Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and that dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; when thou shalt make an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
Isaiah cries "woe" over a destroyer who has never been destroyed himself, and promises that his turn is coming. The commentators below call him the spoiler: he strips others, and no one has stripped him. Isaiah gives him no name, which leaves two questions: who is this enemy, and why does God let him finish his work before repaying him?
The woe does not stand alone. It comes right after a chapter about the King's reign of righteousness and peace. Its target has suffered nothing at Israel's hands.
Isaiah 33 seems to speak of the same time and circumstances. It follows the chapter that deals with the establishment of Christ's reign of righteousness and peace (Isaiah 32). It pronounces woe on an enemy who comes up treacherously to spoil Israel, yet never having been so treated by them. We believe this refers to Gog, of whom Sennacherib was an early type.
Commentators differ on who this foe is. Some read him as Gog, the northern leader in Ezekiel's prophecy. Others tie him to the Assyrian, the great oppressor of Isaiah's own day. His character, though, is not in doubt.
Isaiah 33 is the one chapter that plainly matches, in character, the northern leader Ezekiel describes — unless we also identify the Assyrian with that power, which perhaps seems true, within limits, at the end. However that may be, the moral traits of this foe are plain enough... This greedy foe appears to be the last one who comes up, and so far distinct from "the king of the north," a title that is not limited to the end. But he is certainly a ruler of the same sort, insatiable and treacherous.
The charge is not just violence. It is broken faith. One event in Isaiah's own day shows what that means.
The Assyrian's invasion of Judea had no cause. He dealt treacherously (v. 1). He deceived Hezekiah, and after taking his treasure he broke the covenant and besieged Jerusalem. But the effect of Israel's distress at the coming of the Assyrian was this: the Lord rose, was exalted, and lifted Himself up (vv. 2-10).
The promise that the destroyer will be destroyed is not a one-off threat. It states a rule that runs through God's dealings with nations as much as with people.
Divine retribution is coming for them. The spoiler is going to be spoiled. You can read this retribution in all of history, and it still goes on. What is true of people is true of nations: "Whatever one sows, that will he also reap."
Later in the chapter the tables turn completely. Notice who does it.
How complete the reversal when the proud and countless foes yield their spoil to be gathered like that of the caterpillars or locusts! It is the Lord's doing, and may well be marvellous in our eyes... Thus the Lord Himself has taken them in hand, and all becomes a spoil for Israel, and their proud hopes are blasted for ever. Note that at this very time Zion will be filled with righteousness and justice.
Isaiah's words had a first answer close to his own time. The full answer is still ahead, and the ruin comes before the rescue. Hole quotes verse 8 in an older translation; the ESV reads, "Covenants are broken... there is no regard for man."
The desolations of verse 8 will come first. When a wilderness has been made, the Lord will rise up and be exalted in judging the foe. Some of this may have been fulfilled soon after Isaiah's day. But the complete fulfilment waits for the end of the age. Then a man will arise of whom it can be said, "he has broken the covenant… he regards no man" (verse 8). There will be great hostile powers in the last days.
- Unprovoked. The woe falls on an enemy who destroys and betrays, though no one has treated him that way. His attack has no cause, and God says so first.
- Treacherous. The sin named is broken faith, not just force. The Assyrian took Hezekiah's treasure, then besieged Jerusalem anyway.
- Unnamed. Isaiah gives no name. Commentators differ over whether he is Gog or the Assyrian. They agree on his character: greedy, never satisfied, a breaker of agreements.
- Repaid. God lets him finish, then repays him. That is the settled rule of God's government, for nations as for people: the destroyer is destroyed, and what a man sows he reaps.
- Reversed. When the Lord acts, the people he came to strip gather up his plunder. Righteousness fills Zion at the very moment his hopes collapse.
Jehovah, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee be their arm every morning, yea, our salvation in the time of trouble.
Isaiah 33 opens with a woe on the last great enemy of Israel. Out of that pressure comes this cry for grace, for daily strength, and for rescue at the worst moment — and it raises the question of who is praying, and for whom.
Verse 2 opens a prayer that runs to verse 6. One writer sets it inside the chapter as a whole:
This is the last mention made of the Assyrian apart from the historical chapters. Here again the judgment of the final Assyrian is in view. When the Lord arises and is exalted, He will carry out the judgment of the last great enemy of Israel. Verses 9-13 describe that judgment scene. Verses 2-6 record the prayer of the faithful remnant. The remnant is that portion of the nation which holds to Jehovah and His word in the last days. The King will answer their prayer, and they will see Him in His beauty.
The prophet does not speak only for himself. He speaks for the godly in Israel, and the answer to their plea is a total reversal:
The Spirit now draws out the prophet, speaking for the godly in Israel, to make this plea. … How blessed to have Jehovah as the arm we lean on, and to fight bravely for us! How complete the reversal when the proud and countless foes yield their spoil to be gathered like that of the caterpillars or locusts! It is Jehovah's doing, and may well be marvellous in our eyes.
Older translations read "be their arm every morning, our salvation also." The ESV has "our" in both places. One writer read that shift of pronoun as a picture of Christ praying for His people:
The Assyrian's invasion of Judea had no just cause. He acted treacherously (v. 1). He deceived Hezekiah, took his treasure, then broke the agreement and besieged Jerusalem. But Israel's distress at his coming had this effect: Jehovah rose, was exalted, and lifted Himself up (v. 2-10). Notice the spirit of intercession in Christ for His people. Notice too how He identifies Himself with them: "Be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble." We see the same thing often in the Psalms, where He says "my iniquities" when He means the sins of His people.
"We wait for you" is not doing nothing. It is what faith does when it looks at the odds and finds no help anywhere else:
Verses 7-9 show the enemy's power to be unlimited. This is how faith views all the power of the world. From the moment it sees neither fear of God in the world nor deliverance for itself, it gives itself up to wait on God. Faith judges everything rightly. Unbelief also reads the circumstances correctly, and what visible things will lead to. It forgets only one thing: God. He comes in and upsets all these plans, however clever they are. Faith pierces right through to God across all circumstances and all difficulties. It does not stop to weigh things up. It does not reason about what is possible, because it stops only at God. When people despair, faith is perfectly calm and happy.
One writer sets this request beside what the same chapter says twenty verses later:
In his third section, where Isaiah 33 uncovers the final troubler of Israel with a "woe" to him, we have in verse 2, "Jehovah be gracious to us; we have waited for you." Then in verse 22 we read, "Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah our lawgiver, Jehovah our king; he will save us."
The prayer asks for strength on a daily schedule, not in one lump sum. That matches how God gives:
But to carry this habit into heavenly things is a real mistake. To try to stretch what we have already received, instead of going to the Lord again and again for a fresh supply, must end in failure and disappointment. Daily renewing is what God delights to give … Grace and strength every morning. Fresh oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the heart. Fresh loving words for longing hearts. Fresh energy for a tired life. Fresh strength and courage for hands that hang down and weak knees. Fresh sunshine in the gloom.
The words are not locked away in the future. Anyone under pressure today can pray them:
Having grace to "be still," we shall find in our practical experience that God "is with us," and "our refuge." In that same spirit the prophet Isaiah can say, "We have waited for you: be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble." If the Lord is "with us" in this world of conflict, it is so that we may be with Him in the coming glory.
- Pressure — The chapter deals with the last great enemy of Israel. The prayer of verses 2-6 belongs to the faithful remnant of the last days.
- Waiting — Faith looks at unlimited enemy power and sees no escape. So it gives itself up to wait on God, calm when others despair.
- Arm — They ask for Jehovah Himself as the arm to lean on, in place of every other support.
- Morning — We ask for strength daily, and God gives it daily. He delights to renew us rather than let us stretch yesterday's supply.
- King — The King answers the prayer, and they will see Him in His beauty. The proud foes hand over their spoil — a reversal that is God's doing.
At the noise of the tumult the peoples fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
Isaiah 33 opens with a woe against a destroyer who has never yet been destroyed. Verse 3 sits inside the prayer of God's people, and it shows what happens when God stands up: the noise alone empties the field.
The words are not a battle report. They belong to a plea, spoken by the faithful in Israel while the danger is still on them.
The Spirit now draws out the prophet to plead as one who stands for the godly in Israel: "Jehovah, be gracious to us; we have waited for you: be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered." How blessed to have Jehovah as the arm to lean on, and as the One who acts with courage for us!
The chapter names the character of the foe before it shows his end. He takes what is not his, and he breaks his word — and both come back on him.
"Woe to you who destroy, though you were never destroyed; who deal treacherously, though no one dealt treacherously with you! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished dealing treacherously, they will deal treacherously with you" (v. 1). This greedy foe appears to be the last one that comes up. That marks him off from "the king of the north," a title which is not limited to the end. But he is certainly a ruler of the same sort: never satisfied and treacherous.
Commentators differ on which invader this is. Some read him as the northern power of Ezekiel. Others read him as the last Assyrian.
Isaiah 33 stands in its true prophetic place. It appears to be the invasion of Gog (compare Ezekiel 38, 39) rather than the invasion of the Assyrian... Sennacherib likely, if not certainly, supplied the historical occasion for this enemy, as he did for the earlier one. In the past and at the close alike, both are proud beyond measure, ambitious, demanding everything, and breakers of agreements.
Either way, the prayer of verses 2 to 6 ends in the same place. A Person answers it, not just an escape.
Here again the judgment of the final Assyrian is in view. When the Lord arises and is exalted, the judgment of the last great enemy of Israel will be carried out... The prayer of the faithful remnant is recorded in verses 2-6. The remnant is that part of the nation which holds to Jehovah and His word in the last days. Their prayer will be answered by the King, whom they shall see in His beauty.
God's rising and the enemy's flight are one event. The spoil changes hands with it.
God establishes Himself in Zion and fills it with righteousness. At that moment a final and powerful enemy appears on the scene, one who had come up to plunder the land. I believe he is the same as the Gog of Ezekiel. But there are those who wait on Jehovah, and He arises, and the enemy is put to flight. They gather the spoil of those who thought they would plunder Israel.
The verse gives no warning. God keeps to a pattern: He moves when His people have nothing of their own left.
When the hearts of His people are most humble, when their prayers are most earnest, when their faith is strongest, when their forces are weakest, when their enemies are highest. That is the usual time when Christ puts forth His kingly power to deliver them.
One detail in the prayer is easy to miss. It shifts from "their arm" to "our salvation." One writer hears Christ Himself in that shift.
The invasion of the Assyrian into Judea had no cause. He acted treacherously (v. 1) and deceived Hezekiah. After receiving his treasure, he broke the agreement and besieged Jerusalem. But the distress of Israel at the coming of the Assyrian had this effect: Jehovah rose, was exalted, and lifted Himself up (vv. 2-10). Notice the spirit of intercession in Christ for His people. Notice too how He identifies Himself with them: "Be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble."
- Waiting — the verse sits inside a prayer of people who have waited for God and ask Him to be their arm every morning.
- Weakness — He rises when His people are most humble, their forces weakest and their enemies highest.
- Rising — when He lifts Himself up, the enemy takes flight; the noise alone scatters the nations.
- Reversal — Israel gathers the spoil of the very men who came to plunder her.
- King — the answer to the prayer is not just rescue but a Person: the King seen in His beauty.
And your spoil shall be gathered [like] the gathering of the caterpillar as the running of locusts shall they run upon it.
Isaiah 33 opens with a woe against an invader. He plunders a land that never plundered him, and he breaks his word. God's people then pray for grace and strength each morning. Verse 4 answers both: the plunderer loses his own goods, and insects stripping a field supply the picture.
The chapter names no one. It describes a character: greedy, treaty-breaking, and caught in his own trade. Kelly quotes verse 1 in an older translation:
"Woe to you who plunder, though no one plundered you; who betray, though no one betrayed you! When you stop plundering, you will be plundered. When you finish betraying, they will betray you" (v. 1). This greedy enemy appears to be the last that comes up... it is certainly a ruler of the same sort, insatiable and treacherous.
Some read the invader as the Assyrian power that Isaiah's own generation faced; others place him later and further north. Kelly links him to Gog, while allowing the history behind the words:
Isaiah 33 stands quite in its true prophetic place... it appears to be the invasion of Gog (compare Ezekiel 38, 39) rather than the Assyrian... It is likely, if not certain, that Sennacherib gave the historic occasion for this enemy as for the earlier one. As in the old days, so at the close, both are proud beyond measure, ambitious, all-demanding, and treaty-breakers.
Others keep the two names together, and read the chapter as one movement from challenge to peace:
Isaiah 33. The Assyrian (or Gog) is then openly challenged. The Lord arises to take His place, and fills Jerusalem with righteousness and peace... The pride of man is wholly brought low.
The verse says "your spoil," which could mean the spoil taken from God's people, or the spoil that now belongs to them. Read in the flow of the chapter, the second is the sense: the raider's goods pass to the people he came to raid. Darby writes the Lord's name as "Jehovah":
At the moment when God establishes Himself in Zion, and fills it with righteousness, a final and powerful enemy... who had come up to plunder the land, appears on the scene. But there are those who wait on Jehovah, and He arises, and the enemy is put to flight. They gather the spoil of those who thought to plunder Israel.
The "caterpillar" of verse 4 is not a garden grub. The word behind it names a kind of locust.
The word chasil means 'devourer,' so it became the name of a kind of locust. 1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chronicles 6:28; Psalm 78:46; Isaiah 33:4; Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25.
So the picture is a swarm that strips a field bare. The one who came to devour is now the field.
Verses 2–4 run from a prayer for help to the sight of a stripped enemy — and the change of fortune is credited to the One who was asked.
"Jehovah, be gracious to us; we have waited for you: be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble... And your spoil will be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running of locusts they will run upon them (or, it)" (vv. 2–4). How blessed to have Jehovah as the arm to lean on and to act bravely for us! How complete the reversal! The proud and countless enemies yield their spoil, and it is gathered as caterpillars or locusts gather. It is Jehovah's doing, and may well be marvellous in our eyes.
Kelly quotes an older English Bible here, and his bracket "(or, it)" marks a second possible reading of the closing words.
Verses 5 and 6 turn at once to the Lord exalted in Zion. Vine, quoting an older translation, sets that throne against the record of human kingdoms:
"The Lord is exalted; for He dwells on high: He has filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure" (Isaiah 33:5–6). Rulers beyond counting have come to grief through failure in some or all of these necessary qualities of a throne! Kingdom after kingdom has decayed or been destroyed for the very same reason! But His throne takes its character from Himself, who is just and righteous altogether.
- Spoiler. The chapter opens against a man who plunders though no one plundered him. The woe on him is his own trade handed back.
- Spoiled. He stops plundering, and plunder falls on him. The people he came to strip gather his goods.
- Swarm. "Caterpillar" translates a word meaning devourer, the name of a locust. Now the devourer's own camp is stripped like a field.
- Source. The reversal follows a prayer, not a counter-attack. Commentators call it the Lord's own doing, and marvellous in our eyes.
- Settled. The emptied enemy leaves behind a Zion filled with judgment and righteousness. Its throne stands where every human kingdom has failed.
Jehovah is exalted; for he dwelleth on high he hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness;
Isaiah 33 opens with a cry against a destroyer, as the godly ask God to be their arm every morning. Verse 5 answers that cry: God is high above the scene, and He fills the threatened city with justice and righteousness.
God takes His place in Jerusalem while a last great enemy is still on the field. One writer frames the whole chapter that way.
Isaiah 33 and 34 announce the last two great acts of judgment. God establishes Himself in Zion and fills it with righteousness. At that very moment a final and powerful enemy appears on the scene. He had come up to spoil the land, and I believe he is the same as the Gog of Ezekiel. But there are those who wait upon Jehovah, and He arises, and the enemy is put to flight.
Another writer names the same enemy, and traces the picture back to an earlier invader of the same character.
Isaiah 33 appears to describe the invasion of Gog rather than the Assyrian… It is likely, if not certain, that Sennacherib supplied the historical occasion for this enemy, as for the earlier one. In the past, and again at the end, both are beyond measure proud, ambitious, demanding of everything, and breakers of their word.
This verse stands just before verses 7-9, where the enemy's power looks total. One writer takes that order as a picture of how faith works.
The circumstances described in verses 7-9 show that the enemy's power has no limit. This is how faith looks at all the power of the world. From the moment it sees neither fear of God in the world nor deliverance for itself, it gives itself up to wait on God. Faith judges all things rightly. Unbelief judges the circumstances correctly, and the results of what can be seen. It forgets only one thing: God, who comes in and upsets all these plans, however wise they are. Faith pierces even to God across all circumstances and all difficulties.
The ESV reads "he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness." The writers quoted here use an older translation: "he has filled Zion with judgment and righteousness." The filling is not slow work. It happens when God Himself steps in, and the act that strips the invader fills the city.
So Jehovah Himself has taken His people in hand, everything becomes plunder for Israel, and the proud hopes of the enemy come to nothing for ever. Note that at this very time Zion shall be filled with righteousness and judgement.
A city filled with righteousness is a searching place to live. The same writer notes who else this judgment reaches.
But it is a judgment of hypocrites in Zion (14) as well as of the last proud enemy that invades the land.
Justice and righteousness are what any throne needs to last. One writer sets the rulers of history against this one.
Countless rulers have come to grief because they lacked some or all of these qualities that a throne must have! Kingdom after kingdom has decayed or fallen for the very same reason! But His throne takes its character from Himself, who is just and righteous altogether, and whose wisdom and knowledge and understanding cannot be numbered.
The same writer adds that this throne is not only stable, but strong.
These qualities must go with the stability of a throne that is to bring blessing to people. Yet power and might are there too, ready to be put into action if needed.
- Height. God dwells on high while the enemy still looks unstoppable. His exaltation comes before any visible rescue.
- Faith. Unbelief reads the circumstances correctly and forgets God. Faith reaches God straight through the difficulty.
- Filling. What God is on high He pours into the city below. He fills Zion with justice and righteousness the moment He takes His people in hand.
- Sifting. That filling judges the pretenders inside Zion, not only the proud invader outside.
- Standing. Kingdom after kingdom has collapsed for lack of these qualities. This throne holds because of the One seated on it.
and he shall be the stability of thy times, the riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge the fear of Jehovah shall be your treasure.
Isaiah 33 describes a last great crisis for Jerusalem. Verse 6 sits at its hinge: it names what holds a nation steady when the enemy is at the gate.
A last enemy comes up to plunder the land at the very moment God takes His place in Zion. The promise of stability speaks into that crisis.
Isaiah 33 and 34 announce the last two great acts of judgment. At the moment when God establishes Himself in Zion and fills it with righteousness, a final and powerful enemy appears on the scene. He had come up to plunder the land. I believe he is the same as the Gog of Ezekiel. But there are those who wait upon Jehovah, and He arises and drives the enemy away.
So the "abundance of salvation" here is not an idea. It is what God does when He steps in.
So Jehovah Himself has taken them in hand. Everything becomes plunder for Israel, and their proud hopes are ruined for ever. Note that at this very time Zion will be full of righteousness and justice.
The verse promises stability. History is mostly a record of the opposite.
Countless rulers have come to grief because they failed in some or all of these qualities a throne needs! Kingdom after kingdom has decayed or fallen for the very same reason! But His throne takes its character from Himself. He is just and righteous altogether. No one can measure His wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Yes, He is Himself "the wisdom of God," and likewise "the salvation of God." So the throne He sits on must indeed be stable.
These qualities are not policies. They are what the King Himself is.
The verse names a Person: He will be your stability. One writer ties that promise to the ruler who is Himself the peace of His people.
The ruler in Israel, Jehovah's own Companion, will be great even to the ends of the earth, and this Man will be the peace. "He shall be the stability of your times" (Isa. 33:6 — J.N.D.). What a glorious prospect for a world soaked in the blood of countless victims of violence, starting with the blood of Abel (Gen. 4:10). What a triumph for the Man of Golgotha, who secured peace for all who now, and in the future, trust in Him. Peace of soul and conscience now come before the reign of peace to come.
Verse 6 pairs wisdom and knowledge with the fear of the LORD. Take the fear away, and what is left is not real wisdom.
Wisdom without the fear of the Lord is not the wisdom that is "better than rubies." Without the fear of the Lord, a man has not learned the very A.B.C. of wisdom. He may be counted wise in the learning of the schools, in diplomacy, or in military strategy. But if he does not have the fear of the Lord, he has no true wisdom. He is out of touch with what really matters. He has not adjusted himself to God. He is building on sand and not on the rock.
The verse calls the fear of the LORD a treasure. In Isaiah's crisis, only faith could see its worth.
Unbelief judges the circumstances rightly, and it judges the consequences of what can be seen. It forgets only one thing: God. He comes in and upsets all these arrangements, however clever they are. Faith reaches through to God across all circumstances and all difficulties… The wisdom of faith is to look to God, to do His will, and to worry about nothing. When Christ comes, one then sees that the fear of God is wisdom and treasure (v. 6).
And this fear is not terror of God.
This fear of the Lord is not the slavish dread that marks the superstitious. No. It is a reverent trust joined with a hatred of evil. "The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil" (Prov. 8:13). "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever." Where this fear is kept up, the presence of the Lord is a reality and a joy.
- Crisis — God promises stability while a final plunderer is still in the land, right where there is none.
- Rising — Stability starts with God acting, not with Israel improving. He arises, the enemy flees, and He fills Zion with justice and righteousness.
- Person — The promise is a Person. The Man of Golgotha secures peace of conscience now and public peace later.
- Treasure — Wisdom without the fear of the LORD builds on sand. That fear is reverent trust joined to a hatred of evil, and God counts it wealth.
- Sight — Faith values this treasure now, while unbelief reads only the visible odds. When Christ comes, all will see that the fear of God is wisdom and treasure.
Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the messengers of peace weep bitterly.
Isaiah 33 opens with a woe on an invader who plunders a people that never plundered him, and by verse 7 the scene shifts to his victims. Who is this enemy, why did the peace talks fail, and what can God's people do when every human option is gone?
The chapter belongs with what comes before it. One writer places it right after the setting up of Christ's reign, and names the invader:
Isaiah 33 follows the chapter that deals with the setting up of Christ's reign of righteousness and peace (Isaiah 32). It pronounces woe on an enemy who comes up by treachery to plunder Israel, though Israel never did the same to him. We believe this refers to Gog. Sennacherib was an early picture of him.
Commentators differ on how far the scene reaches. A second writer allows a fulfilment in Isaiah's own day, with the full weight still ahead:
Part of this may have come true soon after Isaiah's day. But the full fulfilment waits for the end of the age. Then a man will arise who has broken the covenant and has no regard for anyone (verse 8). Great hostile powers will rise in the last days.
The history behind the picture explains the tears. Hezekiah, king of Judah, tried diplomacy with Sennacherib of Assyria, and paid for it:
He decided to throw off Assyrian rule by refusing to pay the tribute his father Ahaz had promised. Then Sennacherib advanced with a large army and spread ruin in every direction. Hezekiah fortified Jerusalem and prepared for a siege. Then he sent ambassadors to the Assyrian and begged for peace. Sennacherib demanded a large sum of money and promised to withdraw the army (2 Kings 18:13-15). Hezekiah agreed and stripped even the temple of its treasures to pay the vast sum. Then Sennacherib went down to Egypt, where Tirhaka, king of Ethiopia, defeated him. Furious at the defeat, he marched on Jerusalem again.
Assyria tore up a treaty bought with the temple's gold. That is what a weeping ambassador looks like: a man whose errand worked on paper and failed in fact.
The cry comes just before rescue arrives. One writer notes how much sharper fear feels when it returns after hope:
The next verses picture the desperate state of God's people, and their despair before deliverance appears. We never feel danger more sharply than when a blessing that seemed to be ours is at risk again… But man's extremity is God's opportunity, as they say, and the Jews will prove it then.
Verses 7 to 9 leave no visible way out. The strong men fail, the diplomats fail, and one door remains:
The circumstances in verses 7 to 9 show the enemy's power as unlimited. That is how faith views all the power of the world. The moment faith sees no fear of God in the world and no rescue for itself, it gives itself up to waiting on God. Faith judges everything rightly. Unbelief judges the circumstances correctly, and the consequences of things visible; it forgets only one thing — God, who steps in and upsets all these schemes, however clever they are. Faith reaches through to God across all circumstances and all difficulties… and when man despairs, faith is perfectly calm and happy. Faith needs neither human reasoning nor human caution. Hezekiah laid Sennacherib's letter before Jehovah. The wisdom of faith is to look to God, to do His will, and to worry about nothing.
The weeping is not the end of the story. The spoiler becomes the spoil:
God establishes Himself in Zion and fills it with righteousness. At that moment a last and powerful enemy appears, one who has come up to plunder the land. I believe he is the same as the Gog of Ezekiel. But there are those who wait on Jehovah. He rises up and puts the enemy to flight. They gather the spoil of those who thought to plunder Israel.
- Treachery — The chapter opens with a woe on an invader who plunders a people that never plundered him. Writers see Sennacherib as an early picture of a greater enemy still to come.
- Tears — Hezekiah's envoys bought peace with the temple's treasure, and the Assyrian came back anyway. Skilful diplomacy without God ends in bitter weeping.
- Extremity — The cry comes just before deliverance. We feel danger most when a blessing that seemed secure is at risk again.
- Faith — Verses 7 to 9 show the enemy's power as unlimited, and that is how faith views all worldly power. Unbelief reads the circumstances right and forgets only God. Faith lays the whole matter before Him and stays calm where man despairs.
- Reversal — Those who wait on the Lord see Him rise. He puts the enemy to flight, and His people carry off the spoil of the one who came to plunder them.
The highways are desolate, the wayfaring man ceaseth. He hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.
Isaiah 33 opens with a woe on a destroyer who keeps no agreement. Verse 8 shows what he leaves behind: empty roads, treaties torn up, and a man who answers to nobody.
One writer sets these verses where God's people are at the end of their resources. He notes how danger bites hardest when a blessing that seemed ours is at risk again.
The next verses show the hard place God's people are in, and their despair before rescue comes. Danger is never felt more than when a blessing that seemed to be ours is in jeopardy again... But man's extremity is God's opportunity, as the saying goes, and the Jews will prove it then. "Now I will arise, says the LORD, now I will lift myself up; now I will be exalted" (v. 10). He had chastened His people severely; should the insolent enemy go unpunished?
One writer points to a broken agreement in Judah's own history. Hezekiah, king of Judah, paid Sennacherib of Assyria to leave him alone. The payment bought nothing.
He gives in to Sennacherib and offers to pay whatever he demands. Perhaps the king's resources were not enough. Or perhaps the king of Assyria accepted the gift Hezekiah sent him and then broke his agreement (compare Isaiah 33). Either way, Sennacherib took advantage of the king's apparent weakness. He demanded complete surrender from both the king and the kingdom, and he invited the people of Jerusalem to come out of the city and put themselves under his command.
One writer sees this desolation lasting far longer than a single bad season. He applies it to years when the land lay neglected, and he finds God's purpose in it.
And this is just what has marked Palestine for years. The grape harvest failed, land stopped being farmed, thorns spread over the whole land, and there were almost no roads... In this way God has preserved the land for the people.
One writer reads the verse as reaching past Isaiah's own century. He quotes an older translation, which makes one man the covenant-breaker where the ESV speaks more generally. The ruin comes first. God's answer follows.
Yet the desolations of verse 8 will come first. Once the land is a wilderness, Jehovah will rise up and be exalted in judging the enemy. Some of this may have been fulfilled soon after Isaiah's day. But the complete fulfilment waits for the end of the age, when a man will arise of whom it can be said, "he has broken the covenant … he regards no man" (verse 8).
The writers agree about the foe's character but not about his name. One links him to Gog, an invader named in Ezekiel.
Isaiah 33 stands in its true prophetic place, and it seems to describe the invasion of Gog (compare Ezekiel 38 and 39) rather than the Assyrian... It is likely, if not certain, that Sennacherib gave the historic occasion for this enemy as for the earlier one. As in the old days, so at the close, both are proud beyond measure, ambitious, demanding everything, and breakers of truces.
Another writer keeps the name Assyrian for the enemy judged here. He also ties the chapter's prayer to a faithful few within the nation.
Here again the judgment of the final Assyrian is in view. When the Lord arises and is exalted, He will carry out the judgment of the last great enemy of Israel... The remnant is the part of the nation that holds to Jehovah and His word in the last days. The King will answer their prayer, and they will see Him in His beauty.
One writer asks what faith does when the enemy's power looks unlimited.
The circumstances shown in verses 7-9 show the enemy's power to be unlimited. This is how faith views all the power of the world. The moment faith sees no fear of God in the world and no rescue for itself, it gives itself up to waiting on God... Unbelief judges the circumstances correctly, and it judges the results of what can be seen. It forgets only one thing: God, who steps in and overturns all these schemes, however clever they are. Faith presses through every circumstance and every difficulty right to God... when man despairs, faith is perfectly calm and happy.
- Treachery. The foe of this chapter breaks truces. He is proud beyond measure, demanding, and true to no agreement.
- Desolation. Empty roads, halted travel and a stripped land mark his work. Nobody is safe from him.
- Despair. Danger feels sharpest when a blessing that seemed secure is at risk again. The verse shows God's people at the end of themselves.
- Faith. Unbelief reads the circumstances right and forgets only God. Faith looks past every calculation to Him and stays calm.
- Deliverance. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. The ruin of verse 8 opens the door to "Now I will arise, says the LORD," and to seeing the King in His beauty.