Meditation No. 20

Meditation Title: Who do you rely on?

Isa 10:20 In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD , the Holy One of Israel.

There is no doubt about it, that parts of Scripture pertaining to the violence that God's chosen people encountered, is not comfortable reading. The back half of chapter 9 and the whole of chapter 10 are uncomfortable, especially to a modern mind in the comfortable West in the twenty first century. If we personally have not suffered war but only observed it through a TV screen, it is very easy to be judgmental about war and those who are involved in it, especially when God is involved. But let's take it face on!

The Lord has spoken against Israel in the north: “The Lord has sent a message against …. Israel ….who say with pride and arrogance of heart…” (9:8,9) He challenges their attitude first of all. What are they saying? “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” (9:10) In other words, it doesn't matter who comes against us, we (implied) are the people of God and we will bounce back! So the Lord had spurred on the Arameans and the Philistines to give Israel trouble (9:11,12) but this had had no effect: “But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the LORD Almighty,” (9:13), so the Lord will come again against them (9:14-17) but still wickedness burns like a fire (9:18) and so the Lord will further take off His hand of restraint and the people will burn with anger against one another (9:19-21). Whatever He seems to do the people will not return to the Lord.

Now we need to note something carefully here. We have just read of the Lord's hand coming against Israel again and again, but it would have taken time and it is a slow and gradual chastising of this people that is intended to bring them to their senses. This is not a hasty judgment but a slow process of discipline that gives them plenty of time to take note of what is going on. This is the Lord in His grace and mercy moving very slowly with this people to give them plenty of time to think about it, realise their plight and turn to Him. In others words they will have no excuses at the end of this process. You may not like the discipline of the Lord but it does give the people plenty of time to learn and to turn back. Indeed they are foolish of they don't.

But there is more in Israel that upsets the Lord. Those who make laws make unjust laws, oppressive laws (10:1) that are obviously not the Lord's laws. These laws deprive the poor of their rights and do down widows and orphans (10:2). This people should know better and so will be dealt with by the Lord (10:3) and it is really simply a case of the Lord applying justice into this situation.

Now there is also more in respect of the nation that the Lord is using to bring His discipline on Jerusalem , the Assyrians (10:5,6). The Lord had wanted then to simply strip the land and undermine the materialism of Judah , but Assyria were unrestrained and wanted to totally destroy Israel (10:6,7). King Ahaz of Judah had originally relied upon the king of Assyria to fight against Aram : “And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria . The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death.” (2 Kings 16:8,9) and then swept on down into Israel and took many of them away (1 Chron 5:26), and now they intend to destroy Judah as well. There is a pride in Assyria that thinks it can do what it likes (10:8-11,13,14) but they will find they will be answerable to the Lord (10:12 ,15-19).

In all of this the Lord's focus is on dealing with Jerusalem and Judah (10:12) but it is a very controlled form of discipline which, as we've already noted is not intended to destroy the whole nation. Oh no, there will be a righteous remnant but they will not rely upon Assyria as Ahaz had done, but will rely on the Lord as our verse today shows: “In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD , the Holy One of Israel.” (10:20).

Have we caught the picture of what has been going on? Ahaz in Judah heard of the rumours of Aram and Israel uniting against him and so instead of relying on the Lord and turning to Him, had turned to the might of Assyria but Assyria had turned on them as part of the Lord's discipline. This has all been about reliance. The Lord is trying to teach His people not to rely on political force but upon Him. When they refuse to heed Him eventually He sweeps away the unbelievers and the Chosen People are now left as a remnant that does believe and does rely on the Lord. If we rely on people we will only get deeper and deeper into a mess. The Lord is trying to teach us to rely upon Him. Will we learn the lesson?