Isaiah 10:5-34

If you have been following my posts on Isaiah, you will have seen that Assyria was being used by God to discipline the Northern Tribes of Israel.

Verse 5 “Ah Assyria. the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!” – God is sovereign – He is the ultimate King of the universe. In this case God used the nation of Assyria to discipline, Israel, knowing they were evil. Some called them the Nazis of the Ancient Near East.

V6 Israel is being called godless – but Assyria is even more godless. God does respect double standards. The sins he judges in the world he disciplines in His people too.

V7 Assyria had no knowledge they were being used by God. Verse 8-11 they were salivating over Israel as a trophy on the way to taking Jerusalem. King Adad-nirari II was arrogant “Iam royal, I am lordly, I am mighty, I am honoured… I am lion brave” But in v12 we see that when God has finished sorting Israel he will punish the arrogant speech of the king of Assyria.

God hates pride.

“Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” 1 Peter 5:6

When we work on a culture of humility and honouring others rather than arrogance, God’s mighty hand blesses that with His presence and glory! Humility is very counter cultural. Churchill once said of an opponent “A humble man with much to be humble about” – but God loves humility and lifts up the humble. Woody Allen is credited with saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” We could add to it, “If you want to hear him laugh even louder, tell him how much you know.”

Jesus exemplified humility by coming in human flesh, born in a stable and being obedient to death.Saying you're humble or thinking of yourself as a modest person is actually a perverted form of pride. The key to humility is to get your eyes off yourself and onto the one from whom and for whom and through whom all things are (cf. 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16-20).