The Prophet and His Day: Isaiah 1-39 - Free Bible Commentary

Or like a rod lifting him who is not wood.16Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors;And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.17And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame,And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.18And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.19And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in numberThat a child could write them down.10:15-19 YHWH responds to the boasts of the King of Assyria by questioning.1. Is the power in the axe or the one who used the axe?2. Is the power in the saw or the one who wields the saw?3. Is the power in the club or the one who swings the club?4. Is the power in a scepter or in the one who lifts the scepter?YHWH will judge him and his army in one day (v. 17). This refers to (1) Tiglath-Pileser III or (2)specifically to Sennacherib (701 B.C.), recorded in Isaiah 36-38; II Kgs. 18:17-21:11; II Chr. 32:9-24,where 185,000 soldiers die before the walls of Jerusalem in response to the arrogance of the king ofAssyria and his military leaders (#2 fits best, but did not happen until decades after Tiglath-Pileser IIItook Samaria). There is a difference between the God of Israel and the idols of the nations!10:16 YHWH is in control of history. This is the basic premise of monotheism linked to an involvedDeity. He is present and active in His creation. In the OT all causality is attributed to YHWH (cf. Deut.32:29; Job 5:18; Isa. 45:7; Hos. 6:1; Amos 3:6). It was a way to affirm monotheism. Exactly how,when, where He acts is unknown, but there is1. an eternal redemptive plan2. a covenant people3. a coming Messiah4. a heart for “the nations”History is not cyclical, but teleological!10:17 Light (see note at 9:2) and fire are symbols of Deity (cf. 9:19; 29:6; 30:27; 31:9; 33:11-12,14).See Special Topic: Fire at 1:31.10:18 “both soul and body” Mankind has both a physical component and a life force. We as humansare prepared for life on this planet and for fellowship with a non-corporeal Deity! We share planet-lifewith animals, but we are creatures of eternity!NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 10:20-2320Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped,will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One ofIsrael.21A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.22For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,Only a remnant within them will return;A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.133