The Book Of Isaiah. Day 19, The Invading Army

After pronouncing a series of woes upon the people for their sins, the Lord now predicts the coming invasion of an enemy army. He makes it clear that this is His doing as judgment for their sins. No enemy could stand against the nation if the people had remained faithful to the Lord.

"Therefore the Lord's anger burns against His people; His hand is raised and He strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the street. Yet for all this, His anger is not turned away, His hand is still upraised." (Isaiah 5:25) This conflict will not be a short one. It won't be a matter of one defeat in in one short battle. Invasion, siege, and war are coming. Captivity and deportation are coming. As the Lord will tell the prophet Jeremiah, the captivity in a foreign land will last approximately seventy years.

"He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, He whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!" (Isaiah 5:26) The nation of Judah, before it finally fell to the Neo-Babylonian Empire, was troubled by various other nations during the years of its spiritual decline. We will study some of these events as we proceed through the book of Isaiah. The northern kingdom of Israel conspired with neighbors to attack Judah. The Assyrians were a continual threat. Even after the people are allowed to return to the land, they will be plagued over and over by enemies as they rebuild, as we will see later in the Old Testament. 

Judah's enemies are powerful and well-equipped to withstand a long war or a long siege. "Not one of them grows tired or stumbles, not one slumbers or sleeps; not a belt is loosened at the waist, not a sandal strap is broken. Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses' hooves seem like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind. Their roar is like that of the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to rescue. In that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, there is only darkness and distress; even the sun will be darkened by clouds." (Isaiah 5:27-30)

The enemy will sweep in like floodwaters covering the ground. The enemy will be like a swarm of locusts darkening the skies above. The enemy will be like a lion that stalks its prey, snatches it, carries it off to its lair, then roars over it in triumph.

Although a human army will be the instrument of the Lord's discipline, we must keep in mind that He is the true enemy. We don't often think of the Lord as an enemy but that is what He will be to us if we reject Him. If we love and serve the Lord, He is the best friend we could ever have. But if we refuse to recognize Him as Lord, we are in essence declaring war against Him. He is holy and righteous; He cannot bless sin and He cannot reward sin. He can only judge sin, and that is exactly what He will do. It is our choice: will we be the friend or the enemy of God?