Will the axe boast against him who hews with it? Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it? As if a rod could sway him who lifts it, or a staff him who is not wood! Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts, will send among his fat ones leanness, and instead of his glory there will be kindling like the kindling of fire.
Today's passage from the Book of Isaiah may require some explanation. Assyria was for many centuries the most powerful nation in the Mideast, but it was also terrified of its neighbors. So it was all the more militaristic and merciless toward them. It cultivated warriors who took pleasure in butchering men, women, and children; and rewarded savagery with wealth and honor.
Our people, the Jews of Israel and Judah, lived in terror of the day when Assyria would strike. The Hebrew prophets did not hesitate to threaten them with Assyrian invasion if they flouted God's covenant with its laws, ethical principles, and religious rituals. They also promised God's protection to God's faithful against all enemies, including the other superpowers in Egypt and the Tigris-Euphrates basin.
In today's passage, Isaiah describes God's judgement of Assyria following the invasion of the northern kingdom of Israel. Although he had sent Assyria to punish his people, they had presumed that their easy conquest of a smaller nation was due to their superior prowess, weapons, and resources. They discounted the LORD who had handed his unfaithful nation over to them. Their boasting and gloating were patently absurd. Isaiah declared that God would punish Assyria as he punished Israel.
Isaiah’s mission is to announce, “The LORD is God.” He oversees everything that happens, and often intervenes in human affairs. You remember Isaiah’s astonishment upon seeing a vision of God in the temple; we heard that reading on Saturday. He saw clearly that our God is God of all nations, and not just Judah and Israel. The Lord’s actions may be as obvious as earthquakes, plagues, drought, and floods; or they might be subtle like a ruler's loss of nerve or the irritating songs of children.
Many people today suppose, “If there is a god, there shouldn't be.” Their attitude is not unlike that of Assyria. The God of Jews and Christians should only butt out of human affairs and let us manage it. But it doesn't take a weatherman to recognize how human management of the Earth and its people has gone catastrophically wrong. Some cynics regard the human being as a plague upon our planet, a disease which the Earth must finally destroy.
Christians cannot assume that attitude. Our God sends us as prophets to speak to our fellow earthlings and remind them of God’s benevolent sovereignty. Our daily prayers and weekly worship reveal to the eyes of faith the Lord of Heaven and Earth as he dies upon a cross. His outstretched arms welcome every human being regardless of their crimes. We stand before his cross and under his judgement for our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Confident of his mercy we welcome his fatherly gaze even as we fear for our foolish neighbors who ignore the Lord. And we warn them of Isaiah’s ironic question, “Will the axe boast against him who hews with it? Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it?”
You think your success is yours? You are sorely mistaken.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.