"'Now will I arise,' says the Lord. 'Now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up. You conceive chaff, you give birth to straw; your breath is a fire that consumes you. The peoples will be burned to ashes; like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze.'" (Isaiah 33:10-12) Whenever the Bible uses the expression "the peoples" it is usually a reference to the heathen nations and tribes, not a reference to the descendants of Jacob.
Most scholars believe the passage above is directed toward the Assyrian Empire whose soldiers the Lord intends to strike down when they camp outside the gates of Jerusalem. Word of how the Lord supernaturally strikes down 185,000 enemy soldiers in the middle of the night will spread far and wide, testifying to His existence, testifying to His awesome power on behalf of those who call themselves by His name. Because of this, He says, "You who are far away, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge My power!" (Isaiah 33:13)
The things the other nations hear about Almighty God should be enough to cause them to fear Him, to seek His favor, and to turn away from their useless idols. In addition, it should be enough to cause any backslidden or idolatrous descendants of Jacob to recommit their hearts and lives to Him. We don't know how much of an effect the news of His mighty power has on the pagan people of that era but this next verse tells us how some of the people in Jerusalem react when their consciences begin to trouble them at the mighty display of the Lord's power. "The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: 'Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?'" (Isaiah 33:14)
When the descendants of Jacob who have backslidden or who have fallen into idolatry witness the way the Lord decimated the enemy army, their hearts will be struck with fear. The hearts of foreigners living in Jerusalem will be struck with fear as well. A God who can do what He did to the enemy army---to the idolatrous and sinful army---can do the same to them. This is not a God to be trifled with. This is a God who is holy and who demands holy living of those who want to join themselves to Him. These conscience-stricken people cry out in dismay something like, "Who can deal with a God like this? His judgment is like a consuming fire! His wrath will burn us up!"
This statement is true for anyone who refuses to repent and acknowledge Him as Lord. But the Lord makes a way of escape from judgment! If they will repent and make Him the Lord of their lives and walk in His ways (with His help, of course, because no one is perfect), they will be the recipients of abundant living in this world and in the eternal life to come. The one who can stand before Him and not be consumed is the one like this: "Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil---they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be in the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty and view a land that stretches afar." (Isaiah 33:15-16)
The words in verses 15 and 16 are not proclaiming a salvation by works. Salvation has never been by works but by faith. All the way back in Genesis we learned that Abraham's faith was accepted as righteousness; the Lord imputed to him that which he lacked in his frail mortal abilities. Abraham was not a sinless man and the Scriptures relay some of his mistakes to us. But Abraham was saved by faith and when we accept the Lord on faith and make Him our King, He enables us to resist many of the temptations that this world throws at us. When we mess up, He imputes a righteousness to us that we do not have on our own when we admit our fault to Him and ask for His mercy and forgiveness. Our faith is what enables us to stand in His presence and not be consumed. Our faith is what will enable us to "see the King in His beauty" someday.
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