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PRBC sermon January 23, 2011
To the book of Isaiah, we ask the Lord's blessing upon our study of this book. And Sovereign Lord, we ask that you would bless us now by the presence of your Spirit. We might understand your truth as we look at this prophetic passage, as we make application.
To this day, we ask that you would be with us. Righteous. His judgments to bear. In 29, where the people, in entering into that covenant, had accepted the terms of that covenant, which included blessings and cursings, blessings for obedience and cursings, brings the Assyrians against his people as punishment.
Here, we can understand much that needs to be understood in our day. To decree unrighteousness and misfortune, which they have prescribed, to rob the needy of justice, and to take what is right from the poor, be their prey, that they may be saved.
What will you do on the day of punishment? In the desolation, which will come among the prisoners, and they shall fall among the slain, with his hand, which was Syria, the rod of his hand is my indignation.
I will send him against an ungodly nation, to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread down like the mire of the streets. Yet, for he says, are not the sons of the idols, whose carved images excel those of Jerusalem and Samaria.
As I have done to Samaria and her idols, shall I not do also to Jerusalem, and all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that he will say, I will punish to prove the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.
For he says, by the strength of my hand I have. So I have. Thus one gathers eggs that are left. I have a saw, exalt itself against him who saws with it, as if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, or as if a staff could lift up as if it were not wood.
The Lord of hosts will send leanness among his fat ones, and under his glory he will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. So the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his holy one for a flame, who will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in one day, but it will consume the glory of his forest and his fruitful field, both soul and body.
And they will be as when a sick man wastes away, that the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few, a number that a child may write them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel and such as have escaped the house of Jacob will never again depend on him who defeats the remnant of Jacob.
The Lord God of hosts will make a determined end. Four verses. Once again the concern of righteous decree, which they have prescribed of justice, and to make what is, take what is right. Sometimes those of us who hold firmly to the entire counsel of God, a little bit negatively to those who speak of social justice, because we've seen so many times, only in the past hundred years, the idea of social justice replace the gospel of Jesus Christ in many churches.
I know that, for example, in speaking to my father, he often said to me over the years that they remember days, back in the olden days, when you could go to a United Methodist church and hear somebody preach the gospel.
You can't hear that in the United Methodist seminary back in the 90s. Had a very qualified man apply to teach there. The only reason he wasn't able to teach was because of how far that particular... But there was a day of social justice.
So sometimes, just as in a tug of war, when you pull against the opposite force, when you pull against the other side, I don't know if we would ever do that, I don't want George on our side, but I want him right at the end, and we're pulling this direction.
The problem is, you can't remain balanced. You can't stay in the center. Sometimes we hear something like social justice, and we, ah, that's what those liberals believe. Well, no, I don't think Isaiah was a liberal.
And Isaiah pronounces a woe upon those who decree unrighteous decree. I don't think that you can just simply say, oh, well, that was just for the people of Israel. God isn't when governments today... Because you see, those who are placed in positions, they are to represent the one who gave them that position.
One thing we're going to learn from the Assyrians, they're going to be judged for the attitude of their heart, because they were used by God. They were used by God to accomplish His purposes, yes, but then they're judged because of the attitude of their heart.
And so, God uses nations, God uses leaders, and when they decree unrighteous decrees, God says, well, we wish to take what is right. ...questions that have no answer. God's judgment came upon Israel. There were many.
There was the idolatry, the high places, there was... Oh, just so... It almost seems as if Israel worked to... You think of... We've seen... We've seen those that are... Judgment is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still, because the people themselves have not repented.
And so, this oracle of coming doom, based upon the unrighteousness of the people, leads to verses 5 and following. Now, if you're thinking about this morning, then you know what the theme... We saw in Genesis chapter 50 this morning, the truth that God's absolute kingly sovereignty and man's responsibility walk in...
In the same events, you can have God's decree, and yet, man is judged righteously for the attitudes of his heart in the activities that are his under that decree. We saw that in regards to Joseph's brothers.
And we saw that in this case of Joseph's brothers, Joseph recognized they meant evil against him, but in that very same action, God intended... Parallel in the original language. God was just as active in what took place in the selling of Joseph, but for a different...
And Isaiah chapter 10 provides us with very much another example. And one of the reasons I wanted to address this is that very often, you and I, when we respond to tragedy and difficulty in our lives, even other believers will say, well, why do you think God has a purpose?
Most believers will say that on a surface level, but there's clearly a difference between saying that and then consistently living in light of that, and behaving in light of that. And so when someone asks you, how can you say that God is sovereign over all things, he has a decree and he's working out, and yet we as individuals are responsible for our actions.
You preach and teach as if we should be very careful about the things that we do, and we should... I mean, aren't we just puppets on a string? Well, we saw this morning. Joseph affirmed the absolute sovereignty of God in every event, including the sinful actions of man, but I didn't read anything about puppets on a string.
I didn't read anything that was consistent with marionettes, or robots, or any of the other absurd accusations that are made. And here we have, I think, one of the... Think about what we just... Woe to Assyria!
So this is another woe passage. We have woe in verse one, now we have woe in verse five. Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger, and the staff in whose hand is my indignation. Now when you think about a rod, you know, you think about...
You'll see the police, you can whack somebody with it, and it doesn't feel very good, and it puts you on the ground pretty quick. But that's the staff. That's what God says. I, Assyria, against an ungodly nation, that's Israel, and against the people he's directed toward, I will give him charge to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread him down like the mire of the street.
Here comes the wrath, the judgment that was promised, back in Deuteronomy. Prophets have been sent to you. Judgment is now coming. And he's going to use the Assyrians to do this. But notice, yet, he does not mean so.
He, the Assyrian, does not mean to be the mechanism of God's wrath. Nor does his heart think so. So, what he's meaning to do, and what his heart thinks so, that's one thing. But God's saying, I am using them to accomplish my purpose.
It's so straightforward. It's so clear. It's right there on the page of Scripture. And God knows what's in his heart. For he says, Even my people were destroyed. They had stood before the Assyrian might, and then, from the kingdoms of Jerusalem, excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria.
As I have done to Samaria and her idols, shall I do also to Jerusalem and her idols. So, Samaria has fallen. Here comes this power. And the point is, no one can stand against it. The attitude of the heart of the king is, It's all me.
No one can stop me. He wouldn't expect to reflect upon, or not so religiously, suppress that knowledge. He's become heir of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty love. Yes, I'm bringing it.
Yes, I'm accomplishing my decree. But, what the basis for the just and righteous punishment is, it's the attitude, the intentions of people. And so, it gets scary when I hear people say, Well, we're going to pass these hate crimes laws, because we're going to look into your heart, and we're going to know what you're thinking.
And so, when you break the law, and you're not thinking as we should think you should be thinking, then we're going to punish you more. Oof. That's scary stuff. It's scary, because we know they can't do it.
What makes this? He knows what he has said in his heart. By the strength of my hand, I have moved the boundaries of the people. I have robbed their treasuries. I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.
Unless one gathers eggs that are left. I have gathered all the earth. There is no one who moved his wing, or opened his mouth with even a pinch. It's not seen. It is when ancient kings, when any human being, takes the gifts that have been given to him or her, and uses them to suppress the truth of God.
Morally, learning in certain areas. When he... Most of us say we disagree. But where we get uncomfortable is when I say this. What he said, and what he's saying, and what he's... It's sin. It's a gift from God, and he is taking that, and he is twisting that, and he is suppressing the knowledge of God.
He's encouraging other people to suppress that knowledge of God. And that is sin. Amen. There is no moral neutrality in this issue. You see, these men were just... This king, as powerful as he was, was just doing what was best for his nation.
And God says it's sin. An official, or a scientist, with the thoughts and intent... Tremendous... He makes an idol... Foolishness of ideology. I love it. Shall the axe boast itself against... Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?
As if a rod can wield itself against those who lift it up. Or as if a staff could lift up as if it were not wood. What's the whole point? We should see ourselves as instruments. And when you're placed in a position of great authority and power...
How the king of Assyria... That's what he should have seen. He is the axe, lifted by God to judge his people. But no. It's a fatal... Fire of his Holy One for a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars.
And one day, it will consume the glory of his forest, of his fruitful field, both soul and body. And they will be as when a sick man wastes away. Then the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few in number, that a child may write them.
God is going to take away the glory of the Assyrian. As a forest fire... Remember... Remember that forest fire? What... How long ago? I'm sure... Brother... Four hundred... Was it four hundred and seventy-two thousand acre forest fire.
Largest ponderosa pine forest in the world. And basically, pretty much all burned up. One shot. You can see it from space. It was amazing. And you can still see the results of it to this day, obviously.
Being described here. A massive forest fire. The glory of the nation taken away. The rest of the trees of his forest will be so few in number, a child... Even though he says, I'm bringing them. I'm bringing them for punishment.
I will then punish them for the arrogance of their heart. There is... Straightforward. I've presented this to many. Just don't get... Remember, this chapter starts off... Et cetera, et cetera. ...have escaped the house.
Don't trust anybody but the Lord. They're always looking around for somebody, because they really couldn't trust in... Preparation to give an answer. Isaiah 10, 21. God, but He's not the Almighty God.
For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea... Mind is elsewhere. You can study a section fairly closely. It's still... Years later you come back. It's one of two things. In looking at this text in the original language, by the last phrase... ...this evening or... ...shall overflow with...
I came up with the destruction that has been... ...decreed or stated or set firmly. It was just simply... ...destruction announced, decreed... ...overflowing... ...righteousness. The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
Judgment. Annihilation. With... In the Psalter it said... ...nation of justification... ...so that a... ...the destruction... It's sometimes for me... ...existing eternal... ...interfaces with time... ...shown in time... ...we see God's providence.
His involvement in His creation. It's difficult for us to... ...as time-bound creatures... ...to understand how something that is eternal... ...can then interface with time, but... ...the Bible presents to us God active in time.
For us that means He's sort of... ...He's got past, present, future... ...and we automatically start thinking of Him in that way because... ...and so when I think of that decree to see... ...the Assyrians brought into northern Israel... ...that would be finished in Toto... ...and His brothers... ...when He would talk... ...in the destruction... ...but when God brings judgment against His people or against the Assyrians... ...it overflows... ...was delayed... ...the fact that opportunities for repentance were given... ...the fact that grace was achieved... ...doesn't change the fact that when judgment comes... ...it overflows... ...with righteousness... ...and that means you and I... ...be embarrassed... ...about what God says... ...anybody, because there aren't any... ...see we're... ...smothering... ...in a sin-denying... ...man-exalting humanism... ...that it thinks we can put... ...we see the Lord of History now in hindsight, but... ...they couldn't see that then... ...by historical foundations... ...it's... ...but it's so important... ...because this was... ...seabed... ...of the foolishness... ...because the people preaching from the New Testament... ...constantly quoting from this book... ...they expect you to know it... ...and there is so... ...God's sovereignty and God's power... ...that if people would just... ...get that first... ...they would never misread... ...the New Testament text the way they do... ...or at least... ...too difficult... ...on the one hand confess... ...His sovereignty... ...on the other hand... ...act and live as if... ...you are responsible for God... ...for what you do... ...let me show you how God... ...Israel is... ...the sovereign king...
