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The Bible Breakdown
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The Bible Breakdown
Isaiah 10: Who Do You Think You Is?
What happens when a powerful nation forgets who truly holds the reins of authority? This is the question we tackle as we unravel the deep-seated messages of Isaiah, chapter 10. Reflecting on my own journey as a young manager at Hardee's, I draw parallels to the nation of Assyria, which, like my younger self, needed a reminder of who’s truly in charge. As Isaiah warns Israel of impending consequences, we explore how God uses Assyria as a tool of discipline, underscoring His sovereignty and the necessity of humility and obedience.
Life’s challenges have a way of testing our faith, yet Isaiah reminds us to keep trusting in God's larger plan. Through rich discussions, we explore the concept of unanswered prayers not as a sign of absence but as a testament to a divine plan unfolding beyond our understanding. Inspired by Isaiah 12:2, we encourage turning away from wickedness, embracing hope, and trusting in God's timing and justice. Join us for a conversation rooted in strength, faith, and a renewal of reliance on God’s ultimate victory, wrapped in a heartfelt prayer to conclude our journey.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, isaiah, chapter 10, and today's title is Just who Do you Think you Is? Just who do you think you is? Of course, I've got a story attached to that. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like share, subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast, make sure you are leaving us a five-star review on the podcast and, as always, make sure you're doing two more things. First of all, go to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. They're doing such an amazing job just sharing God's Word with us every day. And make sure you are subscribed to our daily text message RLCBible to 94000, because the more we dig, the more we find. All right.
Speaker 1:Well, if you have your Bibles, I wanna open up with me to Isaiah, chapter 10. Remember that the Holy Spirit has inspired Isaiah to write to the nation of Israel to warn them and to say man, it is time for you to come back to the Lord, because God is our salvation and you have got to stop playing around, because God's got a big idea for you and if you will turn to him, great things are coming. If you don't turn to him. Bad things are coming and he's making sure that he lets them know. And I'm in charge, I'm going to help you and you need to make sure that you're putting your hope in me.
Speaker 1:But also remember that he is writing this, that the genre, the type of literature this is is considered apocalyptic literature. So it's a form of poetry. You know, we see that form of poetry in, you know, the Song of Solomon. We see it, some of that in the Book of Job. Also we see in the New Testament. Well, we see Daniel in the Old Testament, but then, like Revelation, in the New Testament, just there was a lot of symbolism, a lot of analogies. So that's why a lot of times when we're reading this, he's using a lot of these different things about farmers and eggs and flapping of wings and all that kind of stuff is because that's the type of literature that it is. It's intended to create all of these word pictures so that we'll understand right.
Speaker 1:And today he's going to talk to this nation called Assyria, which were not God followers and they were coming to take over the nation of Israel. And God is saying if you don't turn back to me, israel, I'm going to let Assyria run you over. However, I need to make sure Assyria knows they're not in charge. They're not going to do this because they're awesome. They're only going to do this as a tool for me to cause my people to come back to me. So he's going to talk to Assyria and say now, don't worry, I'm going to judge you too. And it's almost like he's looking at Assyria and going exactly who do you think you is?
Speaker 1:And what that reminds me of is when I was 18 years old, I thought I was something special. I had become a manager at the Hardee's in Atala, alabama. And I mean, I'm 18 years old, I get to wear the white shirt. I got the little silver plated not real silver, of course plated name tag that said shift manager. I thought I had arrived. Okay, I was making. Okay, this is how old I am. I was making the high wage of $6.50 an hour and that was well beyond minimum wage, right? I mean I really had arrived and I love telling people what to do, right?
Speaker 1:And so I'm sitting there one morning, I'm working and all this, and there was a lady. I'm telling you something. She was 80 years old. If she was a day, I'm telling you she had been there a minute, right, like? Needless to say, she'd probably been working there longer than I've been alive, and I presume to tell her what to do. And she's listening because I'm not. I'm not like saying anything out of order, I'm just telling her stuff that she probably already knows, right? I'll never forget one day. She looked at me and, with all of the sincerity she had, she looked at me and she said sir, just, who do you think you is? And I wanted to say your boss. I wanted to say that. But when she said it with such confidence that in that moment I didn't remember who I is I had to think about it for a moment and I was like I just, I'm just trying to do my job. And she said don't you worry, I'm going to let you do your job, but your job doesn't include telling me what to do. And as I was reading over this, I remember that story and it's almost like God is looking at Assyria and going exactly who do you think is in charge here? Yes, if my nation, israel, does not turn around, I'm going to let you take them over, but never forget it wasn't you that did this, it was me. Let's read this together and see how God reminds Assyria exactly who they are, and let's see if God has something to say to us when we finish this chapter. You ready?
Speaker 1:Verse 1 of chapter 10 of Isaiah says this what sorrow awaits the unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws? They deprive the poor of justice, they deny the rights of the needy among my people. They pray on widows and take advantage of orphans. What will you do when I punish you, when I send disaster upon you from a distant land? To whom will you turn for help? Where will your treasures be safe? You will stumble along as prisoners or lie among the dead.
Speaker 1:But even then, the Lord's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. What sorrow awaits Assyria, the rod of my anger? I will use it as a cup to express my anger. I am sending Assyria against the godless nation and against the people with whom I am angry. Assyria will plunder them, trampling them like dirt beneath its feet.
Speaker 1:But the king of Assyria will not understand that he is my tool. His mind does not work in that way. His plan is simply to destroy, to cut down nation after nation. He will say each of my princes will soon be a king. We will destroy Kalno just as we did Carchemish. Hamath fell before us, as Aparet did, and we destroyed Samaria just as we did Damascus. Yes, we have finished off many a kingdom whose gods were greater than those in Jerusalem and Samaria. So we will defeat Jerusalem and her gods, as we just destroyed Samaria with hers.
Speaker 1:After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purposes on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, he will turn against the king of Assyria to punish him, for he is proud and arrogant. He boasts my own powerful arm has done this With my own shrewd wisdom. I planned it. He boasts gather eggs. No one can even flap a wing against me for utter or utter a peep of protest. When was the last time you heard someone utter a peep of protest? Not me neither. All right, move on.
Speaker 1:Verse 15. But can an axe boast greater power than the person who uses it? Is the saw greater than the person who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand moves it? Can a wooden cane walk by itself? Therefore, I, the Lord, the Lord of heaven's armies by the way, we haven't seen this in a little while.
Speaker 1:Verse 16, if you're reading along in your Bible, every time, you see, capital L-O-R-D. It is the covenant name of God, yahweh, yahweh or Yahweh. So actually, what it's saying is therefore the Lord, you know, yahweh, the Lord of heaven's armies, he will send a plague among Assyria's proud troops. A flaming fire will consume its glory, the Lord. There it is again capital L-O-R-D. For Yahweh, the light of Israel will be a fire, the Holy One will. It is again a plague. Of all the glorious forest, only a few trees will survive, so few that a child could count them.
Speaker 1:In that day, a remnant left in Israel. The survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them, but they will faithfully trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, yes, a remnant of Jacob will return to the mighty God. But though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sands of the seashore, only a remnant of them will return. The Lord Yahweh has rightly decided to destroy his people. Yes, the Lord Yahweh of heaven's armies has already decided to destroy the entire land. So this is what the Lord, the Lord of heaven's armies, says O my people, zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you with the rod and the club, as the Egyptians did long ago. In a little while, my anger against you will end and then my anger will rise up to destroy them. The Lord of heaven's armies will lash them with his whip, as he did with Gideon triumphed over the Midianites and the rock of Oreb, or when the Lord's staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea. In that day, the Lord will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders.
Speaker 1:Look, the Assyrians are now in Eath. They are passing through Micron and are storing their equipment in Mikmash. They are crossing the paths and they are camping in Gebeah. Fear strikes the town of Ramah. The people of Gebeath and the hometown of Saul are running for their lives, scream in terror. You people of Gelem Shout out a warning to Laish the poor, oh poor Anathoth. There go the people of Madimah all fleeing. The citizens of Gabim are trying to hide.
Speaker 1:The enemy stops at Nob for the rest of the day. He shakes his fist at beautiful Mount Zion, the mountain of the Lord. 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 and that lofty tree will be brought down. He will cut down the forest trees with an axe. Lebanon will fall to the mighty one, wow.
Speaker 1:So it's amazing how God is telling the nation of Israel if you don't turn back to me and we know they don't if you don't turn back to me, I'm going to allow Assyria to overrun you. I think it's important that God tells them that, because he's letting them know I'm in control and if you don't turn back to me, I'm not going to stop them. But you also need to know that they are not more powerful than I am, that when you turn back to me, I am going to deal with them. I just need to let you know I'm never not in control. I'm always moving and doing more than you realize.
Speaker 1:And you know, even though that's a hard thing, there's a certain amount of hope there that we can look at anything that is bothering us, anything that is coming against us, any hard thing in life, and we can literally just say to it who do you think you is? Do you really think you're greater than God? Oh, sure, I'm praying and I'm asking God to do something about this and, as of right now, he hasn't done it the way I would want him to, but that doesn't mean he's not in charge. It doesn't mean he's not greater than all of this, and when the time is right, god is going to do exactly what he wants to do. Can I encourage you with that today?
Speaker 1:No matter what you're facing today, it is not greater than God, and even if it doesn't get better right away, that doesn't mean that God has lost his ability. It means God is doing something bigger than what we can see. But there's a promise here that at the right time, the Lord of heaven's armies will have justice. You know it said in verse 33, but look, the Lord of heaven's armies will chop down the mighty tree of Assyria with great power. So when the time is right, god always comes out on top. He always does what is necessary. So our job is to turn away from any wicked thing that we're doing, to turn our hearts back to him and to trust Him that when the time is right, he always wins. Let's pray together right now.
Speaker 1:God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that there are so many of us in so many different places in our life and for some of us, god, we need to be reminded that our job is to follow you, turn away from any sin, any wicked place in our life, anything that would try to exalt itself against your place in our life. But for others of us, god, it's not because of anything we're doing wrong, it's just the situation we're in right now. We trust that you are king and God. In both of those situations we ask you, lord, to show yourself strong in our life. In Jesus' name, we pray amen, amen. Well, god's word says in Isaiah, chapter 12, verse two God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord is my strength and my song. He has given me victory. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Isaiah, chapter 11.
