Isaiah 10:5-19 – Woe To Oppressors
Assyria is at the height of its power, the height of its prestige. But it is God who has made Assyria to be strong and powerful. All oppressors are tools of God that He uses to purify His people. The true people of God are absolutely safe. They may have hard times to go through. True believers in the day when the Assyrians attacked had the same experiences as the wicked ones around them. True believers in other times have shared the difficulties that the wicked have gone through. But there have been two different results. The wicked in Isaiah’s time and the wicked in our time, when the oppressor comes, particularly the hypocrites are shown for what they are. The hypocrites end up destroyed, and God’s people end up purified in time and in eternity.
Though Assyria is doing God’s work, that’s not what Assyria is conscious of or intending to do. ‘I’m a king of kings,’ says the king of AssyrIa. He had conquered cities. He had enlarged his dominion. He’d gotten himself rich. And he thought he did it all by himself. In verses 10-11, he brags about what he will do. He utters blasphemy, calling Jehovah just another idol, claiming that the idols of the nations were better. And as he had conquered others, how could Judah and Jerusalem possibly hold out. At the time Isaiah wrote this, none of this had happened yet. But that’s exactly what happens later in 2 Kings 19 and 20, and 2 Chronicles 32.
God shows this boasting to be absurd. When God is done with Assyria, Assyria will be destroyed. In verses 15 through 19, God also decrees and prophesies Assyria’s complete inability fully to conquer Judah and Jerusalem. The one who will end up destroyed is Assyria. God himself will do the destruction. What will this destruction be like? It will be like a plague. You can read about it in 2 Kings 19.
We must remember that though God sends oppressors, they can go no further than He intends. They may plan for your destruction. God plans for your salvation and for your deliverance. There may be hard times in between, but God shall bring you through them. Do not fear the oppressor, though the oppressor may be given much power, for He is only given that power by your Father in heaven.
Questions
- Who gave Assyria power?
- What happens to Assyria when it tries to destroy Judah?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that God is in control of all things.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.