Isaiah 33:1-12
33 Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered;
And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!
When you cease plundering,
You will be plundered;
When you make an end of dealing treacherously,
They will deal treacherously with you. (Isaiah 33:1)
“you who plunder” - Though the immediate reference is to Assyria (2 Kin. 19:32–37), the prophecy looks beyond Assyria to any power that sets itself against Israel.[1]
32 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of:
‘He shall not come into this city,
Nor shoot an arrow there,
Nor come before it with shield,
Nor build a siege mound against it.33 By the way that he came,
By the same shall he return;
And he shall not come into this city,’
Says the Lord.34 ‘For I will defend this city, to save it
For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’ ”35 And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 37 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
The “he” here is Senacherrib,, King of Assyria. But in a larger sense this refers to anyone who would set themselves against God and his people. That does for Israel in this context, as well as for the more generic people of God in the new covenant. It may be that such dealings and do not occur in a timely fashion as far as people are concerned; but they will happen. The promises of God are sure and certain.
It is interesting that this is the way that Isaiah wins his pronouncement of this the sixth “woe” that he has pronounced among the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. [2] He is finishing it off with the announcement of final judgment and devastation upon the very instrument that He is using to judge! This is a marked difference between others whom God has chosen, and the those who stand as the ones whom God has not chosen. The Assyrians are a tool in the hands of God. This sounds incredibly calloused too many. They simply cannot get their minds around the idea that God is not “fair”. What they fail to realize lies in two directions:
- First, what we see in this illustration, the illustration of Israel and Assyria, demonstrates perfectly the fact that God is entirely fair. Both Assyria and Israel, insofar as what they received in this life had received much more, and much better than they deserved. God was far more generous and far more merciful to both of them than they had coming! So the issue here it is not one of fairness. God is not treating the Assyrians unfairly.
- Secondly, God is God and we’re not. What I mean by that is that He is not accountable to any outside standard or outside authority either for what He does or for what He chooses not to do. Once again, this rubs we human beings the wrong way! We don’t like authority to be independent or to not be accountable. But that is exactly what God is. He accounts to no one. And that does not sit well with us.
The judgments on Israel in this chapter stand in contrast to the judgments that shall come upon the nations in the next chapter. We ought to note that the setting of both is during the Tribulation Period. [3]
A. This chapter is an admitted puzzle to most commentators.
Eusebius seems to have been the first to apply it to the day of judgment and the end of the world.
- Michaelis and Gill alone limit the prediction to the coming of the Antichrist.
- Kidner (p. 608) admits it refers to “other kinds” besides that of Isaiah’s own day.
- Alexander (II, p. 19) follows Calvin in suggesting that the prophecy “extends both to the past and the future … (including) … the destruction of the antichrist.”
- Barnes, Delitzsch, Leupold, and Young all interpret this prophecy as having to do with the fall of Assyria after its aborted siege of Jerusalem.
- Sennacherib is then viewed as the one who breaks the covenant in verse 8. [4]
While the passage certainly has some parallels to the Assyrian invasion, it extends so far beyond it that even Young (II, p. 421) admits the messianic nature of the king in verse 17 and in the closing verses of the chapter. To fail to see the invasion of the Antichrist as the subject of the opening verses of the chapter is to miss its entire point! While he is not named as such in the passage, we should remember that he is only called by that designation in a few passages (I Jn 2:18,22; 4:3; II Jn 7). Compare the “man of sin” (II Thess 2:1–12) with the “woeful king” (Dan 11:36–45).
Thus, thee that spoilest and was not spoiled is a reference to the Antichrist and his kingdom. Israel is pictured as crying out to the Lord for His grace so that He might be their salvation (yeshū˓athenū, deliverance, the word coming from the derivative of the name Joshua or in Greek, Jesus).
The time of trouble refers to the Tribulation Period. It will be during this time that the Jewish people will finally recognize that Jesus is their Messiah and turn to Him for salvation (cf. Zech 12:10; 13:6; Rom 11:26; Ezk 36:24–29; 37:11–14; Rev 11:1–19; 12:10–17).
The invading army is likened unto an insect horde of locusts that shall cover the land of Israel. The only thing that shall sustain the Jewish people during this awful invasion is the wisdom and knowledge … of salvation. Having turned to Christ as their Savior, the converted Jewish nation shall be sustained through this terrible time of the Tribulation by a renewed personal relationship with the God of salvation.
The valiant ones (˓erelam) should be translated “heroes,” rather than “inhabitants of Ariel.”
The ambassadors of peace would refer to those who have attempted to keep the very delicate balance of peace in the world. They are weeping bitterly because they now realize that their attempts have been futile.
The fact that the highways lie waste is an indication of the complete devastation that results from the invading horde.
He hath broken the covenant … he regardeth no man is certainly reminiscent of Daniel 9:27, which refers to the Antichrist. Note that Daniel, living many years after the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions, still sees a time in the distant future when the Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel. It is to this same covenant that Isaiah refers in this passage. The one who had promised to uphold and defend Israel now turns against her during the Tribulation Period. A converted Israel was never part of his plan; and, therefore, he breaks his covenant (beriyth) and turns against her.
Lebanon … Sharon … Bashan … Carmel refer to the most fertile regions of Israel, which now lie in devastation. When all looks hopeless and Israel is convinced that she cannot save herself or depend on her alliance with the “spoiler,” then God decides to move.
Now will I rise … be exalted … lift up myself. Each of these action verbs begins with the Hebrew letter aleph. They clearly indicate the idea that after a period of inactivity, God will stand up to act in history.
“Exalt” is the same verb that Isaiah later uses of the exaltation of the ervant of the Lord (52:13). Instead of further destroying the people of God, the prophet reminds the invader that his breath, as fire shall turn and destroy him.
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