Isaiah 10

The Remnant of Israel (10:20–34)

20–21 In that day—the day of deliverance from Assyria and Babylon—a remnant will return.⁶⁴ These survivors of the house of Jacob (Israel, both northern and southern kingdoms) would no longer rely on foreign alliances, such as Ahaz had made with the king of Assyria, the very one who struck them down (verse 20).

22–23 Though your people, o Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return (verse 22). God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore (Genesis 22:17). Here, at first glance, God seems to be canceling His promise to Abraham. But, in fact, the saving of a “remnant” was to be the very means of fulfilling that promise. The preservation of a remnant would ensure the survival of the Jewish people; and from that remnant would eventually come Jesus Christ, whose followers—Jew and Gentile alike—would indeed become as numerous as the “sand on the seashore.”

The Apostle Paul quotes verses 22–23 to show that this “remnant” is to become the true house of Israel—made up of those who believe in Christ (see Romans 9:27–28). He says that this remnant has been chosen by grace (Romans 11:5). Together with the Gentiles, this remnant of Israel will be incorporated into the family of God, the church of Christ.

Apart from this “remnant,” however, God has decreed the destruction of His people. He has done this because they have broken His covenant, forsaken His law, and worshiped other gods.

24–27 In the rest of this chapter, Isaiah speaks not of destruction but of deliverance coming soon for Judah. Just as God delivered Israel at the rock of Oreb (see Judges 7:25) and in EGYPT at the Red Sea (see Exodus 14:15–18,26–28), so will He deliver Judah from the Assyrians (verse 26). Judah will become fat (sturdy) and break the yoke of bondage (verse 27).

28–32 Here Isaiah, as in a vision, sees the Assyrian army approaching Jerusalem from the north. All the places Isaiah lists here are within fifteen kilometers of Jerusalem. As the Assyrians reach the city, they will shake their fist at the mount of the Daughter of Jerusalem (a personification of Jerusalem and its inhabitants), and in so doing they will “shake their fist” at Jerusalem’s God.

33–34 In these final verses, Isaiah describes the defeat of the invading Assyrians (Sennacherib’s army) as the “lopping off” of the boughs of great trees. Lebanon—a symbol of the great cedars of that country, and hence the symbol of a great army—will fall before the Mighty One, the God of Israel (verse 34). The details of Sennacherib’s defeat are recorded in 2 Kings 19:32–36.

Modern readers may justifiably ask what all these ancient wars have to do with them. How do these ancient prophecies apply to us today? The answer is this: Isaiah—and indeed the whole Old Testament—is showing us that God is the sovereign King over every nation. Evil nations and their evil leaders, though they prosper for a time, will eventually be destroyed. These words of Isaiah apply just as much to nations today as they did to the nations of Isaiah’s day.

Furthermore,those who claim to be God’s people but who turn from Him will also be judged. Isaiah’s words of judgment against Judah in these opening chapters are also words of warning to the church today. Have we also, like Judah of old, ceased to serve God with all our heart and soul? Have we also begun to love the world and to worship its idols?⁶⁵ (1 John 2:15–17; 5:21). This book of Isaiah, together with the entire Bible, is as vital today as it was when it was written.