Isaiah: Leaning on the Holy One

Isaiah 10

What’s more refreshing than a mountain stream? The brisk air at higher altitudes, the rushing clear water, and the picturesque surroundings provide a natural reminder of the spiritual living water that Jesus gives. We love to be renewed and refreshed. And yet, there are times when we find ourselves by stagnant pools. The beauty of God’s love is that he refuses to let us remain there for long. He will command our attention one way or another. 

The northern kingdom of Israel had not merely been sitting by stagnant pools; they had been swimming in filthy water! Their spiritual disease resulted in the mistreatment of those who needed help and protection. Israel robbed the poor, made widows “their spoil,” and “the fatherless their prey” (Isa. 10:1-2). This led Isaiah to ask three penetrating questions:

“What will you do on the day of punishment?”
“To whom will you flee for help?”
“Where will you leave your wealth?”
(Isa. 10:3)

God loves us too much to allow us to swim in polluted water. He will discipline us like a father (Heb. 12:7-11), but if we reject his discipline, there will be further consequences. Because of God’s steadfast love for Israel and his desire for their renewal, he was moved to use Assyria as the discipling agent. However, what God intended for correction, Assyria pursued for destruction. They had devastated Israel, and now they were coming after Judah. So, God turned his attention to the Assyrians. 

Isaiah 10:5-7
Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury! Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy….

God decisively dealt with the Assyrians. He would “punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes” (Isa. 10:12). The Lord of Heaven’s Armies would bring a weakening disease upon their strong warriors (Isa. 10:16). He would cut down Assyria like trees in a forest (Isa. 10:18-19). When Hezekiah was king, God put to death 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one day (2 Kgs. 19:35). In 609 BC, the Babylonians destroyed the Assyrians. Remember, God’s enemies will be destroyed, while God’s people will be renewed. 

Isaiah 10:20-23
In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. ²¹ A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. ²² For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. ²³ For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth. 

The southern kingdom of Judah watched as the Assyrians marched through Israel and made their way toward Judah. But God said, “O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians…” (Isa. 10:24). He promised to defeat Assyria just as he had “struck Midian at the rock of Oreb” (see Judges 7) and as he defeated Egypt when Israel was delivered from slavery (see Ex. 7-15). 

This chapter reminds us that God will never leave us during challenging times—even when we bring discipline upon ourselves. He will protect us and always guide us back to a place of renewal. Our Anchor Point today is Isaiah 10:20-21. God told his people they would never have to rely on a human ruler. Rather,

Isaiah 10:20-21
“[They] will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.”

What a privilege it is to “lean on the Lord.” “Lean” means to “support oneself, to make comfortable for oneself, to depend on.” We can depend on the Lord, Yahweh, the personal God who always keeps his promises. He is the “Holy One,” the One set apart and who sets us apart for his purposes. When we stray, he leads us back home. He is the “mighty God.” The word “mighty” is the Hebrew term, gibbor. It means “to be superior.” For sure, God is that. He reigns superior overall. The gods of the nations are lifeless idols. The prophet Jeremiah likens these images to “scarecrows in a cucumber field” (Jer. 10:5). Idols are worthless, and human leaders fail us, but we trust in the Lord, the Holy One, the mighty God. Now that is refreshing.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 10. Focus on our Anchor Point: Isaiah 10:20-21.

Talking to God: Thank God for being able to lean on him, knowing he is always trustworthy.

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Every day is a day of spiritual renewal and refreshment.