Isaías 10

1 ¡Qué aflicción les espera a los jueces injustos
y a los que emiten leyes injustas!

2 Privan a los pobres de la justicia
y les niegan sus derechos a los necesitados de mi pueblo.
Explotan a las viudas
y se aprovechan de los huérfanos.

3 ¿Qué harán cuando yo los castigue,
cuando envíe el desastre sobre ustedes desde una tierra lejana?
¿A quién acudirán en busca de ayuda?
¿Dónde estarán seguros sus tesoros?

4 Irán tropezando como prisioneros
o quedarán tendidos entre los muertos.
Pero aun así no quedará satisfecho el enojo del Señor
;
su puño sigue preparado para dar el golpe.

5 Juicio contra Asiria
«Qué aflicción le espera a Asiria, la vara de mi ira.
Yo la empleo como garrote para expresar mi enojo.

6 Envío a Asiria contra una nación pagana;
contra un pueblo con el cual estoy enojado.
Asiria los saqueará,
y los pisoteará como a polvo debajo de sus pies.

7 Pero el rey de Asiria no comprenderá que es mi instrumento;
su mente no funciona de esa forma.
Su plan solo consiste en destruir;
en aplastar a las naciones, una tras otra.

8 Dirá:
“Pronto cada uno de mis príncipes será un rey.

9 Hemos destruido a Calno como hicimos antes con Carquemis.
Hamat cayó ante nosotros como antes había caído Arfad,
y destruimos a Samaria como lo hicimos con Damasco.

10 Sí, hemos acabado con muchos reinos
cuyos dioses eran más grandes que los de Jerusalén y de Samaria.

11 Por eso derrotaremos a Jerusalén y a sus dioses,
tal como destruimos a Samaria con sus dioses”».

12 Después de que el Señor
haya utilizado al rey de Asiria para llevar a cabo sus propósitos en el monte Sión y en Jerusalén, se volverá contra el rey de Asiria y lo castigará, porque es soberbio y arrogante.

13 Se jacta diciendo:
«Esto lo hice con el poder de mi brazo;
lo planifiqué con mi astuta sabiduría.
Derribé las defensas de las naciones
y me llevé sus tesoros.
Como un toro, he derribado a sus reyes.

14 Les robé las riquezas a sus nidos
y me he adueñado de reinos como un campesino recoge huevos.
Nadie puede siquiera batir un ala en mi contra.
Nadie puede decir ni pío en protesta».

15 Ahora bien, ¿puede jactarse el hacha de tener un poder mayor que la persona que la usa?
¿Es la sierra mayor que la persona que corta?
¿Puede golpear una vara a menos que la mueva una mano?
¿Puede caminar solo un bastón de madera?

16 Por lo tanto, el Señor, el Señor
de los Ejércitos Celestiales,
enviará una plaga entre las orgullosas tropas de Asiria,
y un fuego ardiente consumirá su gloria.

17 El Señor
, la Luz de Israel, será un fuego;
el Santo será una llama.
Devorará con fuego los espinos y las zarzas,
y en una sola noche quemará al enemigo por completo.

18 El Señor
consumirá la gloria de Asiria
igual que un incendio consume un bosque en tierra fértil,
o una plaga a los enfermos.

19 De ese glorioso bosque, solo sobrevivirán unos cuantos árboles;
tan pocos, que un niño podrá contarlos.

20 Esperanza para el pueblo del Señor
En ese día, el remanente que quedará en Israel,
los sobrevivientes de la casa de Jacob,
ya no seguirán confiando en aliados
que buscan destruirlos.
En cambio, confiarán fielmente en el Señor
,
el Santo de Israel.

21 Un remanente regresará;
sí, el remanente de Jacob regresará al Dios Poderoso.

22 Pero aunque los hijos de Israel son tan numerosos
como la arena a la orilla del mar,
solo un remanente regresará.
El Señor
, con razón, ha decidido destruir a su pueblo.

23 Sí, el Señor, el Señor
de los Ejércitos Celestiales,
ya ha decidido destruir toda la tierra.

24 Así que esto dice el Señor, el Señor
de los Ejércitos Celestiales: «Oh, mi pueblo de Sión, no temas a los asirios cuando te opriman con vara y con garrote como lo hicieron los egipcios hace mucho tiempo.

25 Dentro de poco se acabará mi enojo contra ustedes, y después mi ira se levantará para destruirlos a ellos».

26 El Señor
de los Ejércitos Celestiales los azotará con su látigo, como hizo cuando Gedeón venció a los madianitas en la roca de Oreb, o cuando se levantó la vara del Señor
para ahogar al ejército egipcio en el mar.

27 En ese día, el Señor
acabará con la servidumbre de su pueblo;
romperá el yugo de la esclavitud
y se lo quitará de los hombros.

28 Miren, los asirios están ahora en Ajat.
Están atravesando Migrón
y almacenando su equipo en Micmas.

29 Están cruzando el paso de montaña
y acampando en Geba.
El poblado de Ramá queda paralizado de temor
y toda la gente de Guibeá, el pueblo de Saúl,
corre para salvar su vida.

30 Griten de terror,
gente de Galim.
Grítenle una advertencia a Lais.
¡Pobre Anatot!

31 Allá va la gente de Madmena, todos huyen;
los ciudadanos de Gebim tratan de esconderse.

32 El enemigo se detiene en Nob por el resto del día;
amenaza con el puño al hermoso monte de Sión, el monte de Jerusalén.

33 ¡Pero miren! El Señor, el Señor
de los Ejércitos Celestiales,
con gran fuerza cortará al poderoso árbol de Asiria.
Echará abajo a los soberbios;
ese árbol altanero será talado.

34 Cortará con un hacha los árboles de los bosques;
el Líbano caerá ante el Poderoso.

Isaías 10 Commentary

Chapter 10

Woes against proud oppressors. (1-4) The Assyrian but an instrument in the hand of God for the punishment of his people. (5-19) The deliverance from him. (20-34)

Verses 1-4 These verses are to be joined with the foregoing chapter. Woe to the superior powers that devise and decree unrighteous decrees! And woe to the inferior officers that draw them up, and enter them on record! But what will sinners do? Whither will they flee?

Verses 5-19 See what a change sin made. The king of Assyria, in his pride, thought to act by his own will. The tyrants of the world are tools of Providence. God designs to correct his people for their hypocrisy, and bring them nearer to him; but is that Sennacherib's design? No; he designs to gratify his own covetousness and ambition. The Assyrian boasts what great things he has done to other nations, by his own policy and power. He knows not that it is God who makes him what he is, and puts the staff into his hand. He had done all this with ease; none moved the wing, or cried as birds do when their nests are rifled. Because he conquered Samaria, he thinks Jerusalem would fall of course. It was lamentable that Jerusalem should have set up graven images, and we cannot wonder that she was excelled in them by the heathen. But is it not equally foolish for Christians to emulate the people of the world in vanities, instead of keeping to things which are their special honour? For a tool to boast, or to strive against him that formed it, would not be more out of the way, than for Sennacherib to vaunt himself against Jehovah. When God brings his people into trouble, it is to bring sin to their remembrance, and humble them, and to awaken them to a sense of their duty; this must be the fruit, even the taking away of sin. When these points are gained by the affliction, it shall be removed in mercy. This attempt upon Zion and Jerusalem should come to nothing. God will be as a fire to consume the workers of iniquity, both soul and body. The desolation should be as when a standard-bearer fainteth, and those who follow are put to confusion. Who is able to stand before this great and holy Lord God?

Verses 20-34 By our afflictions we may learn not to make creatures our confidence. Those only can with comfort stay upon God, who return to him in truth, not in pretence and profession only. God will justly bring this wasting away on a provoking people, but will graciously set bounds to it. It is against the mind and will of God, that his people, whatever happens, should give way to fear. God's anger against his people is but for a moment; and when that is turned from us, we need not fear the fury of man. The rod with which he corrected his people, shall not only be laid aside, but thrown into the fire. To encourage God's people, the prophet puts them in mind of what God had formerly done against the enemies of his church. God's people shall be delivered from the Assyrians. Some think it looks to the deliverance of the Jews out of their captivity; and further yet, to the redemption of believers from the tyranny of sin and Satan. And this, "because of the anointing;" for his people Israel's sake, the believers among them that had received the unction of Divine grace. And for the sake of the Messiah, the Anointed of God. Here is, ver. ( 28-34 ) , a prophetical description of Sennacherib's march towards Jerusalem, when he threatened to destroy that city. Then the Lord, in whom Hezekiah trusted, cut down his army like the hewing of a forest. Let us apply what is here written, to like matters in other ages of the church of Christ. Because of the anointing of our great Redeemer, the yoke of every antichrist must be broken from off his church: and if our souls partake of the unction of the Holy Spirit, complete and eternal deliverances will be secured to us.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 10

This chapter contains denunciations of punishment, first on the governors of the Jewish nation, and then upon the Assyrians; a woe is denounced on the makers and imposers of bad laws, whereby the poor and the needy, the widows and the fatherless, were deprived of their right, Isa 10:1,2 which woe or punishment is explained to be a desolation of their country by the Assyrians, that should come afar off, and which they could not escape; under whom they should bow and fall; and yet there should not be an end of their punishment, Isa 10:3,4 next follows a prophecy of the destruction of the Assyrians themselves, for the comfort of God's people; in which is observed, that the Assyrian monarch was an instrument in the hand of the Lord to chastise his people, and therefore is called the rod and staff of his wrath and indignation, Isa 10:5 the people are described against whom he was sent, and the end for which is mentioned, Isa 10:6 though this was not his intention, nor did he design to stop here, but to destroy and cut off many other nations, Isa 10:7 which he hoped to do from the magnificence of his princes, who were as kings, and from the conquests he had made of kingdoms, and their chief cities, Isa 10:8-11 wherefore, when the Lord had done what he designed to do by him among his people the Jews, he was determined to punish him, because of the pride of his heart, and the haughtiness of his looks, and his boasting of his strength and wisdom, and of his robberies and plunders, without opposition; which boasting was as foolish as if an axe, a saw, a rod, and a staff, should boast, magnify, move, and lift up themselves against the person that made use of them, Isa 10:12-15 which punishment is said to come from the Lord, and is expressed by leanness, and by a consuming and devouring fire; for which reason his army is compared to thorns and briers, to a forest, and a fruitful field, which should be destroyed at once; so that what of the trees remained should be so few as to be numbered by a child, Isa 10:16-19 and, for the further consolation of the people of God, it is observed, that in the times following the destruction of the Assyrian monarchy, a remnant of the people of Israel should be converted, and no more lean upon an arm of flesh, but upon the Lord Christ, the Holy One of Israel; even a remnant only; for though that people were very numerous, yet a remnant, according to the election of grace, should be saved, when it was the determinate counsel of God, and according to his righteous judgment, to destroy the far greater part of them, for their perverseness and obstinacy, Isa 10:20-23 wherefore the people of God are exhorted not to be afraid of the Assyrian, though chastised by him; since in a little time the anger of the Lord would cease in his destruction, which should be after the manner of the Egyptians at the Red sea, and as the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; whereby they would be free from his burden and yoke, because of the anointed King that should reign, or the King Messiah, Isa 10:24-27 and then follows a description of the expedition of the king of Assyria into Judea, by making mention of the several places through which he should pass with terror to the inhabitants, until he should come to Jerusalem, against which he should shake his hand, Isa 10:28-32 and then, under the similes of lopping a bough, and cutting down the thickets of a forest, and the trees of Lebanon, is predicted the destruction of his army and its generals by an angel, Isa 10:33,34.