Isaías 10

Isaías 10

Utley has a historical note... a. Calno (or Calneh), city in northern Syria (cf. Amos 6:2) fell in 742 B.C. (all these dates are estimates only) b. Carchemish, major city of the Hittites near the headwaters of the Euphrates, joined Assyrian coalition in 738 B.C. c. Hamath, city on the northern boundary of Israel (cf. 2Chr. 8:4) on the Orontes River, fell in 738 BC d. Arpad, city in northwest Syria fell in 741 BC e. Samaria (capital of Israel) fell in 722 BC to Sargon II f. Damascus (capital of Syria) fell in 732 B.C. (Ref) Isaiah 10:10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria: the kingdoms: Isa 10:14 2Ki 18:33-35 19:12,13,17-19 2Ch 32:12-16,19 As my hand... - The Assyrian boast continues. We see similar boasting by the Assyrian commander Rabshakeh in Isa 36:13-20; 37:8-13. Idols (0457)('eliyl) means worthless (e.g., those who perform their job poorly - Job 13:4, Zech 11:17). 'Eliyl refers to that which is worthless as an object of worship. The idea is that which is good for nothing, vain or vanity, of no value, a thing of naught. 'Eliyl is used primarily to describe vain objects of worship, i.e. the gods of this world, whether literal idols made with hands, riches, or deceitful men. The irony of this is biting not only with respect to the usual meaning of this word but also in view of its similarity to the usual word for God ('Elohim). The Lxx translates with the rare adjective gluptos which means "carved" and thus describes carved images (eg Dt 7:5, 25 "graven images" = gluptos, Isa 46:1 = "images"; Isa 48:5 = "graven image"). Utley comments that images... is an interesting word (BDB 47). Its basic meaning is uncertain, but it is spelled similarly to Elohim ('eliyl), which has caused scholars to assume it refers to weak and non-existent idols (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 411). Monotheism is the uniqueness of Israel’s faith. There are other spiritual beings, but only one true God (cf. Dt 4:35,39; 6:8; 32:39; Isa 43:9, 10, 11; 45:21, 22; Jer 2:11; 5:7,10; Ro 3:30; 1Co 8:4,6; 1Ti 2:5; Jas 2:19). The idols represent nothing, only the false hopes and fears (superstitions) of fallen humanity realizing there is more to reality than the physical, but unable to comprehend spiritual truth (i.e., revelation). (Reference) (Bolding added) Isaiah 10:11 Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?": Shall I not do: Isa 36:19,20 37:10-13 Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images - A rhetorical question. Notice the contemptuous, boastful blasphemy of Assyria in equating Jerusalem's God, the one true and Living God, with idols ("her images"). Images (KJV = "idols") (0457)('eliyl) - see previous verse. This verse concludes the comparison which began in verse 10. Assyria is personified as saying that it had defeated kingdoms who possessed idols far greater than those in Jerusalem (pagans did not believe in the Living God, Who they classified as one amongst a other gods, who they equated with idols). Assyria reasoned that since it had defeated greater "images...and idols" (Isa 10:10), they would surely defeat Jerusalem (representative of the Southern Kingdom of Judah). We encounter an example of an allusion to the idols of conquered countries in the taunting words of the Assyrian commander Rabshakeh which were later addressed to Judah. Has any one of the gods (idols) of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? ‘Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ (2Ki 18:33-35). Isaiah 10:12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem. He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness.": when the Lord: Isa 10:5,6 14:24-27 27:9 46:10,11 Ps 76:10 1Pe 4:17 I will: Isa 10:16-19,25-34 17:12-14 29:7,8 30:30-33 31:5-9 37:36-38 50:11 Jer 50:18 punish: Isa 9:9 Job 40:11,12 Ps 21:10 Mt 12:33 15:19 the pomp: Isa 2:11 5:15 Ps 18:27 Pr 30:13 Eze 31:10,14 Da 4:37 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work - His work of punishment although not a complete defeat of Judah and Jerusalem at the hands of the Assyrians. Completed (01214) (batsa') is a technical term used by weavers to designate the action of cutting a piece of cloth free from the loom after it has been woven. The idea is to ‘snip off’ a thread and hence ‘to terminate’. Young has an interesting comment which seems to see the completion of the Lord's work as not just fulfilled in past history but as also having a future fulfilment... The persecution of Zion and Jerusalem represents in essence the substance of all the persecutions that would come upon the Church (Ed: I would favor end times persecution on the nation of Israel, cp Jer 30:7, Da 12:1-note, et al), and the declaration and description of this punishment prepare the way for the announcement of the coming of the end of the days, the period of blessing to be ushered in by the Messiah (Ed: Second Coming). (The Book of Isaiah 3 Vol. Edward J. Young) Comment: Although I would not agree with Young that the Church in this present age has replaced Israel (see discussion of the phrase Israel of God), I do agree with his interpretation of Isaiah 10:12a having a past and a future fulfillment and that the return of the King of kings (Rev 19:16-note) will be the ultimate time "when the Lord has completed all His Work on Mt Zion and Jerusalem." On Mount Zion and on Jerusalem - This refers to the Assyrian invasion of the Southern Kingdom which ultimately will be defeated by Babylon. I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness - Yes God had used evil Assyria for His holy purposes but they would afterward be held accountable to God (Assyria fell in 612BC). Motyer notes that... What the king of Assyria did conformed to the will of God; why he did it had nothing to do with the will of God, only with the king’s arrogance and vaingloriousness. (The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary) Isaiah 10:13 For he has said, "By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, for I have understanding; and I removed the boundaries of the peoples and plundered their treasures, and like a mighty man I brought down their inhabitants: He has said: Isa 10:8 37:23,24 Dt 8:17 Eze 25:3 26:2 28:2-9 29:3 Da 4:30 Am 6:13 Hab 1:16 removed: 2Ki 15:29 17:6,24 18:11,32 1Ch 5:26 Am 5:27 6:1,2 plundered: 2Ki 16:8 18:15 Ho 13:15,16) For - Term of explanation. Isaiah 10:13,14 help to amplify our understanding of the Assyrian king's arrogant heart and pomp of his haughtiness. By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this - The king of Assyria took the glory to himself and boasted that his conquests were the result of his power and his wisdom! Pride is a most deceptive sin, even when it is not very subtle! The Assyrian's declaration is almost identical to the arrogant boast expressed years later by King Nebuchadnezzar... The king reflected and said, 'Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?' (Da 4:30) Isaiah 10:14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, and as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; and there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped.": And my: Isa 5:8 Job 31:25 Pr 18:12 21:6,7 Ho 12:7,8 Na 2:9-13 3:1 Hab 2:5-11 Assyria's boasting continues (count the number of personal pronouns in Isa 10:13, 14!). Other nations were like so many unguarded bird's eggs before Assyria's power. Or at least that is the inflated opinion Assyria possessed and projected. IVP Background Commentary adds that... The arrogant claims put in the mouth of the Assyrian king by Isaiah is not at all exaggerated. The royal inscriptions of these kings are extreme in the claims they arrogate to the king. Tiglath-Pileser declares himself beloved of the gods, light of all his people and shepherd of humankind, who subdued many kings, despoiled cities and imposed tribute. He claimed that he considered his enemies mere ghosts. (Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press) Isaiah 10:15 Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, or like a rod lifting him who is not wood.: axe: Isa 10:5 Ps 17:13,14 Jer 51:20-23 Eze 28:9 Ro 9:20,21 Application: Beloved, we who are God's workmanship (Ep 2:10-note) must be careful not to take credit for what God does through us for He will not share His glory with another! (Isa 42:8, cp Mt 5:16-note "in such a way" that He alone receives the glory) Now comes the indictment of the pride of Assyrian king, who is metaphorically compared to an axe, a saw, a club, and a rod, mere "tools" as it were in the hand of the Almighty God. Clearly, Assyria did not act independently of the Sovereign God. As John Calvin said... Whenever men ascribe to themselves more than is proper, they rise against God. Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? - This (and the next) question is rhetorical and calls for a negative response. That would be like a club wielding those who lift it or like a rod lifting him who is not wood - This exaggeration shows now ludicrous it would be for an axe to boast or a saw to exalt itself, referring to how ridiculous it was for the king of Assyria to make these claims. Oswalt... God said he would cut down the “forest” of Judah’s pride (Isa 6:13), and Assyria is the “ax” in God’s hand to accomplish that task. God also said that He would punish his people for their sin (Isa 5:25), and Assyria is the instrument of that punishment. (Ibid) Isaiah 10:16 Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; and under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.: Lord of hosts: Isa 5:17 14:24-27 29:5-8 37:6,7,29,36 2Ch 32:21 Ps 106:15 Ac 12:23 under: Isa 9:5 30:30-33 33:10-14 Therefore - And oh what a conclusion it is! The Assyrian king's pompous puffed up pride would be punctured by a wasting (Hebrew = leanness) disease among the stout (Hebrew = fat) warriors (note pun = leanness sent to "fat" warriors), who were the main source of the empire's seeming invincibility. Lord - Adonai - My Lord, My Master Lord, the GOD of hosts (repeated in Isaiah 10:16, 23, 24, 33) - This name speaks of God as Master and as over the armies (hosts), so that He is in control. The ESV Study Bible has an interesting explanation of why this unusual name is concentrated in verses 16-34 commenting that... God moves history to preserve his remnant people. Isaiah marks this section with the Lord God of hosts. (ESV Study Bible) (God) Will send (cp "I send" in Is 10:6) - God was in total control of Assyria's fate. His glory - The glory of Assyria. Man's glory is "flammable" and easily consumed by the fire of God. A fire will be kindled - Fire is used metaphorically to describe the complete destruction of whatever is burned. In this case the fuel for the fire would be the Assyrian Empire which would be completely consumed by the "conflagration." Delitzsch comments that... In accordance with Isaiah’s masterly art of painting in tones, the whole passage is so expressed, that we can hear the crackling, and spluttering, and hissing of the fire, as it seizes upon everything within its reach. This fire, whatever it may be so far as its natural and phenomenal character is concerned, is in its true essence the wrath of Jehovah. Isaiah 10:17 And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.: light: Isa 60:19 Ps 27:1 84:11 Rev 21:23 22:5 flame: Isa 30:27,28 33:14 64:1,2 66:15,16,24 Nu 11:1-3 16:35 Ps 18:8 Ps 21:9 50:3 83:14,15 Jer 4:4 7:20 Mal 4:1-3 Mt 3:12 2Th 1:7-9 Heb 12:29 devour: Isa 27:4 37:36 Ps 97:3 Na 1:5,6,10) GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE The light of Israel - Notice that some translations (NIV, NLT, Amplified) capitalize "Light" indicating they consider this to be God. In context that seems to be the correct interpretation (cp 1Jn 1:5). The NET Bible note agrees adding that... In this context the “Light of Israel” is a divine title (note the parallel title “his holy one”). The title points to God’s royal splendor, which overshadows and, when transformed into fire, destroys the “majestic glory” of the king of Assyria (Isa 10:16b). Motyer refers us to a number of OT passages that discuss the Lord as Light Ps 27:1-note; P 84:11-note; Is. 60:1, 2, 3, 19, 20; Mic 7:8 (Ed: cp Ps 36:9-note, Hab 3:4, Rev 22:5-note). Light symbolizes God’s favor (Ps 4:7-note), guidance (Ps 43:3-note), law (Ps 119:105-note), revelation of truth (Is 42:6) and presence (Ps 104:2-note; Is 4:5). The light which in its fullest sense is yet to come (Isa 9:1, 30:26) is already present. In the darkness of calamity, faith walks in the light. For the link between light and holiness see Isa 6:3. There ‘glory’ expressed the presence of the Lord in all His glory in every place; here light is the presence of the Lord in all His unapproachable holiness. (The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary) Will become a fire - Metaphor of God as a consuming fire, a description that refers to God later in Isaiah -- Isaiah 29:6, Isa 30:27, 30. Clearly this picture of God as a fire is an affirmation of an omnipotent God Who possesses power to destroy His adversaries. In Daniel we see God's power over nations... And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, And knowledge to men of understanding. (Da 2:21-note) The writer of Hebrews rightly says that our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:29-note) Comment: Beloved aren't we glad the writer said He is our God! While this awesome description of God cause us to reverentially fear Him, we can know that He is our God, because the Lamb has been offered up as a whole burnt offering to the propitiate the wrath of God against sin. Because Christ was consumed by the wrath of God poured out on Calvary, we who are safe in Christ, need never fear experiencing His consuming fire. In the first Biblical description of God as a consuming power we read to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. (Ex 24:17) Moses describes God as... the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (Dt 4:24) Criswell comments: God's jealousy is the other side of His love. It is the zeal with which He seeks to maintain His relationship with those He loves. God's jealousy has been called "the basic element in the whole OT idea of God." Because God loves Israel, He will not tolerate losing their loyalty to another, for this would break the covenant and keep Israel from blessing and prosperity. Later Moses describes God functioning as Israel's warrior against her enemies (much like what He is doing here in Isaiah 10:17ff)... Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you. (Dt 9:3) Holy One - This is one of Isaiah’s favorite titles for God and used some 29x out of 58 total uses in the OT. It pictures the Lord as the Sovereign King Who rules over His covenant people and exercises moral authority over them. Holy One - 29x (out of 56x in the entire OT) - Isa 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:17, 20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19, 23; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 40:25; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14, 15; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14. His thorns...his briars - Figurative description of the Assyrian king and his empire which would be destroyed just as easily as a fire destroys thorns and briars. IN A SINGLE DAY Judah's enemy Assyria would be destroyed in a single day (cp same phrase referring to what Assyria would do to Israel!). In the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, the Assyrian forces invaded Judah and seemed ominously close to defeating Jerusalem (even as they had boasted they would do in Isaiah 10:10, 11). And yet here in Isaiah 10:16, 17 through the prophet Isaiah God promises protection for Judah and Jerusalem. And later Isaiah records the details of God's hand of protection over Judah and Jerusalem... Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, 'He shall not come to this city, or shoot an arrow there; neither shall he come before it with a shield, nor throw up a mound against it. 34 'By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come to this city,' declares the LORD. 35 'For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.'" 36 Then the Angel of the LORD (compare to the Light of Israel, the Holy One") went out, and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead (fulfillment of Isaiah's prediction of destruction of the Assyrian forces in a single day). 37 So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh. (Isaiah 37:33-37) The parallel account of the Holy One's protection of Jerusalem and Judah is recorded in Second Kings... Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, "He shall not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; neither shall he come before it with a shield, nor throw up a mound against it. 33 "By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come to this city,"' declares the LORD. 34 'For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.'" 35 Then it happened that night that the Angel of the LORD went out, and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead (The Angel "destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria." 2Chr 32:21). 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh. 37 And it came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword ("some of his own children killed him" 2Chr 32:21); and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place. (2Kings 19:32-37) Isaiah 10:18 And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.: destroy: Isa 10:33,34 9:18 2Ki 19:23,28 Jer 21:14 Eze 20:47,48 Isaiah uses a number of phrases (glory of his [Assyria's] forest...fruitful garden... soul and body...a sick man) to picture the thoroughness of His divine decree to destroy Assyria. Isaiah 10:19 And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number that a child could write them down.: small: Isa 37:36 Rest (07605)(sear/shear) refers to a remnant of something, in the present case a remnant of the Assyrian empire that remains after their divinely decreed destruction takes place. Sear/shear is a key word in this section of Isaiah's prophecy being found some 6 times (out of a total of 25 uses in the OT!) in two chapters (Isa 10:19, 20, 21, 22;11:11,16). In Isaiah 14:22 the prophet uses sear/shear to refer to Babylon ("survivors"), in Isaiah 16:14 to Moab, in Isaiah 17:3 to Aram and in Isaiah 21:17 to Kedar (A powerful tribe in Northern Arabia). The trees of the forest...so small in number - This metaphor (trees) refers to Assyria's soldiers, following the intervention by the Angel of Jehovah who struck 185,000 soldiers (Isa 37:36) How high can a child count? The NLT paraphrase helps understand the sense of this passage... Of all that glorious forest, only a few trees will survive—so few that a child could count them! Isaiah 10:20 Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.: remnant: Isa 1:9 4:2,3 6:13 37:4,31,32 Ezr 9:14 Ro 9:27-29 Never: 2Ki 16:7 2Ch 28:20 Ho 5:13 14:3 Rely: Isa 17:7,8 26:3,4 48:1,2 50:10 IS THIS SECTION AN EXAMPLE OF "DOUBLE REFERENCE"? Let's look at some background information to help understand to what "double reference" refers. This is not an attempt to convince you of the authenticity or veracity of this principle but to help you understand what the theologians mean when they use this terminology. One of the foremost scholars of Bible prophecy Dr John Walvoord (now with the Lord) explains that... Prophecies sometimes have more than one fulfillment. This is referred to as the law of double reference. It is not unusual in Scripture for a prophecy to be partially fulfilled early and then later have a complete fulfillment. Accordingly, what seems to be a partial fulfillment of a prophecy should not be assumed to be the final answer as the future may record a more complete fulfillment. (The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook All the Prophecies of Scripture Explained in One Volume) (Bolding added) Comment: Some writings use the term "double fulfillment" rather than "double reference". In fairness, it should also be clearly stated that not all Biblical scholars (Milton Terry in Biblical Hermeneutics, Puritan John Owen, Bishop J C Ryle), espouse this principle in the interpretation of Scripture. These notes are not going to resolve this debate. Suffice it to say, this website does believe that some passages have a near and future fulfillment. David Jeremiah has a well done article (cost to view entire article but gives annual access to 1000's of conservative theological articles) in which he summarizes the main points of the "law of double reference"... 1. In double reference prophecy, the first fulfillment of the prophecy usually is found in a person or event close in time to the prophetic utterance. 2. In double reference prophecy, the first fulfillment is usually only a partial fulfillment of the total prophetic message. 3. In double reference prophecy, the ultimate fulfillment is usually found in the person of Christ or the affairs of His kingdom. Double fulfillment is particularly true of the predictions…concerning the Babylonian Captivity, the event of the day of the Lord, the return from Babylon, the world-wide dispersion of Israel, and their future regathering from all the corners of the earth… (Charles Feinberg) 4. In double reference prophecy, the first fulfillment is usually temporal, whereas, the ultimate fulfillment may be spiritual or eternal. 5. In double reference prophecy, part of the prophetic message may be fulfilled close at hand, and that fulfillment in turn becomes another prophecy. A. J. Gordon says, “Prophecy has no sooner become history, than history in turn becomes prophecy.” 6. In double reference prophecy, two or more prophecies may be grouped together in one area of vision, although they are really at different distances in fulfillment. 7. In double reference prophecy, observations 5 and 6 are usually found to be working in the same passage. There are many other terms beside “double reference” which are used by various writers and theologians to describe what has been set forth in the seven observations we have just discussed. In most cases, the following terms are used interchangeably with “double reference” and may be understood to stand for any or all of the parts of the law: Near and Far View, Double Sense, Multiple Fulfillment, Gap Prophecy, Foreshortening, and several others. There are two terms which need special mention here. “Compenetration” is a term used by Catholic writers to define what they understand by this law of double reference. “In an Old Testament passage, the near meaning and the remote meaning for the New Testament so compenetrate that the passage at the same time and in the same word refers to the near and the remote New Testament meaning.”... A double fulfillment prophecy loses not one bit of its literalness when it is fulfilled the second or third time. This would violate our basic system of hermeneutics. “Double fulfillment is literal fulfillment and therefore consistent with basic rules of interpretation.” The law of double reference is not the Pandora’s Box of Biblical Hermeneutics as some opponents would claim. It is the failure of many to distinguish application from interpretation that has caused such an accusation to be leveled at the principle. To accept the law of double reference as a legitimate tool for interpretation of prophecy is not to open the door to all kinds of fanciful notions as to the hidden and allegorical meanings that might be alluded to in a prophetic passage. To speak of the law of double reference is to speak of interpretation, not application. Double reference is not one interpretation and manifold applications. It is one message for two audiences separated in time.... How can you tell if a prophetic statement has more than one fulfillment? These suggestions may help: 1. Determine if the prophecy has been fulfilled in its literal and complete meaning. Elsa Raud makes the following comment: "We can know whether or not the law of double reference applies to the prophecy we are reading by ascertaining whether it has been fulfilled completely and literally. Genesis 12:3 says that “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” All the families of the earth have not yet experienced the blessing in Christ which the promise declares…. Only a comparatively few Jews and Gentiles have thus been blessed in Him. The prophecy in Genesis 12:3 will be fulfilled for all the families of the earth in the Day of the Lord." 2. If the prophecy seems to have a double or wider meaning, examine that meaning only after you have carefully worked out the primary interpretation of the prophecy. What you understand by the first fulfillment will color your understanding of the second or ultimate fulfillment. 3. Look for some interpretive comment from the New Testament writers to aid your interpretation of the secondary or ultimate meaning. 4. If the understanding you get from the ultimate fulfillment is not completely in accord with that which is directly revealed concerning the person or event, reject it. Start over! In no case does our knowledge of a future event or person depend solely on the information contained in a double reference prophecy. (The Principle of Double Fulfillment in Interpreting Prophecy) Dwight Pentecost has succinctly defined this "double sense" principle in interpretation of prophecy writing that... Few laws are more important to observe in the interpretation of prophetic Scriptures than the law of double reference. Two events, widely separated as to the time of their fulfillment, may be brought together into the scope of prophecy. This was done because the prophet had a message for his own day as well as for a future time. By bringing two widely separated events into the scope of the prophecy both purposes could be fulfilled. Horne says: The same prophecies frequently have a double meaning, and refer to different events, the one near, the other remote; the one temporal, the other spiritual or perhaps eternal. The prophets thus having several events in view, their expressions may be partly applicable to one, and partly applicable to another, and it is not always easy to make the transitions. What has not been fulfilled in the first, we must apply to the second; and what has already been fulfilled, my often be considered as typical of what remains to be accomplished. It was the purpose of God to give the near and far view so that the fulfillment of the one should be the assurance of the fulfillment of the other. (Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. See Page 46) The fact that part of the prophecy has been fulfilled without the fulfillment of the rest of it does not argue for a figurative or non-literal method of fulfillment of that unfulfilled portion, but such a partial fulfillment does promise a complete, literal, future fulfillment of the whole. (Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. See Page 63-64) Now in that day - To what day is Isaiah referring? The possible interpretations (which are not necessarily mutually exclusive) are listed below... (1) A historical day - The day that Assyria defeated the Northern Kingdom and invaded and threatened to destroy the Southern Kingdom. Even in the face of national tragedy, God would preserve a remnant. (2) A future day - The day when a remnant of believing Jews will return to their Messiah, the Holy One of Israel, which from other passages will occur in the last days just before the Second Coming of Christ. While the context is the prophecy regarding the destruction of Assyria indicate that Isaiah was certainly referring to a historical fulfillment in his day but there are characteristics in this passage which would seem to allow for one to interpret it as a double reference." (1) The phrase in that day is often used in contexts which have a near and future fulfillment (see notes below). There is another use of in that day which clearly refers to a yet future day when the Messiah returns. (2) The present passage appears to distinguish "Israel" and "the house of Jacob". It appears that Isaiah is not addressing only the Northern Kingdom of Israel but also the Southern Kingdom using the phrase "remnant of Israel and those of the house of Jacob". The house of Jacob in Isaiah 2:5, 6, 8:17 definitely refers to the Southern Kingdom. The phrase House of Jacob is used 9 times in Isaiah - Isa 2:5 Isa 2:6 Isa 8:17 Isa 10:20 Isa 14:1 Isa 29:22 Isa 46:3 Isa 48:1 Isa 58:1 (3) The time phrase never again refers to Israel/Jacob relying on the strength of men (in context the Assyrian Empire but a picture of the strength of men who filled with pride and self reliance) rather than the strength of Jehovah. The future believing Jewish remnant will forever rely on Jehovah (Messiah). This latter prophecy has never been fulfilled for Israel/Jacob as a nation. It will be fulfilled in the last days just before Messiah returns, when a believing remnant of the nation of Israel will have their eyes opened to see their Messiah and to come to totally rely upon Him. To reiterate, this prophecy clearly had a partial fulfillment in Isaiah's day when a remnant of Jews came to truly (rely on) Jehovah as their Righteous One. However as discussed this passage also seems to foreshadow a greater day for the divided, nation, in that day when the Messiah returns and as Paul says "all Israel will be saved" (Ro 11:26-note) Comment: I encourage you to be a Berean as these notes make no claim to being authoritative or 100% accurate. So while this section seems to allow for an interpretation as a "double reference", you may not agree after carefully "examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11-note). If you would like to do further study on the topic of The Future of Israel, let me suggest a 12 hour (free) course by Dr Anthony Garland What Will Happen to Israel? which presents a detailed expository discussion of Romans 9-11. Jameison, an older commentary writes that... The effect on the “remnant” (contrasted with the Assyrian remnant, Is 10:19); namely, those who shall be left after the invasion of Sennacherib, will be a return from dependence on external idolatrous nations, as Assyria and Egypt (2Ki 18:21; 16:7, 8, 9), to the God of the theocracy; fulfilled in part in the pious Hezekiah’s days; but from the future aspect under which Paul, in Ro 9:27, 28...regards the whole prophecy, the “remnant,” “who rely upon the Lord,” probably will receive their fullest realization in the portion of Jews left after that Antichrist shall have been overthrown, who shall “return” unto the Lord (Isa 6:13; 7:3; Zec 12:9, 10; Zep 3:12). Teed writes... “In that day” often refers to the last days when the Lord will punish the wicked and set up His righteous kingdom (Isaiah. 4:2). However, here it seems to refer to the more immediate judgment on the Northern Kingdom by Assyria (10:27) and the return of a remnant from that empire. Though Israel had many people “like the sand of the sea,” only a few would return. Destruction, though overwhelming, would be fair (righteous) and would be on the whole land, both Israel and Judah. But things will also be the same in the “Last Days” just before Jesus returns. (Isaiah 10 Teed Commentaries) (It is interesting that Teed goes on to paraphrase Harry Ironside's comments [see below] that speak of a future fulfillment - see Ironside's comment below. Harry Ironside sees a future prophetic fulfillment in Isaiah 10:20-23 (but as discussed above, not everyone agrees with this genre of interpretation)... When the judgments of God are being poured out upon the earth in the dark days of the great tribulation, a remnant of the Jews will turn to the Lord in deep repentance and in living faith. These will prove the greatness of His mercy and the unfailing character of His promises. No longer relying for their help on the powers that persecuted and failed them in the hour of their need, as when Ahaz turned first to Assyria and then to Egypt in his desperate plight, they will find their resource and protection in God Himself. (Isaiah 10:20) The prophetic Word is clear and free of all obscurity. Only unbelief can deny its definite application to a literal remnant of the sons of Jacob when they turn to the Lord in the time of their greatest trouble. Then He will awake and will come to their help, and He will save the nation in the remnant. We need to remember that they are not all Israel which are of Israel. The great majority “as the sand of the sea” will go into utter apostasy and be destroyed in their sins, but a remnant shall return and be acknowledged by God as His people. And so, as we learn in Romans 11, “All Israel shall be saved,” for this remnant ("all Israel") will be the true Israel in that day of Jehovah’s power. John Walvoord writes that Isaiah 10:5-34 describes God’s judgment... on Assyria whom God used to judge Israel as well as on Israel herself (Isa 10:5-19). God’s judgment on Assyria was described in detail. The prophecy made clear that after God used the Assyrians to judge Israel, He would then judge the Assyrians (Isa 10:12, 16, 18)... After Assyria had been destroyed, God would restore “the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob” (Isa 10:20). A remnant of Israel would return to their land (Isa 10:21). In graphic language, Assyria was described as cut down like a tree whose limbs are cut off (Isa 10:33, 34). A partial return of Israel to their land from Assyria was accomplished after Nineveh fell to the Babylonians (612BC). The complete regathering of Israel will be fulfilled in relation to the second coming of Christ. (The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook All the Prophecies of Scripture Explained in One Volume) (Bolding added) In that day - 83v in the OT and almost 50% occur in Isaiah (40x) - See related notes on the phrase in that day in comments on Isaiah 2:11, Isaiah 4:2, Isaiah 7:18. Lev 7:35; Nu 32:10; Dt 31:17, 18; 1Sa 3:12; 8:18; Isa 2:11, 17, 20; 3:18; 4:1,2; 5:30; 7:18, 20,21, 23; 10:20, 27; 11:10; 12:4; 17:4, 7, 9; 19:16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24; 20:6; 22:8, 12, 20, 25; 23:15; 24:21; 25:9; 26:1; 27:1, 2, 12, 13; 28:5; 31:7; 52:6 Jer 4:9; 48:41; 49:22, 26; 50:30; Hos 2:16, 18, 21; Joel 3:18; Amos 2:16; 8:3, 9, 13; 9:11; Mic 4:6; 5:10; Zeph 3:11, 16; Zech 2:11; 3:10; 9:16; 12:3f, 6, 8f, 11; 13:1f, 4; 14:4, 6, 8f, 13, 20f; Mk 2:20; Lk 6:23; 10:12; Jn 14:20; 16:23, 26 Oswalt comments on in that day alluding to this phrase as having a double reference (fulfillment)... “In that day” is an expansive term referring to any future time of God’s judgment and/or restoration. Thus, it is not necessary to refer it directly to the events of 701BC nor even to the events of 620–609BC, when Assyria was finally destroyed. Rather, here it speaks of that future time when all the punishment at the hands of the nations will be over and the purified “remnant” of God’s people (see Is 4:2–6) will be brought home. (Oswalt, J. The NIV Application Commentary: Isaiah (176). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan) Cornerstone Bible Commentary on in that day... For connection with the Messianic Age, see Isaiah 11:10, 11; 12:1, 4. Motyer on in that day... This phrase identifies a moment when God’s hand is particularly seen in human history. Customarily, this is a hand of judgment, but as here and in Isa 4:2, that judgment is not to be considered in merely destructive terms, for there shall be a purified remnant which will emerge from the chaos of that day (Mal. 4:1–3). (The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary) (Although Motyer does not go so far as to state that this prophecy has a future and complete fulfillment as I have espoused, he make an interesting statement in which he seems to leave that "door open" writing that ) Isaiah is looking forward to a day when a restored Judah will have become wise enough to put her trust in God, Who is her Holy One and Whose intentions for her are pure, Whose power is unique, and whose commitment to her is total. (My question would be - has that "day" come to pass in a way that would completely fulfill Isaiah's prophecy?) C I Scofield on in that day... That day is often the equivalent of "the day of the LORD" (Isa 2:10-22; Rev 19:11-21). The prophecy here passes from the general to the particular, from historic and fulfilled judgments upon Assyria to the final destruction of all Gentile world power at the return of the Lord in glory. Remnant Summary (C I Scofield): In the history of Israel a remnant may be discerned, a spiritual Israel within the national Israel. In Elijah's time 7000 had not bowed the knee to Baal (1Ki 19:18). In Isaiah's time, Israel had been reduced to only a few godly "survivors" (Isa 1:9), for whose sake God still forebore to destroy the nation. During the captivities the remnant appears in Jews like Esther, Mordecai, Ezekiel, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. At the end of the seventy years of Babylonian captivity it was the remnant that returned under Ezra and Nehemiah. At the advent of our Lord, John the Baptist, Simeon, Anna, and those "who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (Lk 2:38) were the remnant. During the Church Age the remnant is composed of believing Jews (Ro 11:4, 5). But an important aspect of the remnant is prophetic. During the great tribulation a remnant out of all Israel will turn to Jesus as Messiah, the "sealed" Israelites of Rev 7:3-8. Remnant - See on site study of the important doctrine of the remnant. Although the specific word "remnant" is not used in the in previous chapters of Isaiah, the concept of remnant has been clearly alluded to and constitutes an important doctrine in Isaiah (even appearing in the name of his son Shear-jashub = “a remnant will return” - Isa 7:3-note)... Unless the LORD of hosts Had left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah. (Isa 1:9-note) In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel. And it will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy-- everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem (Ed: Note the allusion to "election"). (Isa 4:2,3-note) Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump." (Isa 6:13) In the present context the remnant of Israel is synonymous with those of the house of Jacob who have escaped. refers to Jews who placed their faith in Messiah. Throughout history there have always been some Jews who have had their hearts circumcised and become Jews not just in the physical sense but in a spiritual sense (see Paul's comments Ro 2:27, 28, 29-note). John