The First Chastisement, Invasion by Syria and Philistia (Isaiah 9:8-12).
Analysis.
· The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it has lighted on Israel (Isaiah 9:8).
· And all the people will know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, who say in proudness and stoutness of heart (Isaiah 9:9).
· “The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stone” (Isaiah 9:10 a).
· The sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars” (Isaiah 9:10 b).
· Therefore Yahweh will set up on high against him, the adversaries of Rezin, and will stir up his enemies (Isaiah 9:11).
· The Syrians in front and the Philistines behind, and they will devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still (Isaiah 9:12).
In ‘a' the Lord's word comes against Israel, and in the parallel it is brought about. In ‘b' their hearts are high against Yahweh and in the parallel acts highly against them. In ‘c' their comparative claims are stated in parallel.
‘The Lord sent a word into Jacob,
And it has lighted on Israel,
And all the people will know,
Even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria,
That say in proudness and stoutness of heart,
“The bricks are fallen,
But we will build with hewn stone,
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will change them into cedars”.'
Here we see ‘the zeal (jealousy) of Yahweh of hosts' revealed in another way as the sovereign ‘Lord' acts against Israel with the purpose of bringing them back to Himself after they have turned to other gods and rejected the covenant, and their kings have done evil in the sight of Yahweh. His powerful and effective word has gone out against them, bringing about events that have destroyed their buildings and denuded their forests. But they spurn His warning. They vaunt themselves, and in response to disaster declare that they are not concerned, for they will make things better than before. Their attitude is that they do not need Him. But they have forgotten with Whom they are dealing. Spurning His word can only lead to further judgment.
‘Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria.' Ephraim was the largest tribe in Israel and often used to depict the whole. Samaria was Israel's capital city.
‘Proudness.' Exalting themselves and choosing their own way. ‘Stoutness of heart' (arrogance) indicates self-sufficiency and unwillingness to respond to another or be dependent on them. They had no time or place for God.
‘The bricks are fallen' may refer to an earthquake or to houses demolished in war, either way it was the judgment of Yahweh, but they ignored the warning and rose above the situation. The cutting down of the sycamores is mentioned because they also were presumably cut down by an enemy, an act of great enormity. Trees were usually preserved, even by an enemy (Deuteronomy 20:19-20), but not by Assyria (Isaiah 37:24). But even this had not prevented Israel from rising again on their own, without help. They are seen as being proud of their endurance and durability, and unwilling to respond to Yahweh's pleas.
‘Therefore Yahweh will set up on high against him,
The adversaries of Rezin,
And will stir up his enemies,
The Syrians in front and the Philistines behind,
And they will devour Israel with open mouth.
For all this his anger is not turned away,
But his hand is stretched out still.'
This prophecy probably came early in Isaiah's ministry as it refers to the Syrians as attackers, and this must presumably be before they were crushed by Assyria. It was therefore one of the first of Isaiah's warnings to Israel, seeking to bring them back to obedience to the covenant. They would have to face both the enmity of Assyria and the enmity of their neighbours. The situation would seem to be that of Assyria (the adversaries of Rezin, king of Syria) approaching from the north to attack Syria, (and thus being the main cause of what followed), and Syria and Philistia joining in alliance, against them, and seeking to persuade Israel to join them. They appear to have invaded Israel successfully for they are depicted as devouring Israel with open mouth. This may well have been what resulted in Pekah's revolt against Pekahiah (2 Kings 15:25) with the result that he then joined the alliance, which would finally prove disastrous for Israel. Pekah was ‘the son of Remaliah' mentioned earlier (Isaiah 7:1; Isaiah 7:5; Isaiah 7:9).
‘For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.' Compare Isaiah 9:17; Isaiah 9:21; Isaiah 10:4 and Isaiah 5:25. These may originally all been part of one prophetic word, but not necessarily so. A good phrase is worth using again and again. But if they were once part of one prophecy they have been deliberately separated into two and brought into use to illustrate Isaiah's current message. They indicate a series of attempts by Yahweh to win back Israel, which failed because of their obstinacy, resulting in His anger against them increasing. And thus His hand was still stretched out against them.