Isaiah 9:8 – 10:4 The Upraised Hand
2/25/01e D. Marion Clark
Introduction
The passages about the Messiah and his kingdom are refreshing. They lift our spirits as we think about the glory of our Redeemer and that redemption he brings. But as much as we like, we are continually brought back to the way things are. Isaiah, we are reminded, addresses a nation steeped in sin and about to get worse.
Our passage is yet another example of Isaiah’s brilliance as a writer. This particular passage would have thrilled Edgar Allen Poe who also knew how to employ repetition for dramatic effect. Who doesn’t know the line, “Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore!’”? Isaiah’s dramatic refrain is Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.
The refrain is spoken four times and neatly breaks up our passage into four portions.
Attack from Outside Enemies 9:8-12
Pride and Arrogance
8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
9 All the people will know it—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
who say with pride
and arrogance of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 But the LORD has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them
and has spurred their enemies on.
12 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.
Let’s start by identifying all the names in the first five verses. Israel, in this passage, seems to be the northern kingdom. Isaiah is prophesying against that nation. Jacob, as you would know, was the patriarch given the name Israel after wrestling with God. Ephraim is a territory in Israel and Samaria the nation’s capital. All four names are serving as synonyms for the same nation. Isaiah’s poetic nature is coming out.
Who is Rezin? He was the king of Aram of which Damascus was the capital. Aram was the northeast neighbor of Israel. Recall back in chapter 7 how Israel and Aram formed an alliance against Assyria and which also turned on Judah. Rezin’s foes probably refers to Assyria primarily. The Arameans are Syrians from the east. We are familiar with the Philistines, the ancient enemies of Judah and Israel. They lived along the coast beside Judah. These enemies are going to “devour” Israel. They are not going to be partially successful or limit their attacks. They will go throughout Israel ravaging the land.
As Isaiah has indicated before, God is behind these attacks or at least their success. Why? Pride. The people are still filled with pride and arrogance, boasting how they of their own power will rebuild their nation. This is particularly galling because of the condition they are in. Back in chapter 2 God had condemned the arrogant who were conceited by their evident power and accomplishments.
12 The LORD Almighty has a day in store
for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled),
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,
and all the oaks of Bashan,
14 for all the towering mountains
and all the high hills,
15 for every lofty tower
and every fortified wall,
16 for every trading ship
and every stately vessel (2:12-16).
At least those folks appeared to have something to boast about. Israel is in a state of disgrace.
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
Do we have a reality problem here? They used to be great. They have fallen and they have missed the whole reason for their downfall. It had occurred because of their arrogance and rebellion against God. They just don’t get it. They are like the lightweight amateur boxer who has been knocked down by the heavyweight champion. He jumps back up and says, “Now I’ve got him where I want him.” He says it just before he is pounded to the floor.
One comparison I would make to today is the liberal church that has taken blow after blow. It is declining in numbers and in influence. It is at best humored by the secular world which it so much desires to be acclaimed by. Again and again we hear them saying how they will rebuild and be respected again, not by returning to the God of the Bible, but creating new theologies and wedding themselves to other religions. Don’t they see that the more they try to rebuild themselves by their own power, that they will continually bring judgment upon themselves?
Even so, God’s hand is still raised against Israel.
Downfall of Leaders 9:13-17
Bad Leaders
13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them,
nor have they sought the LORD Almighty.
14 So the LORD will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed in a single day;
15 the elders and prominent men are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
16 Those who guide this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.
17 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 vileness.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
So the nation receives a pounding but still does not return to the Lord. They still don’t make the connection between their unfaithfulness and their beating. Why don’t they? A big reason is that their leaders mislead them. The elders, who should be the wise men of the nation, and the “prominent” men, those who are held in esteem, lead their people away from God. The prophets, the men who are called to reveal God’s word, deceive the people with lies in God’s name.
But then, the people are also held accountable. Leaders can only lead people where they are willing or want to go. And there were some faithful prophets throughout Israel’s history. Amos was faithfully prophesying in Israel while Isaiah was in Judah. Even so, the people do not need prophets to warn them about wickedness. They didn’t a prophet to know that idolatry was wrong; they didn’t a prophet to reveal that oppressing the poor was bad; they didn’t need a prophet to tell them that they ought to repent of sin and turn to their God.
We were astounded by the moral scandals of our previous president; but weren’t we even more astounded that most people were not scandalized by his activities? It is a two-way street. Our president did not serve as a moral model for his nation, but then his nation showed little interest in having a moral model. This attitude even carries over into the church. I know of one church in which the associate pastor left his wife and children to marry another woman. He was then hired by that church. He “does a good job.” Why hold that against him? Indeed, the growing attitude of church members is “Who has the right to judge me,” as though church is little more than a service provider – provide worship services, children and youth activities, etc., but keep out of how people live their lives. Thus, in the name of “not being judgmental” we have promoted immorality and injustice.
Even so, God’s hand is still raised against Israel.
Civil Strife 9:18-21
18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns,
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,
so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath of the LORD Almighty
the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
no one will spare his brother.
20 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 his own offspring:
21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;
together they will turn against Judah.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
The scenario here is of every man being out for himself. Each person tries to take advantage of the other. Indeed, take advantage is a mild expression. Each person tries to devour, feed on each other. No one will spare his brother. Forget friendship or even family ties; it is a man-eat-man world. There will be civil strife: Manasseh will feed on Eprhaim, which will spill over to war against neighbor: together they will turn against Judah. For all this God will see that their own wickedness turns against them. They will scorch their own land; they will devour and yet remain hungry.
This is what happens to and through wickedness. People become wicked out of a desire for self-gain. It may happen when troubles come such as a famine or civil war, and people turn against one another for survival. Or it may happen in prosperous times when the lure for gain causes one to lose his scruples and take advantage of others. This happens often in the business world when competition pushes a person over the limit of what is just and compassionate.
And still, God’s hand is raised.
The Day of Reckoning 10:1-4
Oppressive Rulers
Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2 to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.
3 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?
4 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.
Here we have a description of oppressors – people who prey on the weak and defenseless. Note that the oppressors are government leaders. They oppress through oppressive laws. They build an unjust society. These are men who pass laws for the purpose of making themselves rich and protecting their interests.
This is a weighty charge by God as you can see in his warning of judgment.
3 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?
4 Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives
or fall among the slain.
As conservatives, we need to take note of this. We are rightfully appalled at immorality, as is God; but he does seem to take particular concern about injustice. Two passages come quickly to mind. One is Micah 6:6:
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
The other is James 1:27: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
God cares for the small and the weak, and to enact laws that oppress them is repugnant to him. For the church, we must be proactive in showing mercy to the poor and in defending those who have little voice in society. I am not entering the debate over liberal and conservative politics, but I am saying that whatever one’s political mindset there cannot be debate over the ends of our politics – which is to promote mercy and justice. And a church cannot be contented with its outreach ministries if these issues are ignored.
Even so, God’s hand is still raised.
Conclusion
What will save us from God’s hand of judgment? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25). Our redemption from our guilt is through Jesus Christ. And it is a just redemption.
God does not lower his hand saying that he will try to be more understanding. He lowers his hand against us because he raises it against his Son Jesus Christ, who gladly receives it for our redemption. Always remember this when we come to the harsh passages of judgment in the OT. People don’t like these passages and say God can’t be that way. But can because is just. The wonder is not that God would raise his hand in judgment, but that he would lower it in mercy, a mercy that is of the greatest cost to him. What should awe us is to honestly recite our own sins of injustice and coldness and then hear the refrain:
Yet for all this, his mercy is not turned away,
his hand still uplifts us in grace.
