritical nation and against the people of His wrath. He will give them charge to take spoil and prey, treading them down like the mire of the streets.

God refers to His own people, the children of Israel, as a hypocritical nation and the people of His wrath. Imagine that for a moment: the people of God had become the people of God's wrath. He declares that He will bring the Assyrians against them and give the Assyrians charge to take spoil.

To take a prey, that's exactly what Isaiah's son's name, Mahershalalhashbaz, meant. It signified speed to the spoil, indicating that the Assyrians would come quickly to take a spoil. They would tread down their enemies like the mire of the streets. However, he does not mean it so, nor does his heart think so. God says the Assyrians are the tool in His hand to bring about judgment upon His people and to bring about judgment here on the face of the earth.

However, the king of Assyria, as stated in verse 7, does not think that way. He has no idea that the one true God is allowing him and even giving him the power to take these nations. In his heart, he intends to destroy and cut off nations, not just a few. The heart of the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, was set on conquering the world and seeing what he could take. He says in verse 8, "Are not my princes altogether kings? Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?"

He believes that his hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, and their graven images excel those of Jerusalem and Samaria. He questions whether he should not do to Jerusalem and her idols as he has done to Samaria and her idols. The mindset of the king of Assyria had nothing to do with God. His mindset was that he would conquer the world because his princes were like kings. He was so arrogant and stout-hearted that he viewed not just his children within his household but also the members of his cabinet as greater than the rest of the kings of the world.

He declares that he will destroy the city of Calno just as he destroyed Carchemish. He will destroy the city of Hamath just as he destroyed Arpad. He will destroy Samaria just as he destroyed Damascus. His hand found the kingdoms of the idols, and their graven images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria. Therefore, he believes he will do the same to the gods of Jerusalem. He asserts that the gods of Hamath did not help them, the gods of Arpad did not help them, and the gods of Samaria did not stand up to help them. Clearly, he concludes, the gods of Jerusalem will not be able to help them either.

It will come to pass that when the Lord has performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks. God says Assyria is the tool in My hand to execute judgment, and I have raised him up for the sole purpose of judging My own people in Judah. I am going to bring him right up to Jerusalem, and when I have accomplished My work on Jerusalem, then I will destroy the king of Assyria. That will be the end of his great power.

As you study history and the conquering power of Tiglath-Pileser, Shalmaneser, Sargon, and Sennacherib, you will see that they powerfully destroyed city after city and conquered the world in their time until they came to the city of Jerusalem. After that, they really kind of stopped. We will read about that when we get to Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, because in one night, God is going to destroy 185,000 men of their army as they surrounded the city of Jerusalem.

Even in their own writings, the annals of Sennacherib, which you can see in the British Museum of History, he talks about every single one of the cities that he destroyed, the people he took captive, and the heads he took off. However, when he talks about Jerusalem, he says, "We came to Jerusalem, and we sealed up King Hezekiah like a bird in a cage and put a tax upon him." He does not want to mention the fact that he lost 185,000 soldiers at Jerusalem in one night. After that, Sennacherib would go back to Nineveh and would no longer go about conquering because God had finished His work with the Assyrians.

When I am finished with the Assyrians and performing the work upon Mount Zion in Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks. For he says, "By the strength of my hand, I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent. I have removed the bounds of the people, robbed their treasuries, and put down the inhabitants like a valiant man." God exposes for us the stout, wicked heart, the arrogant heart of the kings of Assyria. The king of Assyria said, "It is by my hand, by my strength, by my wisdom, by my prudence that I have been able to do this." My hand, verse 14, has found as a nest the riches of the people, and as one who gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered.

All the earth and there is none that have moved a wing against me or opened a mouth or peeped. The funny thing is that the stout, arrogant heart of the king of Assyria thought, "Look how smart and powerful I am." When I went to Hamath, nobody even stood against me. We just mowed over that city, no problem. When we went to Samaria, we took them; nobody even raised a wing against us. Look how strong and powerful we are!

In reality, the only reason that happened is because God was the one who opened the gates for them to do it. All the while, he thought, "Look at how strong I am; look at what I've done." But God says to him in verse 15, "Shall the axe boast itself against him that hews with it? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shakes it? As if a rod should shake itself against him that lifts it up, or as if a staff should lift itself up as if it were not wood."

Therefore, the Lord of Hosts will send among his fat ones, or among his mighty strong ones, leanness. Under his glory, he shall kindle the burning of a fire, and the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame. It shall burn and devour his thorns and his briars in one day. We will see this literally fulfilled in Isaiah 37:36 when God, in one night, will destroy 185,000 of the army of Assyria surrounding Jerusalem.

He shall consume the glory of his forest. When it's talking about the glory of the forest of Assyria, it's referring to all his mighty men and his fruitful field, both soul and body. Remember the words of Jesus in the Gospels: "Do not fear him who can take your life, but the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell." God says, "I'm going to destroy them, both soul and body."

They shall be as when a standard bearer faints, and the rest of the trees of his forest shall be a few that a child may write them. God says, "His mighty forest, his great army, I'm going to cut down. I'm going to destroy them, and there are only going to be just a few left, so much so that just a child could count them." We all know that a young child can't count very high, so the idea is that I'm going to destroy them until there's just a few left.

It shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob shall no more again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay...

On the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth, God says that in that day when I judge the Assyrians, the children of Israel will no longer trust in the Assyrians. You see, when the northern ten tribes and the nation of Syria came against Judah and Benjamin, in Isaiah chapter 7, King Ahaz sent money to Tiglath-Pileser. He sent money to the Assyrians and said, "Come and help me, and I'll pay you." Instead of trusting in the Lord, remember Isaiah chapter 7; Ahaz trusted in the king of Assyria.

Now God says that when He destroys the Assyrians in this way, the children of Israel shall no longer trust in the Assyrians, but they shall trust in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. What was God's word in Isaiah chapter 7, verse 3? God sent the prophet Isaiah to speak to King Ahaz, and the Lord said unto him, "Go forth and meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the fuller's field."

Remember, Shear-Jashub's name means "a remnant shall return." So God here says in verse 21, if you read it in the original language, it says, "Shear-Jashub, the remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God." After God judges the people by the Assyrians, there will just be a remnant. For though the people of Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return. The consumption or the destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness, for the Lord of hosts shall make the destruction consumption even determined, even in the midst of all the land.

The purpose of punishment is purification, and God says, "I am going to bring the Assyrians down into the northern ten tribes to purify them. I am going to bring them down into Jerusalem, into Judah, right up to the city of Jerusalem to surround the city, and it is all going to be for the purpose of purification."

Now, this work that God would do would happen over an 80-year period of time. It wasn't something that was going to happen instantly, but it was going to happen. Even though the Assyrians would be stout-hearted and boast about their power, nobody is thus.

Saith the Lord God of hosts, "O my people that dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian. He shall smite thee with the rod and shall lift up his staff against thee after the manner of Egypt. For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and my anger in their destruction. The Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian, at the rock of Oreb. As his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt."

God says, "Do not be afraid of the Assyrian," even though they are going to come down into Judah and destroy many cities. God speaks specifically to those in Zion, which is Jerusalem. Even though the Assyrians come with the rod and judgment, God assures them that He will destroy them in just a little while. This indignation is for the purpose of their purification. The Lord of hosts will destroy the Assyrians just as He destroyed the Midianites in Judges chapter 7 by the hand of Gideon, and just as He destroyed the Egyptian army in Exodus chapter 14 at the Red Sea. Remember when Moses lifted up the rod and the waters came back down upon the entire Egyptian army? God says, "I will miraculously destroy the army," the same way that He miraculously destroyed the Midianites and the Egyptians. He will miraculously destroy the Assyrians.

It shall come to pass in that day, verse 27, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. I want you to notice that at the end of verse 27, you should underline "because of the anointing." God says, "I am going to defend the city of Jerusalem. I am going to destroy the Assyrian army," and He doesn't say it's because you're such a good people. He says it's because of the anointing.

Because He has placed a seal upon Jerusalem, God says, "Because I have anointed this city, because I have made a covenant with the house of David that the Messiah would come through the line of David, that He would ultimately come to Mount Zion."

I am protecting this city, God says, because of that anointing that I placed there. The tone changes in verse 18, and it speaks about the move of the armies of Assyria. He is speaking of Assyria; he has come to Ioth, he has passed to Migron. At Michmash, he has laid up his carriages. They have gone over the passage and taken up lodging at Gebeah. Rama is afraid; Gebeah of Saul has fled.

Lift up your voice, O daughter of Galim! Cause it to be heard in Laish, O poor Anathoth! Madmanah is removed; the inhabitants of Gibeah gather themselves to flee. As yet, as he shall shake his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem, behold, the Lord of hosts shall lop off the bow with terror. The high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by the Mighty One.

This poem, given in verses 28 through 34 in Isaiah chapter 10, is about the move of the Assyrians coming through the land of Judah. They come and take over the city of Ioth, Migron, Michmash, and Gebeah, and Gebeah of Saul. All the people are fleeing; O poor Anathoth is destroyed. The move of the Assyrian army causes the heartbeat of the nation to flutter as everybody fears and prepares for war to come up to Jerusalem.

Now they surround Jerusalem, and yet God says that when they come to Jerusalem, He will cut them down. He will cut down their high ones; the high ones of stature will be hewn down, and the haughty will be humbled as God judges the Assyrians. He would first use the Assyrians to judge the northern ten tribes. He would further use the Assyrians to judge almost the entire nation of Judah, right up to the city of Jerusalem. Then He would miraculously destroy and judge the Assyrians. We will see the very same thing when it comes to the Babylonians in the book of Habakkuk.

We read about it, and we will see it also at the end. Habakkuk would cry out to the Lord and say, "God, my nation is a wicked nation. When are you going to do something?" God responds, "Well, I'm working out a plan, but you're not going to believe it." Habakkuk then asks, "Well, what's your plan?" God replies, "My plan is this: I'm going to raise up the Chaldeans, the Babylonians. They're going to come and destroy you."

Habakkuk is taken aback and exclaims, "Whoa, Lord! They're more wicked than us! Don't use them!" He struggles with this idea, questioning how God could possibly do that. One minute, he is saying, "We are so wicked, Lord," and the next minute, he is thinking, "Well, we're not quite that wicked." Habakkuk gets upset with God and declares, "I'm going to set myself on the rampart. I'm going to wait to see what He will say to me." He is determined to judge the Babylonians.

You see, God is involved in the affairs of men, even today. In 2010, I have no doubt whatsoever that the economic collapse that happened on October 1, 2008, which just so happened to be the Feast of Trumpets, was significant. The stock market dropped 777 points in one day. That's pretty interesting—on the Feast of Trumpets, 777 points. I think it was the Lord speaking to us, asking, "Why do you trust in something that's not the Lord?"

In America, we look at those events and think, "Well, it's just the subprime mortgages and this and that that caused that." However, perhaps the Lord allowed it for a purpose. It has shaken a lot of people's trust in their earthly wealth, hasn't it? Maybe it has even caused us to consider the God who is ultimately more valuable than anything else we could ever have.

So, when these things happen in our world, may we at least take note that perhaps God is trying to speak to us. Just as Jesus spoke in Luke 13, do you suppose that those who died in the earthquake in Haiti were more wicked?

Than the rest of the world? No. But unless you repent, you will also likewise perish. Do you suppose that the devastation that hit New Orleans in 2005 was because it is a more wicked city than the rest of the cities in America? No. But unless you repent, you will also likewise perish. God is speaking to us, calling out to the people of this world to repent and turn to Him.

Let's stand and pray. Father, it is sometimes hard for us to imagine that You speak through these earthly events that take place. But, Lord, I pray that You would quicken our minds and our spirits to at least take notice, to consider these things, to consider that You may be calling out to us.

Lord, I also pray that we would remember this passage of Scripture. As we look at our nation and the things that are happening around us, let us consider the message that You spoke to Your people: that if we would just turn to You, humble ourselves, seek You, and pray, You would hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land.

Lord, as our president tonight is giving the State of the Union, and although I wasn't able to see it, I'm sure he talked about all the great things that have been accomplished in this last year and all the ambitious things he wants to achieve. But from a spiritual perspective, the state of the union is terrible. Our nation is in desperate need. We are a people of unclean lips; we are a people of great sin. If we were to recount the sins of America tonight, it would take another week or so to go through all of it.

But, Lord, we pray that You would stir our nation by whatever means necessary. Stir us that we would repent, that we would humble ourselves, pray, seek Your face, and turn from our wicked ways.

Find mercy, that we would find Your grace. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank You.