20150628 Sunday, June 28 2015
Isaiah 10: Assyria's Turn

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge"

Assyria, as a nation and as a region, has been known from the most-ancient epoch. It is mentioned at the time of the creation of man, during which "the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria." "Hiddekel" is another historic name for the Tigris River (see also The Prophet Daniel: The Hiddekel Vision), which along with the Euphrates River to its south, form the fertile Tigris-Euphrates valley - the soil of which was used to form the first man (see The Thinker From The Soil and Adam and Adamah. Later, Noah and Abraham were native-born citizens of the area that had been Eden (see The LORD's Seed Covenants With The Two Men Of Iraq and How Did Eden Become Babylon?).

"2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 2:11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 2:12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 2:13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 2:14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Genesis 2:6-15 KJV)

From the perspective of the history of Israel, the Assyrian Empire followed the Egyptian Empire, and was itself followed by the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome (see The Prophet Daniel: Nebuchadnezzar's Image). All took their turn as the "superpower" of their day, and all fell due to self-inflicted internal decay from iniquity and decadence (see Iniquity In History And Prophecy and Decadence In History And Prophecy). Their lesson, to those with the sense to listen, is that when idolatry and sodomy reign, the fall of the nation is imminent (see Which Way Is Right And Left?).

A number of Assyrian kings reigned during the time from the establishment of the united kingdom of Israel (see How Many Kings Reigned In The United Kingdom?), through the time of their division (see Israel In History and Prophecy: Israel and Judah) and fall - first Israel, then Judah (but again, both due to their idolatry and sodomy). It was to the Assyrian Empire that the independent Kingdom of Israel fell in 721 - after which they became "the lost ten tribes" (see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Lost Ten Tribes).

Shalmaneser III (858-824 B.C.)
Shamshi-Adad V (823-811 B.C.)
Adad-Nirari III (810-783 B.C.)
Shalmaneser IV (782-773 B.C.)
Ashur-dan III (772-755 B.C.)
Ashur-Nirari V (754-745 B.C.)
Tiglath-pileser III (744-727 B.C.)
Shalmaneser V (726-722 B.C.)
Sargon III (721-705 B.C.)
Sennacherib (704-681 B.C.)
Esarhaddon (680-669 B.C.)
Ashurbanipal (668-633 B.C.)
Ashur-eti-ilani (632-629 B.C.)
Sin-shum-lishir (628-624 B.C.)
Sin-shar-ishkum (623-612 B.C.)
Ashur-uballit (611-608 B.C.)

It should be kept in mind that the fall of the Kingdom of Israel to Assyria was permitted and brought about by the LORD (see The LORD God Our Saviour) because the Kingdom of Israel had become irreparably corrupt, despite being warned by the LORD's prophets (see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Prophets): "O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets."

"10:1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; 10:2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! 10:3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? 10:4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

10:5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 10:6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 10:7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. 10:8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? 10:9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? 10:10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 10:11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?" (Isaiah 10:1-11 KJV)

The Kingdom of Judah lasted about 135 years longer than the Kingdom of Israel. When the Assyrians became corrupt, the LORD sent a well-known prophet, Jonah, to them to warn them to repent - which they did (see The Nineveh Prophecies). But they later again became corrupt, so the LORD brought down the Assyrian Empire, that He had used to bring down the Kingdom of Israel. It then became Babylon's turn.

"10:12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. 10:13 For he saith,

By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: 10:14 And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

10:15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. 10:16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. 10:17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; 10:18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. 10:19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them." (Isaiah 10:12-19 KJV)

The Kingdom of Judah eventually fell as well, to Babylon (although the imperial territory of Assyria and Babylon were nearly identical). Judah retuned after 70 years, while the Kingdom of Israel that was taken away to Assyria, will yet return in the future (see the Fact Finder question below).

"10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 10:21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. 10:22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 10:23 For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

10:24 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. 10:25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction. 10:26 And the LORD of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt. 10:27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

10:28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages: 10:29 They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled. 10:30 Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. 10:31 Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee. 10:32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

10:33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. 10:34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one." (Isaiah 10:201-34 KJV)

Fact Finder: When will the exiles to Assyria ("the lost ten tribes") be reunited with Judah?
See When Will The United Kingdom Be Restored?