Isaiah 10-12

Introduction

Always run out of time, so let’s start before the bell rings. First of all, uh, you as you call certainly noticed, I put on the board here. I think some important scriptures of these first few chapters we’ve already studied, and that is, of course, some of the prophecies. Uh the last uh from chapter six on through nine have been quoted in the New Testament. The others I think are fulfilled in references of the New Testament. But if we were to talk about Isaiah, he’s sometimes called the Messianic prophet, the prophet of the Messiah. And obviously the reason is because he’s quoted so often and referred to in the New Testament. I think some 60 different quotations from Isaiah are found. And that’s quite a few for any prophecy to be found in the New Testament.

And yet he did not, that was not his main or only mission. His first and primary mission, like most prophets, was to speak to the people of his day. And what was his message to the people of his day, basically? Repent. Repent. Because what was the condition of Judah at that time? Right. They were rotten from the sole of the feet to the crown of the head, right? And in fact, uh of the kings, the four kings that are listed uh in in the time that uh he prophesied, uh Ziah, Job, Ahaz, Hezekiah, really is only one of them that was the worst, and up to this point in our chapters, we’ve been mostly talking about the period of Ahaz is rain. And uh who was the uh who was the enemy at that period of time that looked like or at least was trying to come in and overtake Judah and particularly Jerusalem.

Who was the major enemy? Assyria. Assyria. And yet Ahaz wanted to turn to Assyria for help, didn’t he? Because what other powers were trying to come against uh uh Judah at that time or Jerusalem. Ephraim and Assyria. Ephraim, which stood for the northern ten tribes, or Israel. And of course, there was Syria. They had been enemies of each other, but they became common friends, of course, at the time that they feared Assyria. And they wanted Judah to join together with them. And I put down on the front of your workbook is trust in the Holy One of Israel. Because Ahaz stands as a real representation of one who did not trust in the Holy One of Israel. And for that reason, what was the promise of God basically toward him?

Will Assyria be your friend? In effect, no. You you know he paid tribute, but Assyria will shave you like he does the other two nations as well. So basically, Ahaz was a failure later when we get to Hezekiah. Hezekiah, against all odds, trusted in the Holy One of Israel, and Jerusalem was spared. And we’ll get to chapters 36 and 37, particularly, maybe 37. I forget which one too, but right in there. Great story. But as we go through this period of time, understanding that background is, I think, quite important to understand some of these prophecies and how they come out. What was said of them and how they did predict indeed the coming of the Lord. In our chapter tonight, uh, our lesson in the book is from lesson number six, page 33, Isaiah chapters 10, 11, and 12.

Now, I think it’s important when you see that in this chapter 10, he particularly addresses Assyria. How has God used Assyria? Has God been in charge of Assyria? Or has Assyria been in charge of itself? God has been in charge of the children. God’s been in charge. He calls it the rod of mine anger. God used Assyria. Now Syria didn’t know that, didn’t think so. But actually, the chapter begins with the first four verses, which in some ways probably should have been tacked on to chapter 9, because it’s the fourth of a series of really four different articles. Chapter 9, verses 9 through 12, verses 13 through 17, and then 18 through 21, three different ones. And then this chapter uh first four verses of chapter 10.

1. His Hand Is Stretched Out Still

The thing I really want to point out, each of these, of course, are uh accusations against, and God’s uh God’s wrath is stirred up. In fact, uh in this one of chapter 10, what had happened is that there were unrighteous judges and unrighteous lawyers who out of their own greed took advantage of the poor. You had enough money, you could probably get the verdict you wanted. But if you were poor, you’re gonna lose every time. And does that sound like today sometimes? It’s remarkable how many times when we read through the prophets, any one of them, you say, Well, boy, that’s like people today. Although we’re not a theocratic nation like Israel was, yet there are many of the same kind of circumstances that tempted people then, tempt people today.

But what I want to point out is look at verse four, the last phrase of it. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. Look at verse 12 of chapter 9. The last two phrases are parts of it, same wording. And in verse 17, the last thing of there, chapter 9, for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. And then the very last verse of chapter 9 and the very last part of it again. So four times that’s repeated. What do you think it means? His hand is stretched out still.

Well, there’s more to come. His anger is not turned away. Your sin is such that this may not be all there is. Yes, God has spoken against you. But this may not be all that you will suffer, in fact. There’s more yet to come. And three questions in chapter 10, verses 3 and 4, I think are pretty sobering. Verse 3, what will you do in the day of punishment and in the desolations which will come from afar? What are you going to do? You think you’re pretty self-sufficient now, and nothing will happen to you. Then to whom will you flee for help? You’ve turned against the Lord, so pretty hard question to answer. Who are you going to look to for help? And then third, where will you leave your glory?

2. Woe to Assyria, the Rod of My Anger

You know, they glory now in their position of ruler as a judge or whatever. Maybe they were even part of the wealthy crowd. And like some people today, sometimes as material wealth is theirs, they sort of become like they’re going to live on forevermore. That the, you know, they have succeeded in life, and this is everything. Well, when when you fall, where is your glory going to be? What’s going to happen then? And what do you glory? And in fact, when death comes, what do you glory if you’re not prepared for death? But then in beginning in verse 5, woe to Assyria. The rod of my anger, and the staff in whose hand is my indignation. That’s a powerful verse. As you look, as men count history, or look at history, how many people, how many history books have you ever read that kind of gave God the credit for being the one that led these kingdoms?

Not any. But and even in our own day, uh, you know, we say, well, you know, America’s been strong for how many years we’ve conquered, and certainly let’s just go back to World War II. There are few of us in this audience can remember those days. But uh the fact is we’ve been a powerful nation ever since, haven’t we? But how many times do we give God the credit for being our God and our leader and the support of our strength? We won that war because we had some intelligent generals. Isn’t that right? Eisenhower, MacArthur, that’s how we won that war. We had good scientists back here that they developed the atomic bomb. That’s how we won that war. How many really stop and give credit that God is the one whose guiding hand?

And I’ll say, if that if that makes any kind of sense, surely you can stop and see how in Isaiah’s day, he may be even all the more. They trusted in the wisdom of man and the power and thoughts of man. But certainly even Assyria, in its arrogance, like a bully, Assyria had come and conquered many nations. In fact, the history records it is a very brutal, uh, fierce kind of uh kingdom that really had no mercy when they conquered, how they treated people that they conquered. But he says in verse 6, God would say, I will send him against an ungodly nation, against the people of my wrath. I will give him charge to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

How would God let Assyria do like that if Assyria is so wicked? I believe your thought question dealt with something like that, didn’t it? And I asked you in your thought question, how could God be righteous in using Assyria, a more weakened nation than Israel, to destroy Israel, God’s own people? How could that be happening? I mean I would feel all the more humbled because of that. But you know, what other prophet uh kind of reason with God this way later in the history? Oh how could Babylon, the Chaldeans, they’re a weakened nation, how could God use them against us? Do you remember what the prophet said that? Jeremiah. Habakkuk. And it was kind of like, Lord, at least we, you know, they have idols and they they worship.

They don’t know you at all. How are you letting them come and you don’t really mean that, do you, Lord? It’s kind of we put it in their own words. And I think even here, you might say, well, so I ask you in your thought, does that sound like a righteous God? You know, we may not be perfect, but we’re not Israel. We’re not a nation filled with uh a false prophet like the Muslims. We’re not a nation that uh maybe like Russia that was even uh for the most part atheistic in its leadership. Lord, how could you even think about us being taken over? And if you live back 27, 2800 years ago, you’d say, Well, Lord, look at the Assyrians. They surely don’t give you any credit.

How could you be righteous in letting them defeat at least Israel were the people of your uh heritage you raise them up so your answer are Jenny well that I mean was it chapter seven I can’t remember he compared his people to a vineyard that he had cared for and they had done without nothing that’s right and they turned back on what more could I have done he said in that you know what and yet I’ve given you the very best of vineyard places to grow a grapevine but instead you raise wild grapes. So the anybody have an answer basically or John I’ll give a shot all right good it is and I think you I think that you explain this pretty well in the material in the workbook it’s the father discipline the child Israel being the child and uh that is basically what’s going on because he’s treating Israel as his true child he raised the the real and and that’s a good answer I think uh the fact is that this isn’t the end of the story is it because yes I’ll use them now against the people who had every opportunity to know me and serve me and chose not to.

They hated my word they turned against me so I’m using another power to so to speak spank them but the time will come I’ll take care of Assyria they won’t continue they have all too and they kind of use the same kind of reasoning about the Babylonians later in the history when Jerusalem was taken and destroyed Kathy. Can’t he? Um, along those same lines, it’s punishment, but it’s discipline. That’s word. Uh-huh. You know, there’s there’s a difference between the two, and the punishment I have on here, he had promised through the prophets of of, you know, keep my commands and I will bless you. Disobey, you know, and do not keep my glands and these uh commands, these will be curses on you. He’s promised, he’s warned through the prophets, he’s he was patient, and then he is just in carrying out his promises in the punishment that he saw fit.

And so the punishment came, but the remnant of people who who learned and who um came out of this punishment, they were disciplined in that you know, they learned not to turn to those idols and to trust more in the Lord. That was the very purpose for it. And of course, he does speak in this context. How many did come out of that? You know, did learn from what’s the word the remnant? So there was a remnant spared in why you would say, and as you said, God very clearly set forth. I mean, you go back to Deuteronomy 28, 29, is curses and his blessings. What if? If you do this, here’s what’ll happen. If you don’t, here’s what’ll happen. Well, I want you to read through then what does what does Assyria say about itself, verse 8?

Or he says, are not my princes altogether kings? Is not Carnot like Carchamis? Is not Haman like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images excel those of Jerusalem and Samaria. As I’ve done to Samaria and her idols, shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols? And in fact, he was saying, you know, here are these other other places. Kalno was uh from Syria, Cargamesh from Hittite, but he took a boat. Arpad was Syria. Uh Hamath really belonged to Judah at one time, then to Israel. What happened is Assyria had captured both. In fact, Assyria captured Samaria and Damascus. Point from their own arrogance. Look at what I’ve done. In fact, if I’ve conquered all these, and their idols, their gods excelled, were greater than the gods of Jerusalem.

And if I took these others, look how easy it’ll be for me to take Jerusalem. That’s kind of a boast. But that’s kind of what he said. As I’ve done to Samaria, I’ll live at Jerusalem. Therefore, verse 12, it shall come to pass when the Lord has performed all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that he will say, I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his haughty looks. God will take care of it. For he says, What does Assyria say of himself? By the strength of my hand I’ve done it. And by my wisdom, for I am prudent. Also I have removed the boundaries of the people that have robbed their treasures. So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.

My hand is found like a nest, the riches of the people. And as one gathers eggs that are left, I’ve gathered all year. In other words, it’s like robbing a bird’s nest of its eggs. That’s what I’ve done. Well, what’s going to stop me? You see, the arrogance in that attitude is what he’s this is the way Assyria thought of itself. But in verse 15, a pretty good comeback to that, and the foolishness of this boast is compared to that of a lifeless axe. So an axe is a deadly weapon, but lying there by itself it’s not, is it? So he says in verse 15, shall the axe boast itself against him who chops with it? Shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?

As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, or as if a staff could lift up as if it were not wood. Four different things, you know. They’re inanimate objects. They’re all useful, but only when someone else is really using them. And so he could say, Assyria has been used by God, like the rod of mine anger. They don’t know so, they don’t think so. But from God’s perspective, that is what has occurred. So in verses 15 through 19, the foolishness, you might say, of this boast, being compared to these inanimate objects, what will the Lord do? He’s going to send a fire among them. In verse uh verse 17, so the light of Israel will be for a fire, his holy one for a flame.

It will burn and devour his storms and his briars in one day. It’ll consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. And they will be as when a sick man wastes away. Then the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few in number that a child may wipe them. The trees of the forest, I think, is another way of talking about the cities that he’s conquered and have power over. When God finishes, there’ll be so few, in other words, Assyria will be brought down so low that even a little child can count how many there are. At the time this is written, Assyria probably had so many a child couldn’t count them, but let the Lord get finished with them.

3. There’s Hope for the Remnant

And it’ll be so few that even a child may count them. But there’s hope. Verse 20. There’s hope for the remnant of Israel. Now he’s been talking about all Assyria up to this point. But then in verse 20, he says, It shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the Lord. We won’t have to look to Assyria, but now we’ll look unto the Lord and the Holy One of Israel. In truth.

For the Lord God of hosts will make a determined end in the midst of all the land. In this, he’s what is he saying? You remember what the first son that uh that uh Isaiah had through his wife, what his name was? Yeah, Shearjeshu, which meant the remnant shall return. And so Isaiah even here is making an application of it that indeed there will be a remnant. Why don’t you keep your finger there? But look at Romans chapter 9, verses 27 and 8, and Romans 11, verse 5. We’ll refer back to these later, so I want to get them in your head right now. Romans 9, verses 27 and 28. In a text where he is defending the fact that God hasn’t forgotten his people, Israel.

Romans 9 27, Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel. And here’s the quotation.

The remnant will be saved. For he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth. That’s a quotation from the passage we just read in Isaiah, chapter 10, 22 and 3. Now in chapter 11 and verse 5, continuing really in Romans, where he’s discussing how that this the fulfillment of what Isaiah prophesied was in the spiritual family of God. And how that indeed God hadn’t forsaken his people. Paul was an Israelite himself, he said. He hadn’t cast away his people. But as in verse 4 of Romans 11, I reserve for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Even so then at this present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

So he makes an application spiritually of the church.

But certainly in a spiritual way, the remnant became God’s people in chapter 10, I want you to the gospel of Christ. So keep that in mind.

Isaiah 10, 24. Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts, O my people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you in the manner of Egypt. For yet a very little while, and the indignation will cease, as will my anger in their destruction. The Lord of hosts will stir a scourge for him, like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Horeb. Or as his rod was on the sea, so will he lift it up in the manner of Egypt? Anybody make sense of what that’s talking about? The Lord of hosts will stir a scourge like the slaughter of Midian. John, what is the slaughter of Egypt? To me, he’s talking about what happens in the day of Hezekiah and 185,000 slain, and it ties into verse 16, I think.

Alright, ultimately that is true. That he was, I think some of this was even forecasting what happened in uh in uh uh uh 705 when he came against Jerusalem. But what was the Midian, the slaughter of Midian? Um Midian was with Gideon and the defeat of the Midianites by 300 that Gideon was. Judges chapter 7, Gideon and have that with us. How many are fearful, go home as too many yet, and there were 300 left, and what weapon did they have? A horn. They had a horn, and uh vase, and then a torch. Quite a weapon, didn’t it? But they defeated the Midianites who were in number like grasshoppers, the Bible says. So that’s pretty, you know, what a comparison to remind. And then whenever the Egyptians were chasing the Israelites when they left Egyptian captivity.

What happened when it says uh as his rod was on the sea? Moses lifted up the rod, and people won’t cross on dry land. So again, what he’s, I think he’s relating back even to a couple of Old Testament stories where God’s people were certainly victorious by the hand of God, not just by their own military might and wisdom. So what will happen is, uh, as in verse 27, back in chapter 10, it shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, his yoke from your neck. The yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. The next few verses probably describe Assyria as if it were presently approaching. He’s come to Ai. He’s past Megron at Mi’mash.

4. A Rod From the Stem of Jesse

He’s attended to the and so forth. It’s as though Assyria is now ready to come. And I said while ago, 705, 701 BC is when he came against Jerusalem. But it’s as though, you know, what’s going to happen? He’s moving through, he’s about to come, he’s on the way. But in verses 33 and 4, behold the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will lop off the bow of terrah. Those of high stature will be hewn down, the haughty will be humble, he will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the mighty one. God is still in charge. Now we’ll move on into chapter 11. I’ll probably spend more time there too because chapter 11. It indeed is one of the exalted portraits of the Lord, one of the most exalted, I think, in the Bible.

Chapter 11 says, There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse. A branch shall grow out of its roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. What could be the stem of Jesse? Who is Jesse? Father David. Alright, the Father of David. And as he describes here, a branch shall go out of his roots. Jeremiah 23 and verse 5 even forecasts much the same point that here was the branch. As David being, of course, the great king of Israel that ruled in Jerusalem and in 1 Samuel. The scripture, of course, announced that his kingdom would be established forever. His descendants would reign on that throne forever.

So that it was predicted that Jesus would be of the lineage of David. He was, of course, of Abraham, but specifically through the tribe of Judah, through the tribe through the lineage of David himself. And so there’s six characteristics that are scriptive in these in these particular verse two. When the spirit of the Lord is upon him, the scripture says, wisdom and understanding be his. That ability to render righteous decisions in all situations. Counsel and might. And without the ability to administrate and render righteous decisions all the time.

Knowledge and the fear of the Lord was upon him. His reverence for God the Father Himself gave him divine knowledge and power. In fact, shortly before his death in John 17 and verse 4, he says, I have come, I have fulfilled all the purpose that you gave me to do. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and what he did on earth fulfilled the mission that he came for. Now let me say that in a forceful way because the next few verses we’re going to read are often used by those who hold to the doctrine we call premillennialism. Big word, but it’s a popular doctrine in the religious world today. Pre, meaning before, millennial thousand years. Meaning that the argument goes, we’re living in a period of time before the Lord’s going to come back to the earth, and he’s going to set up his throne in Jerusalem, and he’s going to sit there and reign for a thousand years, literal thousand years.

5. The Wolf Shall Dwell With the Lamb

And you hear, first of all, there’ll be the rapture, and then it’ll be a seven-year period of tribulation, and then that rain. But they’ll take passages like this and say, Well, you know, what’s going to happen during that time? Why verse 6? The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion, the fatling together, and a little child shall leave them. The cow, the bear shall graze, their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

So here’s a verse that is often quoted and used. Has this ever happened? Not in our lifetime, or we’ve ever known in the lifetime of any human before us. So is this yet to happen? And so I ask really in your in your study of this chapter to give a little thought to does that fit today? How could it be? Well, a couple of ways to answer. First of all, what does the text say? What’s context say? What did he say back in verse uh well, verse four and five, the verses preceding six? With righteousness, this moment the Messiah shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breadth of his lips, he shall slay the wicked.

That means he has such bad breath, people die when they smell it, or is that figurative? Obviously figurative, isn’t it? And uh so even righteousness shall be the belt of his loins, faithfulness the belt of his waist. So in the language, even preceding this has to do with a figurative uh idea to represent what? That he will be he will strong come with strength, with power, but also with righteousness, with fairness and justice, uh faithfulness, you can depend upon him. But then when he says the wolf of the will of the lamb, etc. Is he saying any more than what he’s just been saying? There’s some figurative concepts that are set forth here. And in fact, when you look at it, and and you may have already studied the lesson, I raised the question that we need to ask the question, first of all, where would this be?

And when would it be? By context, where would it be, verse 9? On my holy mountain. In my holy mountain. What is God’s holy mountain? Zion. Zion. You come to Hebrews chapter 12, and certainly in verses 22 and 23, he talks about the heavenly Jerusalem, but also you come unto Mount Zion. You come unto the kingdom that will not be destroyed. It’ll stand, for Hebrews 12, 28. What God promised was that his people would one day be a kingdom of which Christ is king. He’s king of kings and the Lord of Lords. And those today who are under his rule, we look to him as our Lord, don’t we? And he is the ruler, and we are under his law, which is governs a kingdom. So in a spiritual sense, the where is the holy mountain?

The next question is when was this to be fulfilled? In verse 10, in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people, for the Gentiles shall seek him, and his resting place shall be glorious. What does he seem to be pointing to in that reference? In that day.

Who was the root of Jesse? Jesus. David. Alright. In that day, of course, it’s David and David’s lineage then. The branch would be Jesus the Christ. He stands as an ensign or a banner to the people. And what does the banner call? Who is it calling? The rest of that verse, the Gentiles shall see him. Now, keep your finger there and turn to Romans chapter 15. In Romans 15 and in verse 12. Romans 15 and in verse 12. We find this verse quoted by Paul in Romans 15. Again, Isaiah says, There shall be a root of Jesse, he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles. In him the Gentile shall hope. And in the context of Romans 15, what’s he talking about? The condition in the church of the Lord.

It was at a time, of course, Romans is written in greatly, certainly in chapters 9, 10, and 11, particularly, deal with let me use the word jealous Jews who were wondering how could Gentiles be counted as God’s children. Well, even from Isaiah, he had forecast, and Hosea also forecasts that there would be Gentiles. Jesus said, Go to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He didn’t just say, Now, you know, the church is for Jews only, like the law of Moses had set aside just for Jews only. But rather it is for all the world. And so let there be preached to all the world. And indeed that’s what the kingdom is made of. Now, isn’t it significant if Isaiah and Isaiah 11, verse 10 says it’s in that day, and Paul uses and quotes that in Romans 15, when that day is, is the time of the church.

That the when and the where that the wolf shall lie down with the lamb and the leopard with the young goat, etc. But where we’ll be in the Lord’s church, and then when we’ll be during the period of the church age. How could that happen? Now, if that’s the writing, the fulfillment of the text, is that what happens today?

Yeah. How does it happen today? In what sense? If it is it figurative, yeah. Oh, okay. Symbolic. Just like the rod, uh, the breath of his mouth is going to slay the wicked was figurative. There’s a sense in which even what has seemingly been enemies now can dwell together, right? The Gentiles and the Jews. Doug sent me something, of course, in the email, even that some have used this as the clean animal and the uh unclean animal being together. Possibly that’s there, I think you have to add a little bit to that, but knowing the background of what God had as clean and unclean in Leviticus 11. Maybe that you’d say, well, okay. But the the real point, and I think seen in this is there’s going to come a time where this one who shall be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

In the Lord’s church, is there peace? Jesus said in John 14 27, peace I leave you, not like the peace of the world. What’s the peace of the world like? Is there any what’d you say? No war. No war. Uh people want that, but has there’s always been war, and really God didn’t promise no war on earth at every year. But there will be peace. In Ephesians chapter 2, and particularly verses 11 through 22. There he speaks about the peace. He’s broken down the middle wall partition, separating the Gentile from the Jews, and he has brought about peace. In fact, what did Jesus teach our attitude ought to be toward our enemies? Love your enemies and pray for them to persecute you. So, in this sense, in the day of the Lord and coming and bringing about salvation through Jesus Christ, he’s taught us what real peace is.

And in this sense, even those who had formerly been enemies are now no longer enemies. Jews and Gentiles particularly. We may not have remembered that so much as the contrast between the two, but but we’ve seen even in our day. Is the church made up of a certain class of people only? You have to be white and you have to be uh uh middle uh income and you have to be all speak English and you have to be uh are those the ways of the kingdom? No. From every tribe, people, and nation. Revelation 5 verses 9 and 10 says, taught by the blood of Christ. Matters not what age, what income, what race, what language. But if you believe Jesus to be the Son of God, we’re made one in the family of God, and that brings about therefore peace.

6. The Second Time to Recover the Remnant

Those even who might have been enemies are now peace. Now, the first bell’s rung. I want you to give one more point that’s especially important, verse 11. It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people who are left in that day again, the second time, he’s gonna recover his people. Where was the first time? Out of Egypt. Well, did that recover his people out of Egypt? That would be from the Syria. They turn up Babylonian. How about the Babylonian when under Ezra and Nehemiah they came back to the promised land? So he recovered them and brought them back. Out of Egypt, they were just going to. They weren’t brought back.

So he hadn’t recovered them in that sense. But with with uh out of the Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah had said there’d be 70 years there, and and really we can go back and look at the history, and there were 70 years. So that’s the first time. What’d be the second time? Fulfilled in this very scripture. In that day, in the time of the Messiah, God’s people are recovered, not just in a physical way, but in a spiritual way. So we have been recovered and brought together as Romans chapter 9, we read a moment ago, and in chapter 11, there’s a remnant according to grace. God has called his people back, and therefore in a spiritual fulfillment. Now he’s called us the second time, and this is the remnant of grace, as Paul even quoted in Romans.

Where is the promise of a third recovery? See, there’s the question that every premillennialist has to answer. The passage is taken out of its context, first of all, by making literal, well, really by context is quite evident it is in the figure. And then secondly, it it demands a third calling at the end of a thousand year reign. But in this text, it simply speaks about as as though there were a second calling or recovering of the Lord. So what does he say in this? In that day the Lord will set his hand a second time. Now, I might also, the bell’s gonna ring, but to chapter 12, you notice the words in that day again. In that day you would say, Oh Lord, I will praise you.

Though you were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and you comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid, for Yah, the Lord is my strength and song. He also has become my salvation. Therefore, with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his deeds among the peoples. Make mention that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he is done excellent thing. This is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst. Indeed, what a praise song, Hymn of Thanksgiving, chapter 12 is. Now, let me say to you that if you have your sheep telling you the next few chapters, they fall into a section that uh speaks about God’s sovereignty over all nations.

Conclusion

And the lesson Sunday is chapters 13 and 14, but next Wednesday is the one you’ve got two lessons put together, covering one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine chapters. So start reading now. But thankfully, Brother Duncan’s gonna teach these. He has the choice of teaching. But I want I introduced that more to tell you. That you’ll keep looking through while he talks about different nations. God is sovereign. Just like he controlled Assyria, though Assyria didn’t think it was God. Yet in all of these different nations, you’ll see that he speaks about different Gentile nations now. And in every one of them, it comes out, you know. God’s purpose is fulfilled. The purpose of God. He spoke it, and it came to pass. Look for those kind of comments through this section that God is in charge.

And not only was he in charge in Isaiah’s day, I believe he’s still in charge today. Right? Thank you very much for your time and your study.