November 27: ANYWAY…. (part 1)
The LORD also spoke to me again, saying: “Inasmuch as these people refused the waters of Shiloah that flow softly, And rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son; Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them The waters of the River, strong and mighty—The king of Assyria and all his glory; He will go up over all his channels And go over all his banks. Isaiah 8:6-7
God consistently testifies that He wants the best for His children. His testimony regarding Himself and His plans to guide His people is repeatedly given gently, as the waters of Shiloah that flow softly… (by the way, this is where Jesus sent the blind man to wash, that he could be healed of his blindness in John 9:6-7). But, inasmuch as these people refused to acknowledge and accept the Lord’s guidance, He sent wicked Assyria as a hired razor (Isaiah 7:20), as an instrument of punishment in the Lord’s hand against the coalition of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (often called Ephraim) and Syria. God was promising that their power would soon be extinguished (vv.1,2,4-9).
The fulfillment of divine prophecy is a sure thing. The prophecy given to Isaiah regarding the fate of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and their political ally, Syria, was given around 734 BC. The actions of Tiglath-pileser following the enormous bribe and declaration of allegiance from Ahaz, king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, stayed his original course. In other words, the Assyrian king did what he was going to do anyway: he crushed the northern coalition, mowed down the regions of Galilee and the Transjordan, deported some of the population, and made several new Assyrian provinces of the territories. The remainder of Israel was saved when Hoshea murdered the Israeli king, Pekah, and paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser. Within two years of Isaiah’s prediction, both Syria and Israel had been roundly defeated; it was all over for the two kings who had threatened Ahaz (details supplied in 2 Kings 15:29,30; 16:7-9; 1 Chronicles 5:6,26). Isaiah’s prophecy was good news for Ahaz, but as earlier stated, he did not believe it. His sworn allegiance to Tiglath-pileser actually made no difference whatsoever in the military campaign plan for Assyria – what happened to the northern coalition was going to happen anyway!
Shortly thereafter, Shalmaneser V replaced Tiglath-pileser III. King Hoshea of Israel committed political suicide by rebelling against Assyria, who then took the capital city of Samaria and deported thousands of Israelites to Mesopotamia and Media, where they were absorbed into the local pagan populations and totally lost their unique identity. In little over 1½ generations, Isaiah’s prophecy of 7:8 was fulfilled: Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people. If only Ahaz had believed the prophecy about the enemies of Judah! Sadly, Judah was soon included in the devastation of our opening verse: [The king of Assyria] will pass through Judah, he will overflow and pass over, he will reach up to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel (8:8). But there is still a faithful remnant (1:9). And you can choose to be a part of it (see 2 Chronicles 20:20; Luke 24:25).
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13