Isaiah 33:1-12
Isa 33:1
Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not
spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee!
when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou
shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with
thee.
Now the focus shifts back on Assyria who is called “thee
that spoilest” and had faced no opposition because of their earthly strength.
Assyria had dealt treacherously with all their conquered foes yet none of
them could retaliate or come against them because of the strength of the
Assyrian army. Here in the second
part of this verse is a promise that they will cease to spoil, that is, they
will come to an end as a major world power and as a result, all their enemies
will spoil them and do to them as they have done to those they conquered.
As they dealt treacherously with their enemies, so their conquering
enemies will be treacherous to them.
Treacherous means to deal deceitfully with people and as Assyria did that
to their conquered people probably promising them something while delivering
another, they will suffer the same deceit.
Isa 33:2
O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be
thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
Isaiah here interjects a prayer and plea to the LORD.
Even though there was so much false religion in Judah yet there was a
godly remnant which existed among them and they were petitioning the LORD to
save them and to be their arm every morning.
The arm represents the power of God.
They sought the LORD for their protection from the advancing Assyrian
army because they knew that God could easily defeat them and spare Judah and
Jerusalem from being conquered and taken captive.
Isa 33:3
At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the
lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
An advancing army on foot and by cavalry and chariots
would make a tremendous noise which would plant fear in the hearts of those the
army was advancing on. This may
also be referring to the avenging angel which the LORD sent to destroy the
Assyrian army by killing 185,000 of their advancing troops.
The nations would also refer to those who fought with Assyria and when
they saw so many had died under the judgment of God, they fled and left the
scene very quickly.
Isa 33:4
And your spoil shall be gathered like the
gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run
upon them.
Then once Assyria has been defeated, just like they
spoiled their enemies, they will be spoiled in totality.
The symbols of the caterpillar and the locusts means they will be
completely vanquished and all their spoils taken just like when the locust and
caterpillars come they eat everything off the land until they strip it bare.
There will be
nothing left of Assyria and they will no longer be threat
to anyone.
Isa 33:5
The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath
filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.
The LORD’s victory over Assyria will exalt him to a
position higher than ever because the people will see that he is the one who has
absolute power to completely destroy the enemy.
The LORD will fill Zion or Jerusalem with judgment and righteousness.
His judgment will be in total truth and impartiality and his
righteousness will be seen throughout the land.
The people will return to the LORD because he will fill them with his
word and his spirit, those who have become truly saved and follow the LORD.
Isa 33:6
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy
times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his
treasure.
As we read in verse 2, the people waited for the LORD and
his salvation. Here is the promise
of God that they will be filled with knowledge and wisdom and this will be
accomplished through the coming Messiah but at the present God promises these
things to the people of God in Jerusalem through the reign of Hezekiah who was a
godly king. The people will be
guaranteed stability because it is the LORD who brings them stability through
his rule and wisdom which he will impart to his people, those who follow him and
rebuke any false gods.
The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of knowledge:
but fools despise wisdom and
instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) The
fear of the LORD will bring knowledge as they once again serve the LORD in truth
and deference. Just as earthly
riches could change a person, the fear of the LORD will change a person and that
would be the treasure that God imparts to his people.
As long as they live in fear of the LORD, there will be peace and
stability in the land.
Isa 33:7
Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the
ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
Now Isaiah returns to the time at hand when the Assyrians
are approaching Judah and beginning to ravish the cities of Judah.
The warriors who were supposed to be the mightiest men of Judah were now
crying out or proclaiming the fact that the Assyrian army was approaching and
that they were facing impending doom.
The warriors of Judah knew they could not stand up to them and prevail.
Hezekiah had sent ambassadors to Assyria to try and forge a peace deal
but Assyria would not accept their petition of peace instead the ambassadors had
failed and they were openly weeping knowing that Assyria had only one intention
and that was to conquer Judah.
Isa 33:8
The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he
hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.
The highways have become desolate because no one could
attend the solemn feasts because of the approaching enemy.
No one dear venture out to do business or even to travel to a different
place for leisure. Sennacherib had
broken the covenant with Hezekiah and put him to tribute causing him to empty
out the treasury and give it to Assyria.
Sennacherib had no regard for any of the cities of Judah that he was
attacking and neither did he regard any man whether they be commoner or noble.
He did not have compassion on any of the people.
Isa 33:9
The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is
ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel
shake off their fruits.
The earth is now mourning and languisheth which means to
become sick or feeble. The land
here is the land of Judah and the surrounding areas which have been attacked and
leveled by Assyria. Lebanon which
has grown the great cedars which was bought by many Jews in Judah are no longer
being purchased because Assyria has taken them all down and destroyed them.
The fertile plain of Sharon has now become a wilderness because Assyria
would have attacked the agricultural industry making the acquisition of food
much harder for the conquered. The
garden lands of Bashan and Carmel have shaken off their fruits, that is, they
are also destroyed by Assyria.
Isa 33:10
Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted;
now will I lift up myself.
When God’s plan for this time has been fulfilled and the
time has now come for the LORD to exact vengeance upon Assyria.
All the people of the land including Assyria will know that the true God
is now coming against them and all their false gods will be able to do nothing
to stop him. He will be exalted
over the Assyrians and their false gods as the true God of Israel stops their
advance cold once he begins to enact this part of his plan.
Isa 33:11
Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble:
your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
Assyria conceived all kinds of plans for the conquest of
Judah but since those plans were against the God of Israel, it was like they
were conceiving chaff or dry grass and when they tried to enact those plans, it
was like bringing forth stubble which means they would be weak and vain and
would not work out as they planned.
Their breath which would be their arrogance and pride would destroy them as fire
would consume dry grass or stubble, it would be a total consumption.
Isa 33:12
And the people shall be as the burnings of lime:
as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.