Isaiah 9:8-10:34

What’s Happening?

Israel has just lost several northern territories to the growing empire of Assyria. Overconfident, Israel only sees this loss as an opportunity to rebuild better cities and fortifications (Isaiah 9:8-10). But Isaiah prophesies that this defeat is only the first. God is summoning Israel’s enemies, particularly Assyria, and launching a campaign against his people that will end in its destruction (Isaiah 9:11-12). Israel’s leaders have poisoned the country. The elders of the land are corrupt, the prophets are liars, and together, they lead Israel in rejecting God, ignoring his counsel, and pursuing evil (Isaiah 9:13-16). Israel has become a godless, wicked, and foolish nation (Isaiah 9:17). Israel's depravity is eating the nation alive. Its leaders assassinate one another for power, and neighbors tear each other apart for their own benefit (Isaiah 9:18-21). Meanwhile, politicians write these injustices into law and prey on orphans for their advantage (Isaiah 10:1-2). God is summoning Assyria to end Israel’s reign of terror and injustice (Isaiah 10:3-4).

Isaiah promises that Israel will soon feel the brunt of Assyria’s war machine. Shortly after, Assyria will ride south and attack Judah and its capital, Jerusalem. But despite the inevitability of these attacks, Isaiah comforts Israel. Ultimately, Assyria is only a tool in the hands of God (Isaiah 10:5-6). Yes, the Assyrian king is a proud conqueror. Yes, he believes his military victories prove that his gods are superior to Israel’s. Yes, he attributes all his victories to his astounding military prowess and strategy. But he is just an ax in God’s hands (Isaiah 10:7-15). Just as God will deal with Israel’s pride, he will deal with Assyria’s too. God is in control of world history and global empires. So God promises that the mighty empire that will destroy Israel will itself be destroyed (Isaiah 10:16-19).  

This should comfort Israel. If Assyria is God’s tool and will itself be destroyed, then the destruction it brings to Israel will not be final. Assyria’s campaigns are part of God’s plan to restore his people to trust him (Isaiah 10:20). While destruction is decreed, its purpose is to remove the godless, wicked, and foolish of Israel and leave behind a small remnant who will trust in God and experience his goodness once again (Isaiah 10:21-23). Neither Israel nor Judah needs to fear Assyria. Yes, Assyria will march on God’s people (Isaiah 10:28-32). But just as God has defeated his people’s enemies in the past, he will do so again (Isaiah 10:24-27). The ax that God once used to chop down the forest of Israel will be chopped up itself, never to be used again (Isaiah 10:33-34).

Where is the Gospel?

Isaiah’s prophecies are simultaneously terrifying and comforting. They are terrifying because they tell us God can wield world politics, global war, and proud kings like a sharp ax. But they are comforting because God uses that absolute power for the good of his people and the restoration of justice and righteousness. God perfectly sees the depth of human evil and has absolute power to destroy it. Isaiah’s prophecies are comforting because nothing can stop God’s good plans from coming about if he has ultimate control of proud kings and world history. 

God is the God of history. He knows and controls everything. Shortly after writing these prophecies, each of them came true. Assyria invaded Israel, rode south, and attacked Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32). But Assyria lost that battle, Jerusalem was saved, and shortly after, Assyria was destroyed by the nation of Babylon. The result of all these conflicts was that a small remnant of God’s people remained faithful despite the chaos of global war. God is the God who knows and controls history, and he is worth trusting. 

There is no better place to see God’s terrifying but comforting control of history than on the cross of Jesus. Jesus was God in the flesh, and when the political and religious leaders of his day killed him, they seemed to be all-powerful. But the apostle Peter says that while wicked men plotted and planned for Jesus’ assassination, God was nevertheless in control (Acts 2:23-24). The evil intentions of humans were only tools in the hands of God. Their murderous campaign against Jesus was all part of God’s plan. Jesus did not remain in his grave but rose from the dead, humiliating those who believed they were more powerful than God (Colossians 2:15). Jesus is the only God who has entered world history, proven his power over the powers, and risen from the dead. Jesus is worth trusting. He holds history in his hands, and he is even more powerful than death itself. So join his small remnant and know that you will experience the goodness of God once again.

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see the God who controls history. And may you see Jesus as the one who has entered history and defeated our enemies.