Isaiah 10: The Assyrian

Let’s begin our study of Isaiah 10 by reading the chapter:

1 "Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed 2 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. 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? 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.

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 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.
Isaiah 10:1-34 (NKJV)

Before we begin studying Isaiah 10, I found it necessary to list 20 different places listed in this chapter. Most of the places I had never heard of before. When you are reading the verses above or the commentary below, feel free to remind yourself of the specifics of each location:

Calno: (or Calneh, meaning Fort) one of the four cities founded by Nimrod (Gen. 10:10). It is the modern Niffer, a lofty mound of earth and rubbish situated in the marshes on the east bank of the Euphrates, but 30 miles distant from its present course, and about 60 miles south-south-east from Babylon. It is mentioned as one of the towns with which Tyre carried on trade. It was finally taken and probably destroyed by one of the Assyrian kings (Amos 6:2).

Carchemish: fortress of Chemosh, a city on the west bank of the Euphrates (Jer. 46:2; 2 Chronicles 35:20), not, as was once supposed, the Circesium at the confluence of the Chebar and the Euphrates, but a city considerably higher up the river, and commanding the ordinary passage of the Euphrates; probably identical with Hierapolis. It was the capital of the kingdom of the northern Hittites. The Babylonian army, under Nebuchadnezzar here met and conquered the army of Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt (B.C. 607). It is mentioned in monuments in B.C. 1600 and down to B.C. 717.

Hamath: (fortress) the capital of one of the kingdoms of Upper Syria of the same name, on the Orontes, in the valley of Lebanon, at the northern boundary of Palestine (Numbers 13:21; 34:8), at the foot of Mt. Hermon (Joshua 13:5) towards Damascus (Zechariah 9:2; Jeremiah 49:23). It is called "Hamath the great" in Amos 6:2, and "Hamath-zobah" in 2 Chronicles 8:3. Also read Joshua 13:5, 2 Kings 14:28.

Arpad : (Arphad) a Syrian city near Hamath, along with which it is invariably mentioned (2 Kings 19:13; 2 Kings 18:34; Isaiah 10:9), and Damascus (Jeremiah 49:23).

Samaria: the largest city in the northern area of Israel.

Damascus: the largest city in Syria.

Midian: (strife) the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, the father of the Midianites (Genesis 25:2; 1 Chronicles 1:32).

Oreb: (raven) By the time of the judges, the Midianites, led by two princes Oreb and Zeeb, were raiding Israel with the use of swift camels, until they were decisively defeated by Gideon. Oreb, Zeeb and many of the Midianites were slain. The place where Gideon slew Oreb is called the Rock of Oreb. It is probably a place now called Orbo, on the east of Jordan near Beth-Shean.

Aiath: (hour; eye; fountain) The Ai mentioned by in Joshua 8 is also mentioned by the Book of Genesis as having been a religious sanctuary, founded by Abraham (the area he settled, is stated by the Bible to have been between Bethel and Ai). This is about 30 miles northeast of Jerusalem.

Migron : (precipice or landslip) a place between Aiath and Michmash. The town of the same name mentioned in 1 Sam. 14:2 was to the south of this, about 30 miles north of Jerusalem.

Michmash: (something hidden) a town of Benjamin (Ezra 2:27), east of Bethel and south of Migron, 7.5 miles north of Jerusalem. It lay on the line of the march of an invading army from the north, on the north side of the steep and precipitous Wadi es-Suweinit ("valley of the little thorn-tree" or "the acacia"), and now bears the name of Mukhmas. This wadi is called "the passage of Michmash" (1 Sam. 13:23). Immediately facing Mukhmas, on the opposite side of the ravine, is the modern representative of Geba, and behind this again are Ramah and Gibeah. This was the scene of a great battle fought between the army of Saul and the Philistines, who were utterly routed and pursued for some 16 miles towards Philistia as far as the valley of Aijalon.

Geba: (the hill) a Levitical city of Benjamin on the north border of Judah, near Gibeah. It has been identified with Jeb’a, about 5 ½ miles north of Jerusalem. Asa built up Geba from stones meant for Ramah. 1 Kings 15:22 and 2 Chronicles 16:6.

Ramah: Ramah in Benjamin is a city of ancient Israel. It was located near Gibeon and Mizpah to the West, Gibeah to the South, and Geba to the East. It is identified with modern Er-Ram, about 5 miles north of Jerusalem. The city is first mentioned in Joshua 18:25.

Gibeah of Saul: To the east of Route 60, about 3 miles north of the Old City of Jerusalem, you pass the high ridge of Tel el-Ful ("hill of beans"), the location of Gibeah, Saul's capital overlooking the land of Benjamin, the Dead Sea and the Hills of Moab. Gibeah ("hill") was situated on the main north-south highway connecting Shechem, Jerusalem and Hebron. Lying just north of Jerusalem at an elevation of 2,754 feet and higher than the Mount of Olives, its position provided a panoramic view of the entire central region.

Gallim: (who heap up; who cover) 1 Samuel 25:44 The native place of Phalti, to whom Michal was given by Saul. It was probably in Benjamin, to the north of Jerusalem.

Laish: (a lion) It has been supposed to be the modern el-Isawiyeh, about a mile north-east of Jerusalem.

Anathoth: the name of one of the cities of refuge, in the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 21:18). The Jews, as a rule, did not change the names of the towns they found in Palestine; hence this town may be regarded as deriving its name from the goddess Anat. It was the native place of Abiezer, one of David's "thirty" (2 Sam. 23:27), and of Jehu, another of his mighty men (1 Chronicles 12:3). It is chiefly notable, however, as the birth-place and usual residence of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1; 11:21-23; 29:27; 32:7-9). It suffered greatly from the army of Sennacherib, and only 128 men returned to it from the Exile (Nehemiah 7:27; Ezra 2:23). It lay about 3 miles north of Jerusalem. It has been identified with the small and poor village of 'Anata, containing about 100 inhabitants.

Madmenah: a town in Benjamin, not far from Jerusalem, towards the north (Isaiah 10:31). The same Hebrew word occurs in Isaiah 25:10, where it is rendered "dunghill." This verse has, however, been interpreted as meaning "that Moab will be trodden down by Jehovah as teben [broken straw] is trodden to fragments on the threshing-floors of Madmenah."

Gebim: (cisterns, rendered "pits," Jeremiah 14:3; "locusts," Isaiah 33:4), a small place north of Jerusalem, whose inhabitants fled at the approach of the Assyrian army.

Nob: (high place) a city of the priests, first mentioned in the history of David's wanderings (1 Samuel 21:1). Here the tabernacle was then standing, and here, Ahimelech the priest resided. According to Isaiah 10:28-32, it was on the south of Geba, on the road to Jerusalem, and within sight of the city. Today it is called Mt. Scopus and it is inside the Jerusalem city limits. After being supplied with the sacred loaves of showbread, and girding on the sword of Goliath, which was brought forth from behind the ephod, David fled from Nob and sought refuge at the court of Achish, the king of Gath, where he was cast into prison. (Comp. titles of Ps. 34 and 56.)

Well, that was a major undertaking that will certainly carry some significance as this study continues! When I initially read this chapter, all the place names bogged me down, but there is so much more here than those geographic locations. This is a far-reaching prophecy that has as much to do with the captivity of the northern tribes as it has to do with the future of Israel. Just keep in mind as you read these verses that “the Assyrian” refers to the King of Assyria, Sennacherib. If you want to see more about him and his demise, read 2 Kings 19. Yet “the Assyrian” is one of 33 Old Testament titles of the antichrist, and Isaiah 10 is one of many chapters that tell us much of that coming day. Keep in mind that Isaiah 10 is a continuation of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the northern tribes to King Ahaz, from the House of Judah, who did not follow the Lord. With all the background information taken care of, let’s press on to discuss the first few verses of this chapter:

1 "Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed 2 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. 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? 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 chapter actually appears to be a continuation of Isaiah 9, as we can see the stanza end with the familiar phrase, “For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.” Remember, men put the chapters and verses into the Bible to make it easier for us to study centuries ago, and those chapter breaks don’t always occur where they should. This passage is discussing the unfairness of the legal system and how it hurts the poor more than the rich. Carry that forward to our time, and you can see much of the same. The O.J. Simpson trial demonstrated the ability to buy a verdict with the cost of “the dream team” of attorneys, with complete disregard of the evidence presented. The widows and orphans, two groups of people special to the Lord, are mentioned as some of the needy being robbed of justice. As I have mentioned before, every time I see the word “justice” in the Bible it brings certain thoughts to mind. Though we put much priority on justice, we have two different systems. One is the justice of man and the other is the justice of God. There was a time when the two were more closely related, but as we see the Ten Commandments, or any reference thereof, being removed from man’s judicial system, we know our system is very near bogging down. God is the only Judge and Jury! Sometimes, we have a tendency to cry out for justice, but don’t lose sight of the fact that if God gave us what we deserved, it would be death! I am so glad that He gave me what He wanted to give me, rather than what I earned with my life! Isaiah speaks of the day of punishment and the desolation that will come from afar. This speaks specifically to the Jews of that era, who were about to be hammered by the Assyrians. Though this was a prophecy of that event, it still speaks prophetically today of the Great Tribulation. We know from the Bible that the antichrist will make a peace treaty with Israel. On that day, the seven-year tribulation begins. After three and a half years, at the halfway point, the antichrist will defile the Jewish temple with an image of himself. This event is referred to in the Bible as the abomination of the desolation. At that point, the last half of the tribulation begins, and is called the Great Tribulation. Daniel wrote about this event in the Old Testament, and Jesus calls attention to it in the New Testament:

15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 "And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
Matthew 24:15-22 (NKJV)

What you can see from the verses in Matthew and those in Isaiah 10 is the alacrity of the event. It will happen in one day, and the tone will be changed completely. I love the question in verse three of “To whom will you flee for help?” There is only One worth fleeing to as He has created us all and loves us! Without Him, as the verses continue, they will bow down among the prisoners and shall fall among the slain. Without Him, we are dead! There are two deaths to be concerned with…physical death and spiritual death. For some reason, most people fear physical death but the second death is the one that will hurt far worse. I cannot even begin to imagine being faced with eternity without God, with the knowledge of His power and love! As I mentioned in the discussion on Isaiah 9, the stanza finishes with a testament to the fact that God’s anger continues with the Jews. The passage then shifts, as we begin the discussion of the next verses:

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?

The scene shifts to Assyria. The Assyrian Empire ruled for a period of 700 years. It was conquered, and replaced, by the Babylonian Empire. God had protected the Jews, His chosen people, from this empire, but as they continued to disobey Him, God used the heathens as His own instrument. Yet God is also saying that its power is not unending. Only His is! It is interesting to note that while God uses Assyria as His instrument to inflict punishment on the Jews, Isaiah speaks here of two instruments of the Lord we should be familiar with, the rod and the staff. Both are apparent in Psalm 23. A rod is an instrument of correction, while a staff is one of direction or control. Think of how a shepherd wields this instrument. If the sheep need to be gently coerced to follow him in the proper way, the shepherd will use the crook at the end to pull the sheep in the right direction. If the sheep fails to heed the gentle coercion, the shepherd might use the side of the same instrument and pop the sheep in the butt to get his attention. Don’t forget who the sheep are and who the Shepherd is! God is sending the King of an ungodly nation against the people of another ungodly nation, Israel. The Jews are the people of His wrath. God gives the Assyrians, and the antichrist, the ability to seize the spoil and take the prey and tread them down like the dirt in the streets. The antichrist, and the King of Assyria, don’t know that God is using them. This always reminds me of the cross; it is a place that Satan thought was his biggest triumph when Jesus died. Yet the death of Jesus was Satan’s greatest defeat! Remember, any attack on us that comes from Satan or his demons is allowed by God. He would not allow it if there wasn’t a point. In the case of the Jews in the Great Tribulation, they look to the antichrist as the messiah they missed when Jesus came. When he turns on them, the Jews will finally see the error of their ways and turn to Jesus, the true Messiah. Verse 6 is significant in another way. The phrase, “to seize the spoil, to take the prey” brings us back to another interesting way God presented this prophecy. That is basically the name of Isaiah’s son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz. The heart of the King of Assyria, and the heart of the antichrist, is not to follow God’s direction and punish the Jews. Their hearts are both to destroy! Verse 8 is an interesting verse: “For he says, ‘Are not my princes altogether kings?’” If he is a king and his princes below him are kings, then he is the king of kings. We know that Satan tries to copy God in every way, as he knows that God is perfect in every way. God is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in the tribulation, Satan attempts his own trinity of Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet. Jesus is the King of Kings, and even here, you see the antichrist's feeling of being a king of kings! Let’s continue with the next section:


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?' "

This is one of the sections where you might want to refer to the chart above. This first section of cities seems to refer to battle cities of old. For example, the Battle of Carchemish was the one where King Nebuchadnezzar established himself as a world ruler in 606 B.C. These are not just cities in Israel, as Damascus is across the border in Syria. Assyria would take all of this land, and there is certainly some significance to the antichrist that I do not see. I bet there will be people living in that time that will tie these verses in somehow, though. Remember, this is the King of Assyria speaking, along with the antichrist. His hand has found the kingdoms of idols, which were better than those in Jerusalem and Samaria. Jerusalem would be considered southern Israel, while Samaria is northern Israel. What is the kingdom with better idols? I am not certain, but I think this relates to Babylon. The city now in Iraq was the birthplace of all of the false religions of the world, and though the reference is a subtle one, I think that it pertains. Okay, here is the next section:

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!

Though the King of Assyria and the antichrist are afflicting the Jews, this passage reminds us once again that they are just instruments of the Lord. Verse 12 tells us overtly that “the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem.” This brings up the subject of free will. Do you think that God forced the King of Assyria or will force the antichrist to do these things? No! Just as in our lives, we have the ability to make choices. Yet God is outside of time and knows the choices that we all will make before we make them. So even though God can use their evil for His purposes, He will still punish them for that evil. This is yet another demonstration of my favorite verse:

8 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

In the Great Tribulation, God takes the worst that Satan can dish out to His chosen people and uses that to bring millions to Him, to the foot of the cross! From the foundation of the world, God already knew each of us who were to be called His! And He will make everything work for our good and for His glory! The passage refers to the root of sin, pride. In that short passage spoken by the King of Assyria and the antichrist, there are 5 I’s and 3 My’s. It’s easy to see the emphasis of both. It doesn’t matter who we are speaking of, whether it be Satan, the antichrist, the King of Assyria, or each one of us, we all have the tendency to call attention to our own accomplishments. With God, I can do anything. Without Him, I can do nothing. If you do a study of pride in the Bible, you will see how much God hates even a haughty look. A symbol of sin in the Bible is leaven, and along with this, you can get an idea of why the Jews were to use unleavened bread at most of the feasts. To understand this, think of what leaven does to bread. It puffs up, and that is exactly what pride does for each of us. Pride takes our eyes off of God and puts them on ourselves. Virtually, with the sin of pride, we begin to worship ourselves as God. As we get to Isaiah 14, you will see this in a deeper way as we discuss the fall of Satan. The speakers in the verses above believe they have the ability to do anything they want! Then God gives a reminder. An axe cannot do any work without the one who wields it. Otherwise, it just sits there. In the same manner, we know that God uses the rich, the powerful, the heathen, the poor, the weak and His followers to accomplish His purposes! Now, the next section:

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.

We see here that the high and mighty will become the low and weak, as God judges the sins of the King of Assyria and the antichrist. Sennacherib’s reign was not as far-reaching as he thought. He took the northern tribes into captivity, but God did not allow him or his forces to enter Jerusalem. After Hezekiah’s prayer, the Lord sent an angel to destroy 185,000 of Sennacherib’s warriors, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Sennacherib was murdered 20 years later by two of his own sons. (2 Kings 19) The Lord will judge the antichrist, as well, though it won’t take 20 years! The Lord will kindle a burning fire. Fire, as I have mentioned before, is emblematic of judgment. For a refresher on this, turn back to Isaiah 6. Then we see another title of Jesus – the Light of Israel. Let’s see another verse:

35 Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."
John 12:35-36 (NKJV)

Jesus, and His words, illuminate our hearts and lives in a way that we can never look at anything the same way again. Light exposes evil, and takes away the darkness. Think about how easy it is to walk in a dark alley and feel the presence of so many things that are not really there. You don’t know what is there because you can’t see. Go back to the same alley the next day, and it is completely different, with all of your fears taken away. That’s what having the Light in your heart does for you all the time! That Light will be a flame that will devour the thorns and briers in one day. Once again, the thorns and briers take us to the parable of the four soils in Matthew 13. Thorns and briers choke out the plants, and here, the Lord will allow the plants to grow in fertile soil as He removes those impeding that growth. This will not occur in a slow manner, but immediately, in one day. At the Battle of Armageddon, Jesus will speak a holy word and slay His enemies. They will fall to the ground as if a forest had been cleared instantaneously. Having stood on the hill overlooking the plains of Megiddo, it is chilling to picture the destruction of so many people who will not acknowledge Him as their King. There will be so few remaining that a child could easily count the number. Now, the next section:

20 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.

“That day” refers to two different time periods, as the first was the day when the Jews would be able to return from captivity. Though all of the Jews were taken into captivity, only a remnant returned. The number, according to the Book of Ezra, seemed to be near 50,000. Yet “that day” also refers to “The Day of the Lord,” a time still in our future that the Bible says more of than the creation! Specifically, “the day of the Lord” is when Jesus will judge the nations, but is also emblematic of the difficult times leading up to that day. One third of the Jews will come to know Him as Messiah:

And it shall come to pass in all the land," Says the LORD, "That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one- third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.' "
Zechariah 13:8-9 (NKJV)

With 144,000 Jewish men filled with the Holy Spirit preaching to God’s chosen people, the harvest will be great! As exciting as it is to think of that many people coming to the Lord, it also grieves my heart to think that two-thirds will die. It is my perspective that the two-thirds will die in the many judgments of the Great Tribulation, but all of those who live to the end will have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. Once again, God has the ability to walk forward or backward in time, and He already knows each who will come to know Him. The two-thirds who die would never have come to know Him as Lord no matter what He did. That is His grace, along with His wrath. If we don’t think He is capable of wrath and judgment, we only have to look at the fact that two-thirds of His chosen people alive in the end days will perish without His salvation. This section of verses refers to the “House of Jacob,” rather than the “House of Israel” or the “House of Judah,” so that we will understand that it pertains to all of the 13 tribes. As stated before, the Jews will trust in the antichrist, who many Bible scholars believe is one of their own, possibly from the tribe of Dan. Yet his true character is revealed, and it says that the Jews will “never again depend on him who has defeated them.” Instead, they begin to trust in the Lord, His plan all along! The remnant will return. Does that phrase remind you of anything? Here is the other name of a son of Isaiah: Shear-jashub, meaning “a remnant shall return!” Isn’t God amazing! Even down to the names of Isaiah’s sons, He is pointing to the greatest day in the life of the nation of Israel, over 2,000 in advance! That remnant will return to the Mighty God, a title of God that shows us His all-powerful nature. He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. Though the Jews are numbered as the sands of the sea, only a remnant will return. Even the destruction will overflow with the righteousness of the Lord, as a perfect God can not just ignore sin. Let’s go on:

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.

Once again, don’t lose sight of the fact that “the Assyrian” is a title of the antichrist. Yes, it also pertains to Sennacherib, the King of Assyria. We are reminded here once again of the Exodus, as this passage says that the antichrist will strike with his rod and lift up his staff as in the manner of Egypt. Once again, as discussed in Isaiah 9, this is a reference to the task master and how he treated the slaves. God tells us it is for a very little while. I don’t know how long that will be, but we know that there will be a peace treaty in Israel for at least the beginning of the tribulation. At the worst, this will last for three and a half years, but for the bulk of that time, the Jews will be in hiding. That place of hiding appears to be Petra, Jordan, where numerous Jews could find shelter in the amazing rock city. Wherever they are, God will supernaturally protect them from the antichrist and his minions. This will all cease as all the forces of the world come against God. This would all be scary if we didn’t know how the story ended. Those of us who are Christians today will have the best seat in the house for the final act, as we will be clothed in white alongside our Savior and will join Him in the air as members of His army! The real key to the verse goes hand in hand with the cessation of the indignation. God’s anger in their destruction will also cease. Five times we saw the verse that said His anger was not turned away and His hand was still stretched out to them. Now, that is over, and He calls them close to Himself, once again. It says that the Lord will stir up a scourge for the antichrist “like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb, as His rod was on the sea.” This is telling us that God will intervene in the same way He did with Gideon and his 300 from Judges 7, when they defeated a much larger army, including Oreb. Additionally, it makes reference to His rod on the sea, in reference to the miracle of the Red Sea crossing. Don’t ever put God in a box and expect Him to do things with our logic! He is as creative in His solutions as He was in creation! The antichrist’s burden will be taken from the shoulder of the Jews. Though his yoke was heavy and controlling, it will be destroyed, because of the anointing oil. We can’t go ahead without looking at this verse:

28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Matthew 11:27-30 (NKJV)

This anointing oil refers to Hezekiah in the dealings with Sennacherib, but the anointing one in the time to come is Jesus! Oil is emblematic in the Bible of the Holy Spirit. And now, let’s finish the chapter:

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.

Once again, without our handy-dandy chart above, this might be a little confusing. The towns mentioned here are all north of Jerusalem. We begin in Aiath, 30 miles northeast of Jerusalem, then venture to Migron, 30 miles north of Jerusalem. We continue to Michmash, 7.5 miles north of Jerusalem, then go on to Geba, 5.5 miles to the north. Next is Ramah, 5 miles north, followed by Giebeah of Saul, a little closer. The same can be said of Gallim and Laish. Then onto Anathoth, the birthplace of Jeremiah, 3 miles north of Jerusalem, followed by Madmenah, Gebim and Nob. Nob is actually inside the city of limits of Jerusalem today and means “high place.” From that high place, you can see all of Jerusalem from the northeast corner. What God detailed here is the exact path that one man already made, the King of Assyria, and the same path another will make, the antichrist, on their ways into Jerusalem. There will be no guesswork by the believing Jews of the time as they have been told of this many, many years in advance. The antichrist will shake his fist at Mt. Zion, God’s holy hill. Just as God sent Sennacherib away in defeat, He will also send the antichrist away in defeat. The proud will be brought down to size, the size they should be if they could only realize the size and power of God! The last verse is a reference to a mighty forest as the Bible speaks continuously of the mighty cedars of Lebanon. It doesn’t matter if they are the mightiest trees on the earth, the Mighty One will destroy them as easily as He created, with a breath!

That concludes Isaiah 10. This is such an important chapter in the upcoming lives of the Jews. My favorite part is the grace of God. Though His wrath was mighty, His grace returned, and just as He has done in each or our lives, He had to forgive so much. When the Bible says that our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west, it describes how far away those sins have gone. We remember them, but God doesn’t, as they have already been paid for by the death of His Son! Thank You, Lord, for calling me to You!