Isaiah: Lesson 4 (10-1-23)
Overview
God's Outstretched Hand: Judgment, Remnant, and the Peaceful Kingdom
Isaiah's prophecy of the Messiah fell on deaf ears, and the prophet was sent to deliver a sobering message of judgment. The section running from Isaiah 9:8 through Isaiah 10:4 divides into four subsections, each ending with the same haunting refrain: "For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still." That outstretched hand is double-edged. It is the hand of judgment poised to fall, but it is also the hand of mercy still extended, calling for repentance—a true turning around to walk the opposite way. The people, however, met this word with arrogance: "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones" Isaiah 9:10. Rather than repent, they trusted in their own resilience, while their leaders lied about God's judgment, the poor were oppressed, and family life unraveled. The same temptation belongs to us—to minimize sin, to excuse it, to blame others. Yet as 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us, the Lord is patient, "not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." We live in the days of his outstretched hand.
Accomplishments and the Remnant
God used Assyria as the instrument of his justice against Israel and Syria, but he still judged Assyria for her arrogance. The charge in Isaiah 10:12–15 is clear: Assyria boasted, "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding." The axe had exalted itself over the one who wielded it. Taking credit for our accomplishments is spiritually deadly. The Lord who sustains every heartbeat and every breath is the one who blesses; we are simply instruments in his hand, and to him belongs the glory.
Yet alongside judgment, God promises preservation. Isaiah's own son bore the name Shear-jashub, "a remnant shall return" Isaiah 7:3, and the Lord comforts his people in Isaiah 10:24 not to fear the Assyrian rod. The remnant includes all whom God brings to repentance and faith—and that includes us. We are the remnant God has preserved by his grace.
The Peaceful Kingdom of the Prince of Peace
Chapter 11 expands on the title "Prince of Peace." A key to interpreting Isaiah is recognizing how he swings between near judgment and far-reaching messianic promise. In Isaiah 11:1–2, a shoot grows from the stump of Jesse—from the cut-down dynasty of David—and the Spirit of the Lord rests upon him: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. These very words echo in our baptismal liturgy, a reminder that worship is shaped by Scripture and offered to an audience of One, not tailored to the appetites of the world. When God's people gather, they should sense they have stepped onto holy ground.
The Messiah's reign brings the breathtaking peace of Isaiah 11:6–9—wolf with lamb, leopard with kid, a child leading them—because "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." The "holy mountain" is the church, where the gospel transforms hearts and the fruit of the Spirit is cultivated. Still saint and sinner, we taste this peace now in part; its fullness awaits the glory of heaven, as promised in Romans 8:18–21, 1 John 3:1–2, and Revelation 21:1–4.
A Song of Praise
All this moves Isaiah to song in Isaiah 12:1–6: "I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me." We sing with him because God's just wrath against sin fell upon Christ. When suffering comes, it is not God venting anger at us—our sin has been laid on the Savior, and his anger has been turned away in him. So with joy we draw water from the wells of salvation, knowing the Holy One of Israel is great in our midst.
Transcript
Blessed, Lord God, we give you thanks for the opportunity to gather in your house on this 3s
the Lord's day. 9s
We give you thanks for your word, O Lord, for your word is truth. 10s
And Lord, as we open up the pages of Scripture now, we do so with the confidence that the 15s
voice that we hear is your voice. 20s
So bless us now. 22s
In this time of study to your glory, in Jesus' name, amen. 24s
Well, last week we took a look at chapters 7 and then we snuck in a little bit into chapter 9 of the book of Isaiah, 30s
just to recap where we were last week. 39s
We have the rise of the Assyrian Empire and that changed the political landscape in terms of the Middle East. 44s
And remember you've got two kingdoms, you've got Israel and North, you've got Judah and the South. 54s
The Northern Kingdom of Israel formed a political alliance with Syria. 58s
And they felt that if they formed this political alliance with Syria, that that would help to fend off an invasion by Syria. 66s
But then they also wanted to annex Judah and set up a puppet king there in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. 76s
So you've got this alliance then between Israel and Syria to fend off a Syria. 89s
And then you've got this movement here of wanting to defeat Judah and take control of Judah. 97s
God told the Kingdom of Judah, A.H.S, that all the threats here were just meaningless here, from Israel and from Syria. 106s
And he gave a sign, he gave the sign of Emanuel. 117s
And the sign of Emanuel was that during the nine months and then the weaning process during that period of time, 122s
these two smoldering stumps here would simply turn into nothing in terms of their threat. 130s
He told the king A.H.S not to worry about it. 138s
Second part of that sign of Emanuel was the prophecy of the Messiah to come, the Lord Jesus to come. 140s
But as we studied last week, instead of trusting God, the king of the South Judah, he tried to form a political alliance with a Syria of all people. 150s
A Syria defeated Israel and Syria, the Northern Kingdom, and they had no intention to stop. 165s
But they were going to come right on in into Judah here and absolutely devastate Judah. 173s
And so this alliance here formed by King A.H.S, absolutely blew up in his face. 181s
We also studied how Isaiah prophesied a glorious future, a brilliant future of the coming of the Messiah. 191s
And that great passage from Isaiah chapter 9, where the Messiah is referred to as wonderful counselor, mighty God, Prince of Peace, ever lasting Father. 200s
Well today we're going to take a look at chapters 9, starting with verse 8, and we're going to get as far as I hope chapter 12, verse 6. 210s
But let me give you a couple kind of bullet points here that's going to help frame our time together. 221s
One is hand. 231s
And the other is accomplishments. 234s
Remnant, peaceful kingdom, and praise. 249s
So these are some bullet points that has been moved through to help to organize hand accomplishments, remnant, peaceful kingdom, and praise. 259s
Isaiah's promise of the Messiah, it absolutely fell on deaf ears to the people. 273s
And in response of that then, Isaiah was sent to communicate a message of judgment. 281s
The section here then, starting in Isaiah 9, so let's find that first, Isaiah chapter 9, when you pick up in verse 8, it really extends here this section into chapter 10, verse 4. 290s
And this section you can really divide it into four subsections on that, and all of the subsections end with the same phrase. 309s
So for example, chapter 9, verse 12, the second part of verse 12. 318s
For all this, his anger has not turned away. His hand is stretched out still. 326s
Let's go to verse 17. 335s
For all this, his anger has not turned away. His hand is stretched out still. 342s
Let's go to chapter 9, verse 21. 351s
Second part of verse 21, for all this, his anger has not turned away. His hand is stretched out still. 357s
And then can you guess what the phrase is? With verse 4 chapters 10, second part of verse 4. 367s
For all this, his anger has not turned away. His hand is stretched out still. 374s
So God's hand of judgment was about ready to fall on the people whom the prophecy of the Messiah fell on deaf ears. 383s
But the phrase there is a phrase that is communicating the meaning that God's hand is still out stretched as he seeks for repentance. 392s
That there is still time for the people to repent. Remember what the word repent means? 406s
It means you're going one way and then you turn around and you go the exact opposite way. 412s
So the outstretched hand here, amidst the time when God is about ready to exercise his judgment, he still says there is time to repent. 418s
Let's go to chapter 9. We'll pick up in verse 8. 432s
The Lord sent a word against Jacob and it fell on Israel. 440s
At all the people knew it. Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria. 445s
But in pride and arrogance of heart, they said. 451s
The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones. The sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place. 455s
So the Lord raised adversaries against them and stirred up their enemies. 466s
They are a means on the east and the Philistines on the west, and they devoured Israel with open mouth. 472s
For all this, his anger has not turned away, his hand is stretched out still. 479s
The people would refuse to repent. 487s
They ignored the prophecy of the Messiah. They refused to repent of their sinfulness. 493s
And they remained arrogant and self-confident. 499s
Notice there in verse 10 where it says, the bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones and sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place. 504s
It is the communication on the people's part of, it is okay. We will just build back better. 515s
It is okay. 524s
The things are going to be ravaged. We will just build back better. 526s
There is this arrogance instead of repentance. 532s
The remainder of the section that extends on into chapter 10 verse 4. 536s
Talks about the spiritual leaders who lied about God and his judgment. 543s
That lied about the listener's need for repentance. 551s
It goes on to talk about lovelessness and famine and infighting and intense family rivalry. 556s
It goes on to talk about injustice, especially injustice that hurts the poor and the helpless widows and orphans. 562s
The picture then that we receive here in Isaiah. 572s
The picture is clear that God will punish sin and he will not excuse it. 576s
That the hand is still stretched out, desiring repentance from the people, but what we see is that the people didn't repent. 583s
They didn't repent. 593s
We are tempted to have the same reaction to sin. 597s
We also are tempted to minimize sin, to excuse it, to look for someone to blame on it. 601s
But God takes in very seriously. 612s
But as with the people of old, God's hand is still outstretched, desiring of repentance. 616s
In the world. 625s
Let's keep our finger here, but let's go to second Peter. 626s
Good way to find second Peter is just go to Revelation, work backwards. 630s
You're going to cross over the Johns and then you come to the second Peter. 634s
Second Peter, chapter 3 verse 9. 640s
The Lord is not slow about his promise and what is the promise being referred to here, but it's the second coming of Christ. 652s
The Lord is not slow about his promise as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 661s
We see here then in Isaiah that the hand of the Lord was stretched out desiring repentance on the people. 672s
We see where that hand was met with a lack of repentance. 680s
We see in our day too that the Lord as we anticipate his second coming, we see these days, really as days where the Lord's hand is stretched out and the Lord is desiring of repentance. 683s
For when the Lord comes again, there will be no opportunity for repentance. 699s
We live here in this period of the Lord's outstretched hand. 705s
Well, though God had used Assyria as his instrument of justice, destroying Israel, destroying Syria, even though he had used Assyria as his instrument of justice. 711s
He still judged and punished Assyria's wickedness. 727s
So he used the tool, but that didn't excuse the sin of Assyria. 733s
Let's go to chapter 10, verse 12. 741s
And what we see here is the basic charge against Assyria revealed. 748s
So chapter 10, verse 12, when the Lord had finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride. 753s
For he says by the strength of my hand I've done it and by my wisdom for I have understanding. 766s
I have removed the boundaries of peoples and have plundered their treasures like a bowl. 774s
I have brought down those who sat on thrones. 779s
Verse 15. 784s
Shall the axe vaunt itself over the one who wields it? 786s
Or the saw magnifies itself against the one who handles it? 790s
As if a rod should raise the one who lifts it up, or as if a staff should lift the one who is not wood. 796s
The basic charge against Assyria is they took credit for their military victories. 807s
Only at reason they won. 814s
This because God was using them as a tool to exercise judgment. 817s
But in the minds of the Assyrians and in the people themselves, they were wise and they were strong. 821s
Taking credit for our own accomplishments is spiritually deadly. 832s
It's just spiritually deadly. 838s
Does God want to enjoy seeing the results of our efforts? Sure. 841s
Will we take credit for what occurs in our life instead of seeing it as the blessing of the Lord and the Lord using us? 850s
That is spiritually deadly. 862s
That was the sin of the Assyrians. 864s
We must constantly delight in how the Lord is using us, but who gets the credit? 869s
It's God. 878s
It's God. 879s
Amidst then our accomplishments in life. 882s
Who gets the glory but God? 888s
And it is spiritually deadly for us to think of ourselves higher than we ought. 890s
The very one who holds every beat of the heart and every blink of the eye, every breath that we take, 897s
He is the responsible. 905s
We're just instruments and we're just tools. 906s
And whatever accomplishments happen in life, it is from the Lord's blessing and the Lord's hand. 909s
Let's go to number three, the Remnant. 916s
Along with the Prophet Jeremiah, the Prophet Isaiah places a great emphasis on the fact that God will preserve a Remnant. 920s
Let's go to Isaiah chapter seven, verse three. 929s
And here's the name of Isaiah's son again, which is a fantastic name. 942s
Then the Lord said to Isaiah, go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son, Sheerahub. 948s
At the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the fuller's field. 954s
Isaiah's son, the meaning of his name is a Remnant shall return. 960s
So God leads here for this name to be given from Isaiah to his son, and it means a Remnant shall return. 966s
A faithful Remnant was led by Hezekiah in surviving the Assyrian invasion of 7-1. 976s
And then this gets the cells a little bit ahead here. 985s
But we see a Remnant returning from over in the study a while down the road, the Babylonian exile. 988s
God always preserves a Remnant. 996s
Chapter 10, verse 24. 1001s
Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts, O my people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of these Syrians. 1013s
When they beat you with a rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. 1021s
For in a very little while my indignation will come to an end and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 1028s
It is God's preserving of the Remnant. 1038s
What we see in Scripture is the Remnant includes all those that return to the Lord in repentance and faith. 1045s
That Remnant then includes us. 1054s
For God has brought us to faith. 1059s
God has birthed in us repentance. 1062s
And so we can be regarded as the Remnant of God. 1066s
God promised to preserve a Remnant, and we are included in that Remnant. 1072s
Is hand outstretched, desiring repentance, that hand was spurned by the people. 1078s
The accomplishments that the King and the people of Assyria thought it was because of their military might. 1087s
And how wise they were, no were reminded that spiritually deadly to take credit. 1096s
We are just instruments, we are just missiles that God uses. 1102s
And that God's emphasis on the Remnant, that God amidst this judgment, God also promises that there will be a Remnant. 1106s
And indeed, what God does, and we are part of that Remnant. 1115s
As we move then into chapter 11, chapter 11 expands on the title of Prince of Peace. 1122s
And it describes the Messiah's peaceful kingdom. 1132s
A key to understanding Isaiah and a key to interpreting Isaiah is to keep in mind that Isaiah swings back and forth. 1139s
He'll swing about a prophecy about that which is going to come centuries ago. 1149s
And then all of a sudden he's swinging the prophecies of the Messiah. 1155s
Then he's swinging back into judgment upon the people and their lack of repentance. 1159s
And then he'll swing back to Isaiah. 1163s
What can make Isaiah challenging to interpret is if you don't catch the swings. 1167s
And that's what's key is interpreting Isaiah. 1174s
So here we have then in chapter 11. 1178s
This description now of the peaceful kingdom of the Messiah, verse 1. 1182s
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse. 1191s
And a branch shall grow out of its roots. 1196s
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 1201s
the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. 1204s
Okay, here's your pop quiz. 1210s
Where have you heard that? 1213s
Where have you heard it? 1216s
What part, part of the literature? 1218s
Exactly right. 1220s
Exactly right. 1221s
Yep. 1222s
In our baptism. 1223s
There's the blessing there on the one who is baptized and the prayer, the Spirit of wisdom, 1225s
understanding the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. 1230s
And then we have the Spirit of joy in your presence. 1234s
On that comes right from Isaiah. 1237s
Once again, what is worship that is pleasing unto God? 1240s
Worship that is pleasing unto God is not where one attempts to find worship that is pleasing to the unchurched. 1246s
That is a method that is rampant in today, today's world, where it says we form worship around the desires of the unchurched. 1256s
Where do you ever get that any place in the scripture? 1268s
Worship is for the believer who is then sent forth with the gospel whereby people are confirmed, 1273s
are changed, are transformed, converted on that. 1280s
Pee, what you see now in so many expressions of worship is worship being formed by the desires of the unchurched to try and market the unchurched. 1286s
And I love how I forget who said it. 1299s
When a person comes into worship, they should experience as if they have just walked on another planet. 1302s
It should be so entirely different. 1311s
It shouldn't feel like the concert you just went to at the American Airlines Center. 1315s
It shouldn't feel like you're nestling into the movie theater with your popcorn to watch the preacher do his stick on Sunday morning. 1322s
Okay, I'm starting to... 1336s
I'm starting to get a little, little riled up here. 1340s
I'll take that, take a breath. 1345s
But you see what happens when the desires of the unchurched or the desires of the secular world are then the modus whereby worship then is formed. 1348s
You depart from worship that's pleasing to who? 1364s
To God. 1369s
We all just have an audience of one. 1371s
And so just like we like to hear our children or grandchildren say something that we've said that happens to be right and good. 1375s
We like to hear that paraded back, right? 1384s
So also with God. 1388s
And so the liturgy just breathes here with scripture itself. 1390s
So we move in then to chapter 11. 1398s
We see then in verses 1 and 2 here this reference here to the Messiah to the Tukam. 1403s
And the Messiah will grow from the stump of David's dynasty. 1413s
He'll grow from the stump of Jesse. 1419s
Who was Jesse? Jesse's David's father, right? 1420s
And so out of this, the nation will grow. 1424s
Now you get to this glorious image here of the Messianic Kingdom, verse 6. 1428s
The wolf shall live with the lamb and leopard shall lie down with the kid. 1436s
The calf and the lion and the fatling together and a little child shall feed them. 1442s
The cow and the bear shall graze their young shall lie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 1448s
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the ass and the ween child shall put its hand on the atter's den. 1457s
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover and the sea. 1466s
This beautiful, beautiful passage of the kingdom of peace, the messianic's kingdom. 1476s
And in the world of sin then we see how the how the wolf prays on the lamb and leopard stalks the goat. 1482s
But where there's the son of David's rule, the son, the Lord Jesus Christ's rule, what we see here is all hostility will ceased. 1489s
And in the world in which we constantly see hostility and blood shed, this is a glorious, glorious picture, isn't it? 1499s
And the correct understanding of this passage comes from verse 9. 1509s
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover and the sea. 1514s
The holy mountain here then is the church we've seen this image before in Isaiah. 1525s
And on the holy mountain in the church there is peace. 1532s
The gospel changes the heart. It manifests the fruit of the spirit in Galatians the 5th chapter. 1539s
The church though is still marred by sin, right? Because we're all saint and sinner and the same time. 1547s
So when will this come then in its absolute fullness? 1554s
We see from scripture that that peaceful come kingdom will come in all of its fullness in the glory of heaven itself. 1558s
Let me just give you some passages, because we don't have time to touch on them. 1570s
Romans 8, 18 to 21. 1573s
First John 3, 1 to 2. 1576s
And Revelation 21, 1 to 4. 1579s
The peaceful kingdom then of the Prince of Peace comes to us and it will come in all of its fullness in the glory of heaven itself. 1585s
You see the church should be that place that is different from the world. 1596s
It's different from that when we come here what we experience is that glorious word of absolute to the likes of us a whole bunch of sinners. 1603s
But what we experience here is the manifestation of the fruit of the spirit in our life. 1612s
And the fruit of the spirit is God's own doing and God's bearing. 1619s
That's different than a secular temp to have love and to have peace. 1624s
The fruit of the spirit is God's birthing that in us. 1628s
And as people walk in then to worship they should experience a place that is wholly other than what they experience with. 1632s
That they should experience that they walk in on holy ground and this is different here and what they should experience as they walk into the church. 1638s
Is they should experience the body of Christ by God's grace being the body of Christ. 1648s
Will we all fall short of that this side of heaven you bet we will? 1655s
And is there any perfect church this side of heaven know there is in? 1659s
Because we're still Saint and Sarah. 1664s
But this fullness of the peace is that which is manifest in heaven itself and may it be reflected continually in his church, the handy accomplishments, the remnant, the peace of the kingdom. 1666s
And thinking of everything that God has done in plan to do for his people. 1684s
Isaiah just bursts into a song of praise. 1689s
And that's chapter 12. 1694s
You will say in that day I will give thanks to you, O Lord. 1698s
For though you were angry with me your anger turned away and you comforted me. 1703s
Surely God is my salvation. 1708s
I will trust and will not be afraid for the Lord God is my strength and my might. 1710s
He has become my salvation. 1715s
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation and you will say in that day, give thanks to the Lord, call on his name. 1719s
Make known as deeds among the nations proclaim that his name is exalted. 1727s
Sing praises to the Lord for he is done gloriously. 1735s
Let this be known and all the earth shout aloud and sing for joy or royal Zion for great in your midst is the holy one of Israel. 1738s
We join in those praises too because we too are descendants from the remnant. 1751s
We have seen our punishment for our sin God's judgment fall upon Christ. 1760s
We have seen Christ take the wrath of God that should have fallen upon us. 1768s
Our sins have been laid on Jesus and God whose just anger with regard to sin has been turned away. 1776s
Because it has been laid upon the Savior. 1790s
What Scripture reveals when you see this judgment here that we are studying about in Isaiah, Scripture reveals the absolute importance and repulsion with regard to sin that God has. 1795s
That God is holy and just and He is right and He is repulsed by sinfulness and that judgment is His just act as He acts upon humankind. 1810s
And we see in His grace and His mercy God laying His judgment then on His Son to where we say, 1826s
When bad things happen, is God angry at me? No, He's not. 1837s
It's not angry at you. It's not angry at me for our sin because the sin has been laid upon the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1844s
God never compromises His estimation with regard to sin. 1858s
But we see the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in God's anger being turned away in Christ. 1863s
And so is with the people of old God desires repentance and God is the one that births that His hand is still outstretched until the second coming. 1873s
Amidst whatever accomplishments we have in life may God be praised for them because we are simply fools. 1885s
We're just simply instruments that God uses and it's not our success. It's His blessing and what He has accomplished through us. 1895s
God promised to preserve a remnant and we are included in that remnant. 1909s
And the peaceful kingdom of the Prince of Peace comes to us and will come in all of its fullness in the beauty of heaven. 1916s
And because of all of this, we can be a chapter 12 of Isaiah and just burst into praise, burst into praise for what God has done for us. 1927s
Well, next week for Adelplaac here, Pastor Malenak is going to give a preview of her series that's coming up in mid-November. 1943s
Her series is entitled, huh? And she's going to take a look at some of those passages in Scripture that we go, huh? 1954s
So next week she's going to teach the class and she's going to give a preview of that series that's going to start in November. 1966s
And next week she's going to talk about the story about Baelum and the talking donkey in Scripture. 1974s
And it's one of those passages where one can go, huh? About that? So she's going to lead the class next week, a little preview for her, huh? Class. 1983s
And I'll resume Isaiah with you two weeks from today. God's blessings. 1992s
You 2005s