Welcome to The Word for Today.
The Word for Today is a continuous study
of the Bible taught by Pastor Chuck Smith
of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.
Pastor Chuck is currently teaching from the Old
Testament.
And for those of you following along in
your Bibles, we'll be continuing today in Isaiah
chapter 10 beginning with verse 5, as we
continue with an in-depth And
now with today's study, here's Pastor Chuck.
Now God addresses the Assyrian nation.
And here God calls them the rod of
my anger.
In other words, Assyria is to be used
as God's rod of punishment.
God is going to use this wicked nation
of Assyria to be His instrument of judgment
against His people that have turned from Him.
You are the rod of my anger.
You're the staff in their hand of my
indignation.
I will send Him against a hypocritical nation.
Remember the Lord said that they were hypocritical
and all.
And so He said, I'm going to bring
them against this hypocritical nation.
I will send them against a hypocritical nation,
against the people of my wrath, and I
will give Him charge to take the spoiled,
to take the prey, to tread them down
like the mire of the streets.
God is ordering the Assyrians to come and
just to wipe them out.
How be it?
He meaneth not so, neither doth His heart
think so, but it is in His heart
to destroy and to cut off nations, not
a few.
He doesn't realize that God is using Him
and that it is God who has given
this nation to them.
They don't realize that.
It's just they have a heart to destroy.
For He says, are not my princes kings?
They take great boasting in their power.
Is not Calno as Carchemish?
Now they had already conquered Carchemish there at
the Euphrates.
Calno was a city in the northern part
of Syria.
And they said, Hey, we've conquered the bigger
city of Carchemish, you know, and Calno is
no different.
We'll conquer it.
Is not Hamath another city of Syria like
Arpet, which was already conquered by Assyria?
Is not Samaria as Damascus?
They'd already conquered Damascus.
And so the capital of Israel, Samaria, you
know, and so they were bragging about what
they'd already conquered.
And these other cities were not really as
great or as strong or equal to the
cities already had fallen to Assyria.
As my hand hath found the kingdoms of
the idols of whose graven images did excel
them of Jerusalem and Samaria.
In other words, in those days, they felt
that to win in a battle was a
sign that your God was greater than the
gods of the cities that you had conquered.
And most of the cities had their own
local deities, their own idols and images.
And so the gods that were worshipped by
these other cities that we are already conquered,
they're really greater than the gods of Samaria
or Jerusalem.
They excel them.
So, you know, if these gods of these
other nations could not deliver them, surely then,
you know, the God of Israel can't deliver
Israel.
As my hand hath found the kingdoms of
the idols, graven images that excelled those of
Jerusalem and Samaria.
Shall I not, as I have done unto
Samaria and to her idols, so do to
Jerusalem and her idols.
So he's bragging about what he's already conquered
and Jerusalem is going to fall.
Wherefore, it shall come to pass when the
Lord has performed his whole work upon Mount
Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the
fruit of the stout heart of the king
of this area and the glory of his
high looks.
So God says, I'm using them as an
instrument, but it will come to pass that
when they come against Jerusalem, I'm through with
them and I will destroy them.
They've got this pride, this stout heart, the
heart of pride.
And so he will destroy them for he
say it.
That is the Assyrians were saying by the
strength of my hand, I have done it.
And by my wisdom, for I am exceedingly
wise.
I have removed the bounds of the people.
I have robbed their treasures.
I have put down the inhabitants like a
valiant man.
And my hand has found is the nest,
the riches of the people.
And as one gathers eggs that are left,
I have gathered all the earth and there
was none that moved the wing nor open
the mouth or peeped.
I, I shut them all up.
I destroyed them all.
There was none that could stand against me.
I've gathered the eggs.
I've, I've taken the spoils of war, but
then God speaks to them.
They have been just an instrument in God's
hand, but they are acting as though they
were it, you know, it's a glorious thing
to be used of God as his instrument.
It's marvelous when God takes your life and
uses your life as an instrument to accomplish
his work.
But, oh, how careful you have to be
that you don't get carried away by the
world and think it's because you're something special,
that you have found a new secret of
success, that you begin to boast of what
you have done, what you've accomplished as though
it was you and not God who did
it.
Paul said, what have you, but what you
have received.
If there is any value or good in
your life, it's there because God has done
it.
And if God has done it, then why
do you boast as though God didn't do
it, as though it was of yourself.
Now here, Isaiah shows how ludicrous it is
for the instrument to boast.
Shall the ax boast itself against him who
is hewing with it?
Can the ax say, look at the tree
I cut down.
The ax can't do anything.
Just lie there.
It's the strength of the guy that's wielding
the ax that brings the tree down.
The ax is only the instrument.
Or shall the saw magnify itself against him
that is using it?
The saw says, look at this giant redwood
that I just cut down.
No, the saw was only the instrument.
At best, I'm only an instrument in the
hand of God.
And it is ludicrous to boast in what
you have done.
You're nothing.
Without God, you're just lying there and can
do nothing.
It's as though the ax should lift itself
against them that lift it up.
That is turning against the one who is
lifting the rod.
Or as the staff should lift up itself
as if it were no wood.
In other words, the rod or the staff
can't do anything by themselves, but they're turning
against the one who is using them.
And that is the absolute degree of folly
is when a man used by God begins
to turn against God.
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.
And the light of Israel shall be for
a fire and his holy one for a
flame, the holy one being Jesus.
And it shall burn and devour his thorns
and his briars in one day and shall
consume the glory of his forest and all
of his fruitful field, both soul and body.
And they shall be as when a standard
bearer faints and the rest of the trees
of his forest shall be few as a
child may count them.
So few left that child.
Now talking about this tremendous Assyrian army that's
going to invade the land.
They've been God's tool, God's instrument, but now
they are boasting against God.
So their, their day of judgment is coming
when they get to Jerusalem on Mount Scopus,
as they are, they're threatening and telling all
they're going to do and saying what God
is there that can deliver from our God
and from the Assyrians.
Where is the God of Samaria?
Where is the God of Damascus and all
they weren't able to help them.
Their gods were enabled.
Neither is your God able to help you
against Assyria, but God said he's going to
destroy them.
And he did.
And there were so few left.
He said that even a child could count
the number that remained.
Now the vision of Isaiah goes from the
immediate out to the future, out to the
day of the great tribulation.
It shall come to pass in that day,
that day of the Lord, the great tribulation,
the day of judgment on the earth, 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.
God is not yet through with the nation
of Israel.
There is coming one final seven year period
in which God is going to deal with
the nation of Israel.
There were seventy-sevens determined upon the nation
Israel.
Sixty-nine of them were fulfilled from the
time the commandment went forth to restore and
rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah,
the Prince.
Sixty-nine sevens.
But there is one seven year period left
in which God is going to deal with
Israel as a nation.
That time will begin when God destroys the
invading Russian army that will soon be moving
into the Middle East and God wipes out
that invading Russian army.
At that time God will again deal with
Israel as a nation and you are entering
in at that point to the final seven
year cycle of God's dealing with the nation
of Israel which will culminate in the return
of Jesus Christ in glory.
So here he speaks of this remnant.
We read that God is going to seal
a hundred and forty-four thousand of them
and that they will be protected from the
judgments of God that will be poured out.
Revelation chapter six.
Then we also read that God will take
those Israelites that are able to survive this
remnant and he will bear them to the
wilderness where he will preserve them for three
and a half years during the final great
tribulation period.
And they will be preserved.
So this remnant God is going to deal
with the remnant of Israel, those that have
escaped of the house of Jacob and they
will not any longer trust in man but
they'll trust in the Lord, the Holy One
of Israel in truth.
And the remnant shall return even the remnant
of Jacob unto the mighty God.
They'll call upon God.
At first the nation of Israel will also
be deceived by the Antichrist for he makes
a covenant with them in which he grants
them the privileges of rebuilding their temple and
they will hail him as their Savior.
But then he will show his true colors
after the temple is built and they re
-inaugurate the worship and the sacrifices.
He will come to the temple and stop
the daily sacrifices.
He will proclaim that he is God and
demand to be worshiped as God as he
stands in the Holy of Holies.
And he sets up an image of himself
in the Holy of Holies, desecrates it completely
and at that point those Jews that are
left as he turns against the Jews to
slaughter them, those that can escape are taken
by God and preserved by God in the
wilderness, actually the area of the rock city
of Petra in Jordan.
We'll get that in a couple more chapters
here in Isaiah.
But God will preserve this remnant for that
last three and a half year period.
So the remnant shall return unto the mighty
God.
For though thy people Israel are as the
sand of the sea, tremendous number of them
all over the world, yet they're going to
be decimated and only a remnant of them
shall return.
For the consumption that is decreed shall overflow
with righteousness.
For the Lord of hosts shall make a
consumption even determined in the midst of all
of the land.
And therefore thus saith the Lord God of
hosts, O my people that dwell in Zion,
do not be afraid of the Assyrian.
He will smite you with a rod.
He will lift up his staff against you
as the manner of Egypt.
But yet a very little while and the
indignation shall cease and my anger in their
destruction.
I will destroy them in my anger and
the Lord of hosts shall stir up a
scourge for him according to the slaughter of
the Midianites at the rock of Oreb.
And as his rod was upon the sea,
so shall he lift it up as he
destroyed Egypt.
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 will be destroyed because of
the anointing, the anointing of God.
So he speaks then of the coming of
the Gentiles and we have here the progress
of the Assyrians down towards Jerusalem.
Aath is about 10 miles north of Jerusalem.
The Assyrians are coming taking Aath.
He's come to Aath, 10 miles away.
And he's passed Migron, even closer to Jerusalem.
At Micmash he hath laid his carriages, the
chariots and all.
He sort of left some of the stuff
there at Micmash as he is approaching Jerusalem.
They are gone over the passage.
They've taken up their lodging at Giba and
Rama which is just outside of Jerusalem.
Rama is afraid and Gibeah of Saul is
fled.
Just north of Jerusalem the Assyrians have moved
in already.
Lift up your voice, O daughter of Galim.
Cause it to be heard upon Laish.
O poor Anathoth, Madmina is removed.
The inhabitants of Gibbon gather themselves to flee.
As yet shall he remain at Nob that
day and shall shake his hand against the
mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill
of Jerusalem or Mount Scopus.
They'll come all the way down and they'll
be parked now on Mount Scopus.
Today Hebrew University is on Mount Scopus.
In fact we often take, when we go
to Israel, as we come into Jerusalem we
take the people first to Mount Scopus because
you have such a tremendous view of the
city of Jerusalem from Mount Scopus.
Mount Scopus is actually a continuation of the
Mount of Olives.
It goes from south to north and it's
the northern part of the continuation of the
Mount of Olives.
And it has a tremendous overview of Jerusalem.
And from Jerusalem, anywhere in Jerusalem you see
Mount Scopus there.
It's a very prominent view of Jerusalem so
that as the Assyrians now are mounting their
forces, the people realize Assyria has conquered these
other places just north of us.
And there they are.
They're setting up their camp.
They're beginning their siege of Jerusalem itself.
But the prophet said, Behold the Lord, the
Lord of hosts shall lop the bough with
terror.
God's going to cut off the branch with
terror.
The high ones of stature will be cut
down and the haughty shall be humbled.
And He shall cut down the thickets of
the forest with iron and Lebanon will fall
by a mighty one.
So God through Isaiah predicts the fall and
the judgment of God upon this invading Assyrian
force.
Now, cutting down the high ones, hewing down
the haughty, lopping off the bough, talking about
cutting down the tree, cutting off the branches
and all, a figurative sense.
But that moves right into chapter 11, the
next prophecy of the Messiah.
There shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse.
A branch shall grow out of his roots.
And in the next this next chapter, we
get our next beautiful prophecy of Jesus Christ.
And so we'll move on into chapters 11
and 12, but we're dealing with another tremendous
prophecy of Jesus, the branch out of the
root of Jesse.
Pastor Chuck Smith will return with a few
closing comments, but first I'd like to remind
you that today's message is available in its
unedited form on cassette or CD.
Simply write or call and ask for ordering
details on tape or CD number C-3246.
Again, that's tape or CD number C-3246.
Well, it's that time of year again.
It may seem innocent, but the symbols of
Halloween like black cats, jack-o'-lanterns and
trick or treat all have roots in sorcery
and Satanism.
We would never knowingly get involved with anything
related to Satan, but many Christians don't understand
what's really behind the pagan holiday.
The word for today would like to offer
you a presentation hosted by Pastor Chuck Smith
called Halloween trick or treat that traces the
pagan origins and history of Halloween.
This powerful movie uncovers the mystic rites and
ceremonies of Satan and will forever change your
opinion of Halloween.
Every year as the end of October approaches,
we are faced with the dilemma of family
and friends pressuring us to participate in the
celebration of this pagan holiday.
This documentary will definitely challenge you to decide
whether or not you'll continue to participate in
this tradition.
If you'd like more information on Halloween trick
or treat, then simply write or call and
ask one of our operators for the ordering
details.
Again, it's called Halloween trick or treat.
And right now, if you place an order,
the word for today would like to bless
you with Pastor Chuck Smith's pamphlet.
How can a man be born again?
Absolutely free.
Instead of just giving candy this year, the
pamphlet is the perfect tool for Christians to
share the gospel with loved ones and friends.
Available in both English and Spanish.
Again, it's free when you call right now.
To order Halloween trick or treat for yourself
or for a friend, you can call the
word for today at 1-800-272-WORD
or write to us at P.O. Box
8000, Costa Mesa, California 92628.
Once again, that number to call is 1
-800-272-9673.
And for those of you that would like
to visit our website, you can do so
at www.twft.com.
Or if you would like to email us,
you can do so at info at www
.twft.com.
Well, coming up next time on the word
for today, Pastor Chuck will be continuing his
fascinating study through the book of Isaiah.
That's coming up next time on the word
for today.
With our closing prayer, here's Pastor Chuck.
Father, we see the warnings that you gave
to the people by the prophet Jeremiah, trying
to get their attention in so many different
ways, forcing them to hear when they didn't
even want to hear.
And Lord, we see the tragic consequences of
their stubborn resistance to your love and to
your grace.
We see the judgment that came upon them,
even as you warned.
And Lord, we see our nation and we're
deeply concerned as we see the same kinds
of patterns developing as we have forsaken you,
the fountain of living waters, and people are
burning their incense to various gods, the gods
of the flesh, the gods of pleasure.
And Lord, we see their rebellion against you
and against your righteous laws.
And we know Lord that you are patient
and that you are long suffering, but we
also know that you are just.
Lord deliver, we pray, your children.
May we be accounted worthy to escape these
things that are going to be coming to
pass upon the earth.
May we be standing before you there around
the throne of God in your glory when
that day of judgment comes.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
This program is sponsored by The Word for
Today, the radio ministry of Calvary Chapel, Costa
Mesa, California.