“Look, the Assyrians are now at Aiath. They are passing through Migron and are storing their equipment at Micmash. They are crossing the pass and are camping at Geba. Fear strikes the town of Ramah. All the people of Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, are running for their lives. Scream in terror, you people of Gallim! Shout out a warning to Laishah. Oh, poor Anathoth! There go the people of Madmenah, all fleeing. The citizens of Gebim are trying to hide. The enemy stops at Nob for the rest of that day. He shakes his fist at beautiful Mount Zion, the mountain of Jerusalem. But look! The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will chop down the mighty tree of Assyria with great power! He will cut down the proud. That lofty tree will be brought down. He will cut down the forest trees with an axe. Lebanon will fall to the Mighty One.”
Isaiah 10:28-34 NLT
Just reading these verses provides a glimpse of the horror that was to come in the form of the Assyrian army. Isaiah’s prophecy uses words such as “fear”, “running for their lives”, and “Scream in terror”. Pity for Anathoth emerges. The people of Madmenah are fleeing. People are trying to hide. And the enemy will come close enough to Jerusalem to threaten it. I had a picture in my mind this morning of a map set out on a table, and then a bottle of ink was spilt on one edge. Slowly, but surely, the ink started to creep over the map and finally blotted it out. The cartographic features were hidden under a layer of ink, to be seen no more. In Judah, the people would disappear. Towns pillaged and destroyed. People removed into exile, those who escaped the sword. What a scene of devastation was filling Isaiah’s mind.
The enemy of the Jewish people, the Assyrians, were seemingly unstoppable, but isn’t that like our enemy, the devil? When he is on the attack, nothing seems to stop him. The cancer spreads despite the treatment. No matter how hard we try, a difficult relationship seems unhealable. Despite active lobbying, the government enacts another unjust and anti-God law. Our prayers go unanswered. Darkness gets darker. Depression gets worse. But just when everything seems unbearable, and we look around for somewhere to hide, we find that the enemy is cut down, just like the “mighty tree of Assyria”. God intervenes at precisely the right moment. Not too early. Not too late. Exactly on time.
I am reminded of another occasion when God intervened to save His people. There, by the side of the Red Sea, the Israelites had set up camp. But, “The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon” (Exodus 14:9). The Israelites shouted out in panic and started grumbling and complaining to Moses, “But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm”” (Exodus 14:13-14). As we read the following verses, we can see the amazing miracle that took place and how the Egyptian army was destroyed.
But back in Isaiah 10, we see how God changed the narrative. The previously strong and mighty Assyria is chopped down “with great power”. Assyria believed itself unstoppable, but God saw them as trees ready for the axe. The King of Assyria boasted, “By my own powerful arm I have done this. With my own shrewd wisdom, I planned it. I have broken down the defences of nations and carried off their treasures. I have knocked down their kings like a bull” (Isaiah 10:13). Pride always precedes downfall, and the tallest trees often fall the hardest.
In a personal sense, we pilgrims need to watch out for an upsurge of pride in our lives. Perhaps we are overly self-sufficient, or finding success in something we are doing. Perhaps we are involved in a church ministry, and feelings of pride are starting to emerge. Perhaps we have managed to purchase a new car, and pride in its shiny paintwork is bubbling up inside us. But with care and concern, we turn to James 4:6-7, “And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”.
There is something else that we need to take note of from this passage of Scripture today. That is the reference in verse 33 to “The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies”. Assyria had an army that was more powerful than any other in the region. They were unstoppable, cruel, and terrifying. Whatever we pilgrims are facing might seem terrifying in its extent, but the God we worship is far more powerful than any power on earth. What seems overwhelming to us is tiny before Him. His resources are limitless. God is never outnumbered. He never loses control.
There is something in these closing verses in Isaiah 10 that is helpful for us pilgrims. When fear rises and circumstances seem overwhelming, God reminds His people that He knows every movement of the enemy, limits every season of suffering, breaks every yoke, humbles every proud power, and arrives at exactly the right moment to save. So, what “Assyria” are we facing into today? Do we need Christ to lift off of us a burden we are struggling to carry? Where are we putting our trust – in our resources or God’s? And the painful bit – is there any pride within us that God wants to cut away, like the Assyrian tree, so that what remains can grow into something new? The thought of cutting away reminds us of John 15:2, “He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more“. Although painful at the time, the Master Gardener’s pruning can only benefit us in the long term. Isaiah 10 closes with the crash of falling trees, but our Heavenly Father isn’t out to destroy us when we need His help. He wants to strengthen us, not tear us down.
Dear Father God. Thank You for Your loving kindness and help in times of trouble. We praise You today. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 