October 28, 2019

Isaiah 9:8-12


Rachel Workman: The Lord has spoken out against Jacob;
    his judgment has fallen upon Israel.
And the people of Israel[e] and Samaria,

    who spoke with such pride and arrogance,
    will soon know it.
10 They said, “We will replace the broken bricks of our ruins with finished stone,
    and replant the felled sycamore-fig trees with cedars.”
11 But the Lord will bring Rezin’s enemies against Israel
    and stir up all their foes.
12 The Syrians[f] from the east and the Philistines from the west

    will bare their fangs and devour Israel.
But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied.
    His fist is still poised to strike.

This long section describes what will happen to the northern kingdom when the Assyrians invade.
While Isaiah’s ministry was primarily to the people of Judah, he used Israel as an object lesson to warn the southern kingdom that God does not take sin lightly. Judah had sinned greatly, but God in His mercy spared them for David’s sake. However, God’s long suffering would one day end.

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John Burnett:  The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
    and it will fall on Israel;
and all the people will know,
    Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
    who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen,
    but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
    but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
    and stirs up his enemies.
12 The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west
    devour Israel with open mouth.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still. 
God is bringing judgement against Israel for their arrogance.  God is in complete control and He stirs the enemies of those who He will judge and allows them to have victory over Israel.  He has a righteous anger but He is also willing to save those who will repent.  His hand is stretched out to those will repent and turn away from their pride and arrogance.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Isaiah 9:13-17

13 For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent.
    They will not seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
14 Therefore, in a single day the Lord will destroy both the head and the tail,
    the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.
15 The leaders of Israel are the head,
    and the lying prophets are the tail.
16 For the leaders of the people have misled them.
    They have led them down the path of destruction.
17 That is why the Lord takes no pleasure in the young men
    and shows no mercy even to the widows and orphans.
For they are all wicked hypocrites,
    and they all speak foolishness.
But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied.
    His fist is still poised to strike.

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