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Today's Reading
Isaiah 10–13
Psalm 109:14–25
(Watch video above about the Pool of Siloam)
Power on Purpose
Assyria assumed their repeated victories stemmed from their might, and that Jerusalem would fall just as all other great cities had fallen (Isa. 10:8–13). But Isaiah asks a great question:
“Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?” (Isaiah 10:15)
Assyria merely served as God's tool to discipline God's people. But Assyria would not touch Jerusalem. In fact, "in a single day" (Isa. 10:17) God will destroy Assyria's might—probably a reference to the Angel of the LORD killing their army in their sleep (Isa. 37:36–37; cf. 1 Kings 19:35).
In spite of the coming judgment on Israel, Isaiah repeatedly points to the secure hope that "a remnant will return" (Isa. 10:20–22), a promise still in effect, the Apostle Paul reminds us by quoting Isaiah (Rom. 9:27). Israel's security rests with God's promise.
This return would include more than a geopolitical return to the land after exile. It also includes a spiritual return to the LORD, which will climax with the coming of the Messiah, the Branch, or "shoot . . . from the stem of Jesse" (Isa. 11:1). Isaiah samples the promises of the Messiah's coming kingdom, including a magnificent hope: “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9).
Nations in their power often mistake their success as coming from their might and not from the Almighty. Great power comes from God alone, for His purposes alone, and a godless nation will one day face God's justice—as history has proven. This context of God's judgment only makes God's grace to His people shine all the brighter—whether regarding Israel's remnant or a Christian's eternal security.
We who deserve what Assyria got look forward to a kingdom in which we will participate simply because of the grace of God.
Question: Answer and explain the questions asked in Isaiah 10:15. How does this relate to God working in our lives?
(Photo Above: Pool of Siloam during excavations. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
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