Isaiah 33

THE JUDGMENT OF GOD

 

This is the sixth and final “woe” in this section[fn] and it is directed against Sennacherib because of his treachery against Judah. In unbelief and a lack of trust in God, King Hezekiah, had tried to “buy off” the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:13–15); but Sennacherib had broken the agreement and invaded Judah anyway.  He was a thief, a traitor, and a tyrant; and God promised to judge him. Sennacherib had destroyed others, so he would be destroyed. He had dealt treacherously with nations, so they would deal treacherously with him. God is not mocked; sinners reap what they have sown (Galatians 6:7).

Isaiah 33:1-4 NAS:
1 Woe to you, O destroyer, While you were not destroyed; And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.
2 O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their strength every morning, Our salvation also in the time of distress.
3 At the sound of the tumult peoples flee; At the lifting up of Yourself nations disperse.
4 Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; As locusts rushing about men rush about on it.

Isaiah 33:2 is the prayer of the godly remnant when Jerusalem was surrounded by the Assyrian army. Isaiah had promised that God would be gracious to them if they would only trust Him (30:18–19), so a few devout people turned His promise into prayer. God spared Jerusalem for David’s sake (37:35) and because a believing remnant trusted God and prayed. Never underestimate the power of a praying minority. In fact in 2 Chronicles 7:13,14 NAS, God says:

13 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Assyria was proud of her power and the spoils she had gathered in battle. The Assyrian army swept through the land like devouring locusts, but that would change. The day would come when Judah would strip the dead Assyrian army and Sennacherib would be assassinated in the temple of the god he claimed was stronger than Jehovah (Isaiah 33: 36–38).[fn]

Isaiah 32:5,6 NAS:
5 The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is his treasure.

The Lord was exalted in the defeat of Assyria, for no human wisdom or power could have done what He did.

We must remember that nations and individuals can have stability in uncertain times only when they trust God and seek His wisdom and glory.

King Hezekiah did a foolish thing when he took the temple treasures and tried to bribe Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:13–16), but God forgave him and reminded him that:

“the fear of the Lord is his (your)[fn] treasure”.

Unbelief looks to human resources for help, but faith looks to God.

Isaiah 33:7-9 NAS:
7 Behold, their brave men cry in the streets, The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased, He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, He has no regard for man.
9 The land mourns and pines away, Lebanon is shamed and withers; Sharon is like a desert plain, And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.

During the time of the Assyrian invasion, the situation in Judah was grim. Judah’s bravest soldiers wept when they saw one city after another fall to the enemy. The official Jewish envoys wept because their negotiations accomplished nothing. The roads were dangerous, the fields and orchards were ruined, and there was no way of escape.[fn]

Isaiah 33:10-14 NAS:
10 “Now I will arise,” says the Lord, “Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
11 “You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble; My breath will consume you like a fire.
12 “The peoples will be burned to lime, Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
13 “You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
14 Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?”

Isaiah uses several images to describe God’s judgment on the Assyrians. The Assyrians were pregnant with all sorts of plans to conquer Jerusalem; but they would give birth to chaff and straw, and their plans would amount to nothing. Their army was panting to attack, but their hot breath would only become a fire that would destroy them like dead bones or cut bushes. God is long-suffering with His enemies; but when He decides to judge, He does a thorough job.

The account of the amazing deliverance of Jerusalem was told far and wide, and the Gentile nations had to acknowledge the greatness of Jehovah, the God of the Jews. We witness to a lost world when we trust Him and let Him have His way.

The miracle deliverance of Jerusalem not only brought glory to God among the Gentiles, but it also brought fear and conviction to the Jews. God does not deliver us so that we are free to return to our sins. “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” according to Psalm 130:4.

When Jews in Jerusalem saw 185,000 Assyrian soldiers slain by God in one night, they realized that the God of Israel was “a consuming fire” (Isaiah 10:17; Hebrews 12:29).

Isaiah 33:15,16 NAS:
15 He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
16 He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.

Isaiah 33:15 describes the kind of person God will accept and bless. By ourselves, we cannot achieve these qualities of character; they come only as we trust Jesus Christ and grow in grace. Many religious people in Jerusalem had hearts far from God because their religion was only a matter of external ceremonies (Isaiah 29:13). Isaiah hoped that the miracle deliverance of the city would bring these people to a place of true devotion to the Lord. It is only as we walk with the Lord that we have real security and satisfaction.[fn]

Isaiah 33:17-24 NAS:
17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will behold a far-distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror: “Where is he who counts? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 You will no longer see a fierce people, A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends, Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.
20 Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed habitation, A tent which will not be folded; Its stakes will never be pulled up, Nor any of its cords be torn apart.
21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us A place of rivers and wide canals On which no boat with oars will go, And on which no mighty ship will pass—
22 For the Lord is our judge, The Lord is our lawgiver, The Lord is our king; He will save us—
23 Your tackle hangs slack; It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly, Nor spread out the sail. Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided; The lame will take the plunder.
24 And no resident will say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

In these verses Isaiah looks beyond the current situation to the end times and sees Jerusalem ruled by King Messiah (Jesus Christ). God’s victory over Assyria was but a “dress rehearsal” for His victory over the whole world system that will one day assemble to destroy the holy city (Zechariah 14:1–9). When our Lord was ministering on earth, the unbelieving Jews said, “There is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). But when they see Him and believe, then they will perceive His great beauty (Zechariah 12:3–13:1; Psalm 45).

In contrast to the ordeal of the Assyrian siege, the Jews in the messianic kingdom will experience no terror, see no arrogant military officers, and hear no foreign speech.  Jerusalem will be like a tent that will not be moved (Isaiah 54:1–3), pitched by a broad river that will never carry the vessels of invading armies. Jerusalem is one of the few great cities of antiquity that was not built near a river, but that will change during the millennial kingdom (Ezekiel. 47). Of course, the river symbolizes the peace that the Lord gives to His people (Isaiah 48:18; 66:12; Psalm 46:4).

In verse 23 Isaiah states that Jerusalem was a ship that almost sank, but the Lord brought it through the storm (Psalm 107:23–32); and the weakest of the Jews was able to take spoils from the dead army. “All the functions of government—judicial, legislative, and executive—will be centered in the Messianic King.”[fn] No wonder His people can say, “He will save us!”

Both sickness and sin will be absent from the holy city. Messiah will be their Redeemer and Savior, and the nation “will be forgiven their iniquity”. In Isaiah’s day, the Jews were a “sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity” (Isaiah 1:4), just as lost sinners are today; but when they see Jesus and trust Him, their sins will be washed away. If you have never accepted the loving invitation of Isaiah 1:18,“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool,’” you can do so right now and we’ll give you a moment of quiet to speak to Jesus yourself.

Or perhaps you have received Christ as Savior, but are not trusting Him fully to guide your life and give you wisdom in all circumstances. You too may want to speak to Jesus in the quietness of the moment to tell Him you want to trust Him more.

 

Isaiah

John

Romans

1 Peter


© Ron Teed - Used by permission. All rights Reserved.