The Nations Rage but God Reigns • 03.17.24
The Nations Rage but God Reigns
Isaiah 10:5-34
God is the ultimate reality to whom we respond
- God’s ways are higher than our ways
- God opposes the proud
- God’s judgment is overflowing with righteousness
- God provides a future for the faithful remnant
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 10; page 682)
How many of us find it easy to get lost in the day-to-day rhythms and routines of life? Do you find it hard to stop and consider the big picture – to remember that there is a God in heaven who is in charge and directing all of Creation and history to a specific destination? I will be the first to admit that I easily get lost in the here and now moments of life. Whether it’s enjoying the time with friends on vacation last week or being overwhelmed by the tasks in front of me when I return, I can easily live with my focus too narrowly zoomed in on myself and my emotions or desires rather than having the big picture that we have a Sovereign God who is on the throne working all things out according to his plan.
I do not think I’m alone in this. I am certain that whether it is getting wrapped up in your job or parenting your kids or investing in a particular friendship or perhaps facing a serious trial/tribulation, it is easy for any of us to fixate on our own desires and purposes in that moment, rather than remembering that God is, and He is at work in it. Guess what happens when we forget God? We functionally live as if He does not exist and is not at work. Which is a big problem for us! Because, as we’ve heard throughout Isaiah, God IS. He exists. His name is Yahweh, the One, True God. And He does reign over all and is working out His grand redemptive plan to make a people for himself who will dwell in peace and love his ways.
Unfortunately, as we’ve also heard, the people of Israel and Judah have forgotten God. They have abandoned him to turn to worship the pagan idols of the nations around them. This has led them to a lifestyle that is wicked and full of pride. Just a few weeks ago, we saw this exemplified in the person of King Ahaz, when he rejected God’s invitation to trust him. Instead, Ahaz trusted in his own plan to turn to the King of Assyria for help. And since that moment, God has promised to discipline Judah for their pride and rebellion.
Who can tell me how God has promised to discipline his people? Who is he bringing against them? The nation of Assyria! The pagan nation that they paid to save them is now going to be the source of their own destruction! What an object lesson for us. It never ends well when we forsake God’s way to pursue our own way.
At the same time, God has also spoken through Isaiah to provide hope in the midst of judgment. God has promised deliverance and preservation for a faithful remnant. There have been a few prophecies of a child to come who will provide righteous leadership. However, these prophecies seem to be far off given how wickedly the nation of Israel and Judah are responding in their current moment. As we heard last week from Pastor Jack, God’s wrath is still burning white-hot against them! A common refrain was, “For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still” indicating that God was not done with his judgment.
With this background in mind, we turn our attention today to Isaiah 10:5-34, where we find God taking issue with Assyria. Remember a few weeks ago I promised that their day was coming! They would not escape God’s righteous judgment either.
Our passage today is going to confront us with the ultimate reality of God and pointedly remind us that though the nations rage, God reigns! He is in control, and we are responsible for how we respond to him.
With that in mind, let’s read our text for today, starting in verse 5, listening for the evidence of the nations raging and God reigning.
Isaiah 10:5–34 (ESV)
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
6 Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 But he does not so intend,
and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
and to cut off nations not a few;
8 for he says:
“Are not my commanders all kings?
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,
whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols
as I have done to Samaria and her images?”
12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 13 For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
and plunder their treasures;
like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
14 My hand has found like a nest
the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened the mouth or chirped.”
15 Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts
will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors,
and under his glory a burning will be kindled,
like the burning of fire.
17 The light of Israel will become a fire,
and his Holy One a flame,
and it will burn and devour
his thorns and briers in one day.
18 The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.
20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. 25 For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26 And the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt. 27 And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”
28 He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through Migron;
at Michmash he stores his baggage;
29 they have crossed over the pass;
at Geba they lodge for the night;
Ramah trembles;
Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud, O daughter of Gallim!
Give attention, O Laishah!
O poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32 This very day he will halt at Nob;
he will shake his fist
at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts
will lop the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe,
and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.
Whew! There is a lot of strong language in this text. Both what God says towards Assyria and how Isaiah portrays Assyria’s proud posture and self-exaltation! And in the middle of it all are Israel and Judah, who are suffering the consequences of their own rebellion against God, yet also being promised that the Lord will preserve a remnant of them! There is a lot to unpack here, so let’s get started. Our overarching idea for today is…
God is the ultimate reality to whom we respond
My hope is that we would all walk out of here today with a greater awe of God and obedience to Him. After reading this passage and seeing just how clearly exalted God is above us, I don’t think it will be hard. Did you notice how God is in control of the nations? Look again at verses 5-6.
Isaiah 10:5-6 (ESV)
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
6 Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Who is the rod and staff? Assyria. Who wields them? God. Whose anger and fury are being played out? God’s. Who is sending Assyria? God. Who commands Assyria? God. Who does God send them against? A godless nation. The people of “my” wrath. We know from previous chapters that He is speaking of Israel and Judah!
This passage reveals to us that God is in control of the nations to accomplish his divine will! Look with me at verse 12.
Isaiah 10:12 (ESV)
12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes.
WHOSE WORK? The Lord’s work. What work? The work of judgment. How is it being accomplished? By Assyria conquering the people. Who sent Assyria? God did. Who ends up being punished for their pride afterwards? Assyria. By whom? God.
Again, we see the teaching that God is in control. He is Sovereign. No one can thwart his rule and reign. He is at work to accomplish all his divine will.
Now, throughout this text, we also see that the nations have their own goals and motives. We saw this in verses 7-11 and 13-14 where the Assyrians are bragging about their own might and abilities. Their motivation is self-exaltation. They are the strongest nation, so they take what they want. Assyria does not view themselves as a tool in the hand of God but rather views themselves as God. In these verses, they boast of their past military successes and insult the God of Israel/Judah in anticipation of their future successes. To Assyria, Yahweh is just one more false god or idol among the many they’ve already conquered in other nations. In the Ancient Near East, they typically believed that whichever people was victorious in battle had the true god while the rest were false. The difference here is that Yahweh is not concerned with victory in battle. He is the One who is bringing Assyria to conquer Israel/Judah in judgment! Assyria can boast and brag all they want, but in the end, God reigns!
All this highlights one of the key tensions of Scripture, that God is completely sovereign and in control, yet man has a real will and is responsible for his decisions. These matters lead us to our first takeaway in recognizing that God is the ultimate reality to whom we respond…
- God’s ways are higher than our ways
How could we not recognize this with the information before us? We are hearing of historical conflicts between multiple nations where each has a vested interest in the outcome. Assyria wants to dominate and control as much territory as possible. Israel/Judah want to survive the Assyrian invasion and live to tell about it. Neither of those motives are all that surprising, but what is surprising to us is that God is at work in it all! He has a higher purpose for allowing this war to break out. He is working out his plan to create a people for himself who are known for their righteousness. A people who will be set apart for him and holy like he is holy.
This is the ultimate plotline of the entire Bible and human history. You must understand what God is doing. From Genesis 1 and the creation of the first man/woman to Revelation 21-22 where God recreates the New Heaven and Earth, his aim is to have a perfect people for himself who can dwell with him in holiness forever. Everything we are studying and reading about in Isaiah is part of this plan with that specific outcome.
Revelation 21:22–27 (ESV)
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
This is very similar to what we’ve already heard in Isaiah 2:1-5. God is at work to create a perfect people dwelling with him in a perfect paradise. *pause*
But, as sinful men and women, we are busy rejecting and rebelling against Him. That’s what we see playing out here with Assyria and Israel/Judah. Rather than bowing the knee to Yahweh, they have each, in their own right, proudly gone their own way.
The pride of Israel/Judah was especially wicked as they had the benefit of special revelation from God! Their nation’s history was entwined with God’s miraculous provisions and work on their behalf. He had brought them out of slavery in Egypt, as he reminds them in verses 24-27. He had provided deliverance after deliverance throughout their generations. He had met with them in the tent of meeting and again in the temple. Their ancestors had received direct revelation from him resulting in the possession of His 10 commandments and the Law.
Yet, in spite of all of this, they had rejected Him and gone their own way. Turning aside to the pagan idols of the nations around them. Do you comprehend how deep and serious their rebellion was? God had to address it through his divine discipline. Which he does in various ways and capacities throughout their generations. In Isaiah’s day it was by bringing Assyria against them.
However, as we are now hearing, the Assyrians were also incredibly arrogant and rebellious. They did not come as willing servants of the Lord who sought to obey him. Oh no! They openly mocked Yahweh as just another idol to conquer. They were driven by their own greed and desire for power/gain. They did not view themselves as a tool in a Sovereign God’s hand. They believed they were in control!
So, we rightly hear God opposing them in their pride. You already heard verse 12 where God promises to punish the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. Let’s listen again to God’s rebuke of Assyria’s pride in verses 15-19. This comes directly in response to the King of Assyria boasting about all that he has done with his strength and his wisdom. He even calls himself “a mighty one” (translated bull in verse 13 in the ESV). He is foolishly putting himself at odds with God! Here is what God says in response…
Isaiah 10:15-19 (ESV)
15 Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts
will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors,
and under his glory a burning will be kindled,
like the burning of fire.
17 The light of Israel will become a fire,
and his Holy One a flame,
and it will burn and devour
his thorns and briers in one day.
18 The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.
Who do you think you are, king of Assyria? You are merely a tool in the hands of the LORD God of hosts. The truly Sovereign One who is overall. Our second takeaway in recognizing that God is the ultimate reality to whom we respond is…
- God opposes the proud
You’re probably thinking, “No duh!” right about now. It has been pretty clear from this text today that God takes issue with the pride of his own creation. Though God has made these nations, they are rebelling against him and going their own way! There is no humility. No repentance for their sin.
This is what the ministry of Isaiah has largely been about – God’s opposition of Judah’s pride. God is opposing them by bringing Assyria against them. He has promised destruction and devastation to their land because they have exchanged the One, True God for mere idols and men.
But today we are also hearing that God opposes Assyria’s pride! They have made their conquests all about them. They boast in their own might and military prowess, as if God did not provide them with their victories. God now taunts them with their true identity – they are merely a tool in his hands – they have no room to boast or self-exalt. And as they oppose God’s will, they will be met with their own destruction too. The fact that the Assyrians would even think to mock God as a mere idol or false image shows they do not understand who He is. But they will soon know as he devours their army and wastes away their military might.
Verses 27-34 reveal that a day is coming when the burden of Assyria will depart from Judah’s shoulder. Their yoke will be broken because Assyria has become proud and fat in their position of power. Even though they were able to conquer their way south to the outskirts of Jerusalem, they could not take the city. God would not allow it. Eventually, in 701 B.C. God would provide miraculous deliverance from Assyria. This is recorded for us in Isaiah 37 as well as 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Let me read a portion of Isaiah 37:
Isaiah 37:33–38 (ESV)
33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
36 And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. 38 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
God took care of Assyria on his timetable and in his way. Because God opposes the proud. This is truly a theme throughout Scripture.
Proverbs 3:34 (ESV)
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favor.
James 4:6–7 (ESV)
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:5–7 (ESV)
5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
These New Testament uses of the same principle reveal that God still opposes pride in our day. Beware listening to a sermon like this and thinking, “Oh, those foolish Assyrians! Those proud Israelites and Judeans!” Turn the mirror of Scripture upon yourself and see your own pride revealed!
All of us are prone to self-exaltation. To be tempted to organize our days and our lives to be exactly how we want them to be, often without consideration of how God would like them to be. It is so easy for us to spend our days pursuing our own goals without a second thought of what God says is important in our life.
Now I sincerely doubt any of us will be outwardly mocking Yahweh like the King of Assyria, but I don’t think it is far off to imagine that we might exchange the glory of God for idols made by men like Judah had done… Or to turn and trust our own abilities or in something other than God when times get tough like Ahaz did with Assyria.
Where do you turn when life is overwhelming? What do you look to for comfort in time of need? What if only you could have it would bring peace to your soul? Whatever your answer is reveals what you worship. If you are willing to be honest with yourself, the answer is probably not God, at least all of the time or maybe even most of the time… The honest answer may be…
- I turn to food for comfort.
- I turn to people when life is overwhelming.
- I escape into video games or a good book or a TV series or I scroll my phone endlessly.
- I find peace by taking control of anything and everything else that I can.
What is it for you? How does pride show up in your life? This is what you must identify and overcome with God’s help! And praise God, he delights to help us accomplish this. He has provided His Word to instruct us in the truth, His Son to save us from our sin, and His Holy Spirit to empower us to be able to obey. It is possible to put off pride as we humble ourselves under God’s authority and live according to His will/ways.
Now, I don’t know what your reaction is to reading Isaiah 10 today. I don’t know what everyone here thinks of the view of God that is being presented through our study of Isaiah. I hope that you are being equipped with a BIG view of God that helps you to reject any inadequate views you may previously have held onto. But I understand this can be challenging. It’s not easy to hear about God’s justice and judgment that leads to entire nations being wiped out. However, I really appreciated the end of verse 22. Let’s look at it again.
Isaiah 10:22 (ESV)
Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness.
Do you hear that? God’s judgment is overflowing with righteousness. This is our third takeaway as we respond to the ultimate reality of God…
- God’s judgment is overflowing with righteousness
We may not always like or understand why God does what He does, but we can trust that He does it in righteousness. Without injustice. In a manner that is perfectly, ethically right. Because he is the standard of righteousness. His aim in judgment is his own glory and the ultimate good of his people.
And our position is to bow the knee in humble worship and adoration of him. Who are we to question Him? Who are we to doubt Him? We do not know better than God. We could not do things better than God. And it is the height of arrogance to think we could or would. Isaiah’s teaching on God to the people of his day is very instructive for us in this way. In response to this teaching, I have written out a prayer of confession that I am going to share:
“Lord, forgive me for the ways I’ve acted and lived as if I knew better than you. This is a regular struggle. The ways that I respond to what you allow in my life reveal my pride. I get angry about hard things. I despair when things don’t go the way I think are best. I daydream about a better way… my way! This is all vanity and pride. This is me failing to believe that your judgment overflows with righteousness and your sovereign plan is what is best and good for me and others. Please help me to trust you. Please help me to joyfully bow the knee to you and walk in humble obedience to your will/ways. I know this is the path of life, so I pray that I would embrace it.”
Are you able to say amen to that prayer? Are you able to see the ways you press against God’s judgment and sovereignty in your own life? These are helpful things to realize as we study Isaiah and see ourselves in the mirror of Judah and Assyria. Allow their situation to lead you to confession and repentance. Allow God’s discipline of them to lead you to worship of Him. Do not walk in their ways.
There is a fascinating observation in verses 20-27. God’s winnowing discipline leaves a faithful remnant remaining. God does not desire a large group of rebellious people; He is making a faithful remnant for Himself. In verses 20-23 God speaks of a future that is coming where the remnant of Israel and Judah will lean on the Lord in truth. He is their Holy One. They will come back to Him, the Mighty God rather than some human king pretending to be the mighty one. However, those that come back will be but a remnant of the people who were once as numerous as the sand of the sea. That is the future for Israel & Judah.
Then verses 24-27 gives them instruction for how they ought to conduct themselves in the present day. Do not be afraid of the Assyrians for all their anger and military success. God will bring his fury to an end soon. He will redirect his anger towards Assyria’s destruction. Just like he has delivered them in the past, he will deliver them again. They will be free to be his people once more. These verses reveal our final takeaway in recognizing that God is the ultimate reality to whom we respond…
- God provides a future for the faithful remnant
God called the faithful remnant of Israel & Judah to trust in and lean on Him. They were to forsake the idols and pagan nations the rest of their people had followed. He would provide the way forward. He would break the yoke of their oppressor and preserve them. They could trust him.
Because this is the future, they are not to be afraid in the present. They are to endure their discipline with hope. He will deliver… in his timing… And he did so with the miraculous deliverance from Assyria in 701 B.C. And he did so again when he brought the faithful remnant out of Babylon. And he did it again when he sent Jesus Christ to rescue and redeem in the New Testament era.
God’s character is unchanging. We know that His plan to this day is still to create a people for Himself. His provision of a future for the faithful is available to the church. The New Testament reveals that God’s plan has always been to create a people for himself from both Jews & Gentiles (non-Jews). The sending of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, is the ultimate revelation of this plan. Through Jesus all who believe in Him have the hope of a glorious future with God.
John 10:10–11 (ESV)
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:27–30 (ESV)
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
What wonderful truths to end on this morning. The nations rage, but God reigns. His plan to rescue and redeem a people for himself cannot and will not be thwarted. I am so thankful that His ways are higher than ours. Even if it means he opposes me in my pride, it is worth it, because God’s judgment is overflowing with righteousness. He always does what is right and it always leads to the best possible outcome. He knows what it takes to bring us all the way home. And even though the journey may be long and hard, like it was for many in Israel/Judah… like it is for many of us today… it will be worth it.
Let’s pray.
Father, thank you for your sovereign goodness. You are the One who knows us before we are born, the One who knits us together in our mother’s womb, who counts our days before there is yet one of them… And you are the One who provides a future for the faithful remnant – both Jews and Gentiles. You are the One who gives your people to your Son – that is literally what Jesus just told us. Thank you for your mercy and grace! Your Son is the one who came that we might have life. He laid down his life to secure eternal life for us. Thank you, Jesus!
May we bow the knee in humility and willing obedience to you today. May we confess our own pride and arrogance in questioning you or defying you, as if we had a better plan for our lives. Thank you for your patience with us. Thank you for allowing us to study Isaiah so that we can learn from their obstinance and choose a better path. Please help us to trust you and walk with you each day this week. May we turn to you for comfort. May we turn to you for help in time of need. May we trust your perfect plan and learn how to walk faithfully in it, wherever it might take us.
For those who are here today or listening to this later but do not know you as Savior and Lord, I pray that they would be humbled to the point of trusting in you for salvation.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.