v 33 But look! The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will chop down the mighty tree of Assyria with great power!
He will cut down the proud. That lofty tree will be brought down.
We read last week of Israel and Syria conspiring to attack Judah and Jerusalem, but now more significant and powerful enemies are on the doorstep. The Assyrian invasion is all set up – and they are formidable foes. Their armies had made quick work of Israel, the northern Kingdom, and we now find them massing on the border and ready to move against Jerusalem. In the human scale of events the outlook is utterly bleak – we can easily imagine King Hezekiah looking at his resources and fearing the worst. But Isaiah has a bigger picture in his mind; God’s resources far outweigh anything the Assyrians can muster. The Assyrian Empire is no more than another tree in the forest and when God puts His axe to it, the outcome is in no doubt. The Lord will consume Assyria’s glory like a fire consumes a forest in a fruitful land; it will waste away like sick people in a plague. (v 18)
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