ISAIAH SESSION 18 — THE LORD WILL JUDGE THOSE WHO DEFY HIM

Text: Isaiah 17 & 18

If I were going to give today’s teaching a title, it would be “The LORD Will Judge Those Who Defy Him.” These chapters are a prophecy of judgment on the people of Isaiah’s day, but also are a prophecy of the end of things, when the Lord judges all dwellers on the earth who have defied Him.

In Chapter 17, Isaiah speaks the prophecy of the LORD’s judgment of Damascus and Jacob (northern Israel), who have defied the LORD. And in Chapter 18, when Cush is threatened by Assyria, they attempt to make an alliance with Judah. But their attempt will fail, because Cush has defied the LORD.

Be careful to note Jacob belonged to the LORD. But He judges those who defy Him. It is the same for those who belong to the Lord today, but defy Him. He warns you today, through Isaiah’s words.

Chapter 17

Verses 1-2  — 

Damascus is the capitol of Syria, with whom northern Israel/Jacob/Ephraim had allied themselves, in order to defeat Judah. But they would not succeed, and the LORD would ultimately destroy both Syria and Jacob, as Isaiah prophesied in 7:1 and 7:8.

Now Isaiah gives an oracle — both a word and a vision — of Syria’s pending destruction. He sees that its capitol, Damascus, is about to be removed as a city, and will become a fallen ruin, at the hands of Assyria.

The city of Aroer are forsaken. Its only inhabitants are flocks of animals who use them as a safe haven, lying down in them. No one frightens them away, for the city is abandoned and empty.

Verses 3-4 —

And in idolatrous Ephraim, there are no longer any fortified cities. There is no more kingdom in Damascus, no more royal power. 

And the remnant of Aram (Syria) will like be the “glory” of the sons of northern Israel, with whom they made an alliance. In this passage, the LORD uses the word “glory” sarcastically. The remnant of Syria will be just a faint shadow, as will be the remnant of Ephraim. 

Those who worship idols — including the idol of self — boast about themselves and glorify themselves. But at the end of things, their glory will vanish.

Together, Syria and Ephraim will be crushed, declares the LORD of hosts, the Captain of the armies of the LORD. Surely, that will be the judgment for all who defy Him, rebel against Him, and refuse to repent — even those who are His people, and His church! 

How does the church defy Him? Believers defy Him by following the strange gospel that is preached, and by greedily seeking the Lord for what they declare He must do for them!

In the day when the LORD crushes Jacob, his glory will fade (be thin and feeble). Again, it will be a faint shadow. And Jacob will no longer be fat (rich) and prosperous, but lean and famished.

Verses 5-6 —

Isaiah sees a harvest — Assyria harvests Jacob. When grain is harvested, the stalks are wrapped tightly, so they can remove many heads of grain with one sweeping cut. In the same way, the Assyrians will cut and gather Jacob like standing grain that cannot escape the sickle. They will wrap Jacob tightly in their arms so they can remove their heads (their sovereignty, and perhaps their heads, literally) with one sweeping cut. 

Gleanings will be gathered in the valley of Rephaim, which is southwest of Jerusalem, for the Assyrians will invade Judah, too, and even come to Jerusalem’s wall! But as I have told you, 185,000 Assyrians were slain in one night by the angel of the LORD, and the Assyrians returned home (2Kings 19:35).

And gleanings will be left in Jacob (northern Israel), like the shaking (striking) of an olive tree. The Assyrian harvesters will beat the branches thoroughly, to leave as little as possible for the gleaners. But a sparse gleaning will remain —  two or three olives on the topmost bough, four or five in the branches of a fruitful tree. 

Who declares this judgment against Damascus and Ephraim, and much of Judah, even to the gates of Jerusalem? The LORD, the God of Israel! He is God alone, and there is no other. And no one can reverse His judgments upon His rebellious people, and upon all who defy Him!

Verses 7-8 —

In the day when the LORD judges Ephraim, man will have regard for his Maker. They have had regard for the idols they made with their hands, but not for Him!But their idols are emptiness and nothing. Now, they will look to the One who created them.

And at the end of things, all that worship the god of self, the ones that want the Lord to bless them while they defy Him, will have regard for Him at the end of things. But it will be too late! While it is still today, repent, O church, O believer!

Ephraim is overrun. There are just a few stragglers left in the land. Now, instead of looking to their idols and false gods, Isaiah sees them look to the Holy One of Israel. 

The false gods they had worshiped required them to do evil acts — child sacrifice, orgies, self-mutilation, homosexuality, and so on. In contrast, the Holy One of Israel requires that His people be holy as He is holy — completely different from the world around them (Leviticus 22:2, Matthew 5:48, 1Peter 1:15)! 

No longer will Ephraim have regard for the altars to the golden calves at Bethel and Dan, which he made with his hands. Instead, he will have regard for his Maker.

After their punishment, Ephraim will no longer look to that which his fingers have made. He will no longer look to the Asherim (wooden statues of the mother of Baal), and the stands on which they burned incense to Baal. He will finally see that Baal and the golden calves could not save him, for they are false gods. 

It will be the same at the end of things. Those who have worshiped a false Jesus, one who does not command them to be holy by being filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5), will see that they have been listening to false prophets who appeal to their greed. They will see that they have worshiped the god of self. 

Verses 9-10 —

Isaiah sees the coming desolation of Ephraim. Strong cities will be like forsaken places in the forest. 

What are the abandoned branches? When Israel was given the land and they conquered the peoples in it, they took over the abandoned buildings in their cities.

But now the tables have turned. Ephraim’s buildings will be abandoned and lived in by those who Assyria brings in from their world empire. And the land will be a desolation (laid waste) by Assyria.

Like Ephraim, today’s church is being overrun by the god of this world. Many abandoned church buildings have been bought for the use of the world system that defies the Lord. Such buildings stand as a witness against today’s church. 

Why is Ephraim abandoned? They have forgotten their God, the One who saved them from slavery to Egypt, and brought them into the land! They have sought refuge in false gods and in an alliance with Syria, instead of the LORD, who is the rock of their refuge, their Strength. David sought refuge in Him, and no other  —

Psalms 18:2  The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

What is your foundation? In whom do you trust? Is it the Lord? Do you claim to be His, and yet disobey Him? Listen to Jesus’ warning —

Matthew 7:24  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”

Ephraim suffers because they have rejected the LORD who planted them, and instead have planted vine slips of a strange god. The LORD speaks  —

Psalms 81:8 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me! ⁹ “Let there be no strange god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god.”

Isaiah sees a vision of Ephraim’s futile efforts as they plant emptiness and foolishness. With their own hands, they carefully fence in these foreign vine slips. Ephraim sees the blossoms that promise coming fruit. 

But the harvest will be a heap, mounded up and spoiled, in a day of sickness and incurable pain. He judges them, for they have refused to repent for their idolatry.  

What are you planting and tending? Beware! A gospel is being taught that is strange to the ears of Jesus Christ! And its harvest will become a heap!

Verses 12-14 —

Alas! Woe! Isaiah hears the uproar of many peoples! They roar like the roaring of the seas! Their armies are vast, comprised of Assyrians and soldiers from lands they have conquered. Assyria has conquered Assyria’s army are so great that they make a rumbling noise, like the rumbling of mighty waters!

Again, Isaiah hears them, like the rumbling of many waters! Anyone who hears them will be terror-stricken! They rumble on, unstoppable. But the LORD will rebuke them and they will flee far away. 

Assyria will get its due punishment at the hands of Babylon. They will be chased upon the mountains and will blow to and fro by the wind of Babylon’s army. They will no longer march in order, but will flee here and there, seeking safety. They will be chased, surrounded and blinded by the flying dust from Babylon’s many foot soldiers, horses, and chariots!

Isaiah sees that mighty Assyria is terror-stricken at evening. Before morning, they are no more. It will be just as when they attempted to breach Jerusalem’s wall. 

The LORD has used Assyria as His servant to discipline punish Ephraim, so His people might repent from their hearts. But those who plunder and pillage God’s people will meet ultimately meet a bitter end.

Chapter 18

 

Isaiah now sees Assyria’s invasion of Cush — Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Sudan. They also have defied the LORD. Woe to them! Their punishment is just as thorough as that of Assyria and Ephraim!

Verses 1-2 —

Alas! Woe! Pay attention, land of whirring wings (a reference to the abundance of flying insects there), which lies beyond the rivers of Cush. Historically, they were frequently ruled by Egypt. But now, Assyria was a threat to Cush, the land where the tall, handsome, clean-shaven Nubians dwell.

So, Isaiah sees Cush send swift envoys by boat to Judah, to seek an alliance with Judah (from The Expositor’s Bible Commentary). Their purpose is to gather as many nations as they can, to help them withstand the onslaught of Assyria. They travel up the Nile on lightweight craft that are able to move swiftly across the water.

The emissaries swiftly travel to Judah, Judah refuses the alliance, and Cush swiftly returns to their land. They are desperate, and in grave danger!

Cush had recently defeated Egypt, and were a people feared far and wide, a powerful and oppressive nation whose land the rivers divide. But the LORD did not fear Cush, nor did Judah. In those days, Judah was led by King Hezekiah, who was faithful to the LORD, and would not make an alliance with those who defied God.

Verses 3-4 —

Now, Isaiah speaks not only of Assyria’s fall, but of the end of things, when all the inhabitants of the world and dwellers on earth — that is, all who have defied the Lord and who have persecuted and slain believers — will fall. 

The whole known earth will see the demise of Assyria. And all mankind will see the demise of those who have defied the Lord.

At the end of things, martyred believers will cry out to the Lord from beneath the altar in heaven —

Revelation 6:10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 

Oh, Cush! O inhabitants of the earth who defy the LORD! O believer who has defied the LORD and refused to repent! 

Cush, you will see your end as soon as you see the standard raised by the Assyrian army on the mountains, and as soon as you hear the trumpet that sounds when the battle begins. 

At the end of things, those who defy the Lord will see the banner of the Righteous Judge, Jesus Christ, and will hear the battle cry of the armies of heaven —

Revelation 19:11   And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. ¹³ He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. ¹⁵ From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. ¹⁶ And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Thus the LORD has told Isaiah — the LORD will quietly look upon the destruction of those who have defied Him and refused to repent. He had judged them. Now, He watches his judgment unfold, from on high.

He dwells in unapproachable light (1Timothy 6:16)! His light is so bright that it is like dazzling heat, not only bright white and plainly seen, but hot. His light can be felt AND seen. But all those who defy Him have refused His light.

He is a like a cloud of dew that would have given them shelter from the heat of their spiritual desert, but they have refused to repent. So there will be no shelter for them, from His judgment.

Verses 5-6 —

Before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms and the flower becomes a ripening grape, the LORD will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives. The Vinedresser (John 15:1) will cut off Sennacherib, king of Assyria, before he can bear the fruit of further nations conquered. 

He will ruin Assyria’s harvest. He will also cut away the spreading vine of the Assyrian Empire. 

At the end of things, He will do the same to Satan, and to the earth dwellers who have defied Him and even to His own people who have defied Him and set the vine slips of strange gods in their hearts. They will be cut off forever, consigned to the lake of fire!

The Assyrians will be left for mountain birds of prey to eat. The beasts of the earth will devour their bodies. The slaughter will be so great that birds of prey will spend the summer devouring them. Even into harvest, the beasts and birds will continue to feast, just as at the end of things —

Revelation 19:17   And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God;  ¹⁸ in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” 

Verse 7 —

At that time, at the end of things, a gift of homage (honor) will be brought to Jerusalem. All the people who have defied the LORD will come and bow down to Jesus Christ, His Son, before they are judged and sentenced —

Philippians 2:9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So, what should be the response of the nations, and of all humankind? And what should be the response of believers who have rebelled against Him and willfully disobeyed Him?  

As David prophesies and warns —

Psalms 2:10  Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. ¹¹ Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling. ¹² Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

Amen, Lord Jesus! May many believers repent and ask You to change their hearts. And may many earth-dwellers turn from their wicked ways and take refuge in You, while it is still today!