Sunday, July 14, 2024

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES HIS PEOPLE BUT DEFENDS THE REMNANTS

Continuing with excavation of the book of Isaiah chapter 10, we now look at verse 11 which reads as follows;

shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’”

Here, the king of Assyria characterizes Jerusalem as having images (idols) and believed he could militarily  deal with Jerusalem as he dealt with Samaria and her idols.

He reasoned that other kingdoms that he had previously conquered were more skillful people who had designed and produced more impressive and fearsome idols than what Samaria and Jerusalem were able to produce. 

Verse 10 put it this way,

As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—

The way that these other kingdom's idols had excelled was that they had gained a strong hold over those who were under their jurisdiction and had dominated their territories in physical and spiritual terms.

And because of the programs that these kingdoms had committed themselves related to the obeissance towards their idols, their sway had exceeded that of Samaria and Jerusalem who had themselves diluted their own spiritual heritage of interactions with the living God of their forefathers and adopted idols.

The infidelity of Samaria and Jerusalem had brought them into the arena of judgement of their God and it was while they languished in this state that the king of Assyria surveyed them and plotted an opportunistic move against them.

Verse 12 tells us that this power grab by the Assyrian was a mistake;

 When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.

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