Isa 10:12-16 | KingComments | STEP | The LORD already knows the proud thoughts of the king of Assyria, who will be as successful as it fits for the fulfillment of God’s plan. When Assyria has performed the work of the Lord ( Adonai ), He will deal with the king of Assyria ( ). The purpose of His work is for a remnant of His people to be converted to Him and for the wicked mass to be judged. The retributive judgment of the disciplinary rod comes not so much on the person of the king of Assyria, but on “the fruit of the arrogant heart … and the pomp of his haughtiness”. His arrogance drives him and the pomp of his haughtiness shows the total absence of the acknowledgment of God. We often see in the old testament prophecies that there is a direct pre-fulfillment in the days of the prophet, or shortly afterward, and a fulfillment in the end time, the final fulfillment. This is also the case here. Assyria will want to take Jerusalem, but will be judged by God when He has done His work through this enemy by using him as a disciplining rod for His people. The direct fulfillment we see in the days of Hezekiah ( ). The final fulfillment we see in the future in the advance and destruction of the king of the North ( ). This will take place when he and his armies return from Egypt ( ). The king of Assyria is full of himself. He speaks of “the power of my hand” and “my wisdom” as the means by which he has achieved his successes ( ). Strength and wisdom are indispensable for a ruler. The Messiah possesses these features as well ( ; ). He uses His power in wisdom. Someone who boasts of these qualities as something of himself and in whom power takes precedence over wisdom, is a foolish braggart and a ruthless dictator. He boasts that he has taken away the boundaries established by God between the nations ( ; cf. ) and plundered the nations with the greatest ease. He also feels and presents himself as God when he says that he “like a mighty man … brought down [their] inhabitants”. This is also evident from the words “I” and “my” of which are full (cf. ). It is the language also used by “the man of lawlessness” ( ), which is the antichrist. He continues to describe himself as the undisputed ruler against whom no one dares to resist. He accentuates his exaltation by making a comparison to someone who takes eggs from a bird’s nest ( ). The bird on the nest is chased away and has to watch helplessly as the hand takes the eggs from the nest. In this way Assyria has taken away the power of the nations and gathered the entire world. Nobody dared to resist or even protest against his actions. The LORD puts an end to all that bragging. He shows in the picture of “axe”, “saw”, “club” and “rod” that the king of Assyria is no more than a tool in His hand, doing what His outstretched hand wants ( ). Just as these tools do not have any say with him by whom they are handled, neither does the king of Assyria have any say with the LORD.

‏ Isaiah 10:12-16

The Arrogance of Assyria

The LORD already knows the proud thoughts of the king of Assyria, who will be as successful as it fits for the fulfillment of God’s plan. When Assyria has performed the work of the Lord (Adonai), He will deal with the king of Assyria (Isa 10:12). The purpose of His work is for a remnant of His people to be converted to Him and for the wicked mass to be judged. The retributive judgment of the disciplinary rod comes not so much on the person of the king of Assyria, but on “the fruit of the arrogant heart … and the pomp of his haughtiness”. His arrogance drives him and the pomp of his haughtiness shows the total absence of the acknowledgment of God.

We often see in the old testament prophecies that there is a direct pre-fulfillment in the days of the prophet, or shortly afterward, and a fulfillment in the end time, the final fulfillment. This is also the case here. Assyria will want to take Jerusalem, but will be judged by God when He has done His work through this enemy by using him as a disciplining rod for His people. The direct fulfillment we see in the days of Hezekiah (2Kgs 19:35-37). The final fulfillment we see in the future in the advance and destruction of the king of the North (Dan 11:45). This will take place when he and his armies return from Egypt (Dan 11:40-44).

The king of Assyria is full of himself. He speaks of “the power of my hand” and “my wisdom” as the means by which he has achieved his successes (Isa 10:13). Strength and wisdom are indispensable for a ruler. The Messiah possesses these features as well (Isa 11:2; 1Cor 1:24). He uses His power in wisdom. Someone who boasts of these qualities as something of himself and in whom power takes precedence over wisdom, is a foolish braggart and a ruthless dictator.

He boasts that he has taken away the boundaries established by God between the nations (Deu 32:8; cf. Job 24:2a) and plundered the nations with the greatest ease. He also feels and presents himself as God when he says that he “like a mighty man … brought down [their] inhabitants”. This is also evident from the words “I” and “my” of which Isa 10:13-14 are full (cf. Hab 1:11). It is the language also used by “the man of lawlessness” (2Thes 2:3-4), which is the antichrist.

He continues to describe himself as the undisputed ruler against whom no one dares to resist. He accentuates his exaltation by making a comparison to someone who takes eggs from a bird’s nest (Isa 10:14). The bird on the nest is chased away and has to watch helplessly as the hand takes the eggs from the nest. In this way Assyria has taken away the power of the nations and gathered the entire world. Nobody dared to resist or even protest against his actions.

The LORD puts an end to all that bragging. He shows in the picture of “axe”, “saw”, “club” and “rod” that the king of Assyria is no more than a tool in His hand, doing what His outstretched hand wants (Isa 10:15). Just as these tools do not have any say with him by whom they are handled, neither does the king of Assyria have any say with the LORD.

The LORD Judges Assyria

Because the king of Assyria has expressed and acted so arrogantly, “the Lord, the GOD [or: LORD] of hosts” (Isa 10:16) will punish his arrogance. Those who feast and look stout will suffer a wasting disease. Nothing remains of their fat. They will look lean and skimpy. The scorching glory of the appearance of the LORD which will burn his riches is aptly represented in His names “light of Israel” and “his Holy One”, which is the Holy One of Israel (Isa 10:17). On the other hand, Assyria will be nothing more than “thorns” and “briars” that are food for the fire of the LORD.

His armed force, “the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden”, will also be consumed by the LORD (Isa 10:18). Everything that lives will fade away just as someone who is sick fades away. Thus all the glory of Assyria will be destroyed. What is left of the army is so small that you don’t even have to count to ten, so to speak, to determine its number (Isa 10:19). This leftover makes no impression at all.

Historically Assyria has been destroyed by the Babylonians. Prophetically Assyria will be destroyed by the LORD Himself in a supernatural way, just like in the time of King Hezekiah. Later the Medes and Persians will become the ‘saw’ and the ‘axe’ for the Babylonians. It continues in this way until the moment comes when the Lord Jesus will establish His kingdom. That kingdom will not be destroyed and will not be succeeded by a next kingdom (Dan 2:44).