Isaiah 9:8, 12-17, 19-20

Isaiah 9:8, 12-17, 19-20 NIV

The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the Lord Almighty. So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day; the elders and dignitaries are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail. Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray. Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows, for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks folly. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; they will not spare one another. On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring...

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Isaiah 9 includes the beginning of a lengthy oracle condemning Israel for its apostasy. This message is directed at the ten tribes to the north of which Ephraim has threatened Judah and Jerusalem by allying with the Arameans. Sometimes the use of the tribal name Ephraim is used to point to all ten tribes. Since the head of Ephraim is Samaria it's likely that Isaiah is speaking about all the tribes which broke allegiance with Jerusalem. Sometimes the ten tribes are referred to as Jacob or Israel as distinguished from Judah.

Isaiah 9:8 announces the oracle against Israel and begins to describe their impending doom by the wrath of God. There will be attacks by foreign peoples. God will show no pity, not even to wished and orphans! Because of the rampant wickedness they will suffer the consequences with no mercy. They will be under siege and when their food supply runs out, they will resort to cannibalism! Horrific!

One feature of Isaiah's oracle is the repeating phrase, "Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised." This phrase is repeated after each perilous doom is announced against Israel. It's like saying, "it's not over yet. There's more punishment coming."

The oracle continues in chapter ten.

Isaiah 10:1-7, 10-11 NIV

Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

“Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria— shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’ ”

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God confronts Israel for specific sins. These are unjust laws, oppressive decrees, depriving the poor of their rights, and not lifting the burdens of the oppressed, widowed and orphaned. Unjust society looks like this. The rich and powerful, who make the rules and enforces them, live in luxury and leisure while others live in poverty and oppression. Israel isn't the only nation to behave unjustly toward its citizens. Judah, too, is guilty.

God has used Assyria to punish many idolatrous nations. Assyria does not think of its military enterprise as the mission of God. Assyria means to amass wealth, increase holdings, and oppress their neighbouring nations, bringing them under submission. God uses the greedy war machine for God's own purposes, to punish and refine.

Don't worry. Good news is coming, but with the prophets it takes reading a lot of unpleasant confrontational material before you read words of consolation. What is inherently good is God. God is working to restore a holy and just society among His chosen. That's good news. The way there is through the refiners fire. It's a hard realty, but it leads to renewal and blessing.

Can you point to a time when the consequences of your sins caught up with you? Did you turn to the Lord in obedience, or were you expecting a bail out? Sometimes we need to learn lessons the hard way, because nothing else seems to get through to us. The apostle Paul wrote that we will all pass through the fire of God's judgment.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 NIV

If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

How you live your life is something for which you will be held accountable to God. Get used to the idea and learn to live your life in obedience to God. And remember that God loves to show mercy to those who are truly repentant. There is always grace.