How do we develop faith that doesn’t fear? There are many things we can fear in life. There is a stubborn pandemic. When we work, we fear tat we are not doing enough or being good enough. As students, we fear that we will fail exams or will not be able to get a job. There are also fears that we will not be married or that we will marry the wrong person.
Tonight’s text directly addresses how we develop and maintain faith in the face of fear, a faith that overcomes fear. In this text, God’s people face an Assyrian invasion. God tells them “be not afraid”. Let’s read these words and find in them both an encouragement and a challenge to us!
(A) “Be Not Afraid”: God’s people face fear with faith
Thus far, we have read of how Israel and Syria have formed an alliance and came up against Judah (Isa 7:1-2). Ahaz was worried when he heard this news. In 2 Ki 16:7-9, we read of how Judah went to seek the help of Assyria to deal with this Israel-Syria alliance.
God responds that He will not let what they fear happen (Isa 7:5-9). But Ahaz displays a lack of faith and God says that Assyria will eventually head toward Judah too (c.f. Isa 7:10-17). God doesn’t merely address them separately but addresses all of them together and says that He will judge them (Isa 9:8-12). This judgment will be by Syrians on the east and Philistines on the west (Isa 9:12a).
We are reminded that God is sovereign over all the geopolitical events! He is working out multiple purposes and is working behind all things, even though they may not be able to understand all things at this point.
Yet, God also says that a remnant will return (Isa 10:20). God’s main message is in Isa 10:24. God was assuring them that they did not need to fear what the Assyrians were about to do. This verse begins with “therefore thus”, showing that preceding verses are reasons not to be afraid. These verses after also flesh out why they did not need to be afraid.
God provides them reasons for them to not be afraid, and He was drawing from past experiences as well as looking to the future to comfort them. The verses from isa 10:20-27 seem to feature 2 speakers and Isa 10:20-23 and Isa 10:25-27 are like 2 speakers playing different parts of the same song. Isa 10:24 is what you hear when you’re positioned between the 2 players — you don’t hear the exact same music, you hear different parts of the melody that, heard together, make for a richer song.
We will go on to unpack these verses in greater detail, but before we delve into the individual parts of the song, let’s step back and consider the reason that God has structured the text this way. If you’ve ever felt like God is distant and leaves us to confront our fears alone, this passage shows us that God is not like that. God has carefully laid out reasons for us trust Him in the face of fear. He arranges and structures these reasons in a manner to help us see the point more fully! His gives us His Word, which produces faith in us. And we never need to feel like He has left us unequipped to face our fears.
Isa 10:20-23 seems to speak about events that will happen in the future, in “that day”. In that day, “the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more…” and they will “no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel” (Isa 10:20). The remnant of Israel will stop leaning on Assyria, and instead return to the LORD in truth. We see repentance at work here, where they will no longer trust in their own schemes and in earthly powers, and will instead trust God and live out the covenant they know.
God’s people are characterized by their repentance: They turn from false worldly assurances, comforts, and lean on Him in truth. And God promises to preserve His covenant people. When we look at our own lives, we may also lean on false supports and we often lean on whatever we can get our hands on. It could be something as simple as watching a drama or something more sinister like working harder. When we repent, we stop leaning on these and instead turn to lean on God. It could be a scary transition but it is a necessary and important one. When we turn to lean on God, we are turning to lean on a covenant-keeping God, the most trustworthy, reliable, and steadfast support.
Isa 10:21-22a also say that “a remnant will return….” and “for though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return”. In Gen 22:17, God had promised that Abraham’s descendants will be as numerous as the sand of the sea. They might have assumed that everyone will return but God is careful to state that not all will.
How can this be faith in the face of fear? How can this be a comfort? We see that God’s comfort is realistic and honest. He doesn’t just promise things in a simplistic manner. At the same time, we learn that God is still in control. He is the mighty God and will not fail to rescue His people. God’s promise to Abraham does not ultimately fail – it is fulfilled in an unexpected way as a part of His sovereign plan.
How are we clinging on to God’s promises, trusting even though He may be working it out in a way that we do not expect? Do we expect a rosy and comfortable life, one that doesn’t have difficulty? In our churches, small groups, do we ever feel afraid because people don’t reply to our texts, don’t seem to want to come for church, or even leave the faith altogether? Do we assume that this means that God is not in control and Jesus isn’t shepherding and keeping His sheep? We don’t have to be surprised or afraid when ministry doesn’t pan out the way we expect or hope. God is a mighty God, He is sovereign, nothing happens outside of His plan. We can continue to plant and water, knowing that He is the one who causes the growth. While we will often grieve when we see those we love fall away, we need not be afraid. Jesus will guard all His sheep, and not lose a single one.
Again, how does this match up against our conceptions of God’s comfort? When we believe that all things work out for our good, do we equate that with a rosy and comfortable life? When God promises to richly provide for all our needs, do we expect Him to give good grades, a well-paying job and a happy family? God may not fulfill His promises in the way we expect, but He will fulfill them.
Isaiah goes on to write in Isa 10:22b-23 that “destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness … for the LORD God of Hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth”. God’s people might wonder if God will only judge Israel and Judah and allow the Assyrians to get away scot-free. But this verse reminds us that God is still in control and all things go according to His plan! God will judge and will act against evil! He will not let the wicked go away unpunished.
Thus in these verses, God gives 3 reasons for faith in the face of fear:
(1) He is covenant-keeping God who is reliable.
(2) Even though He many not keep His promises the way we expect, He will keep them.
(3) He will, one day, righteously judge all the Earth.
The next set of verses in Isa 10:25-27 provide us with more reasons to trust God. This time, Isaiah writes in a way that prompts the people to think about God’s past actions. In Isa 10:25, we read that God’s fury will come to an end and His anger will be directed to their destruction. God’s anger will shift from Israel to the Assyrians and though empires come and go, behind them all is the hand of God. God acts and is in control.
As Ps 103:8-12 reminds us, God’s anger will not last forever. He will not completely destroy them because of His covenant. Though we may not understand, we can take heart that God is in control and is working out His plans. When we feel like we are under the anger of God, we can trust that He does not completely destroy His people. There is a restoration at the end of it. We who are in Christ have a bigger assurance that there is now no condemnation for all who are in Christ! Trust in God’s character even though we don’t know the reason for all things. God is working out His bigger plans and purposes!
God will also wield against them a whip (Isa 10:26). Assyria is being treated as the whip that passes through Israel. They terrify Israel but now, God will wield against Assyria a whip (Isa 28:15, 18-19). God is beginning to turn the situation around. In Isa 10:26, Isaiah makes a reference to the striking of Midian at Oreb, a reference to how God granted Israel under Gideon a victory over their enemy in Jud 7:24-25. Isaiah also refers to the Exodus in Exo 14:15-16, 28-31 with the mention of God’s staff. God will deliver them as He did in the Exodus (Isa 10:26) and he is calling them to remember that God will act for HIs people. God will also remove the burden and yoke from them (Isa 10:27).
Has God given us good reason to trust Him when where is good reason to fear? God’s people can choose to trust Him instead of being afraid because He has previously shown Himself to be faithful. He has proven His covenant-faithfulness. When the odds seem stacked against them, He acts for them. This situation will be no different.
Has God shown Himself faithful and trustworthy in your life? Has He given you good reason to trust Him when there is every reason to fear? God has given us Christ, His son. There is no greater reason to believe that He loves us. There is no greater reason for faith in His promises. When He says that He will sustain us and present us blameless, provide for our every need, be with us till the end of the age, build His church, we know He will keep these promises. Because He has paid the highest price to liberate us from sin, we know He will give us all things: We need not fear anyone or anything.
Thus these verses give us additional reasons to not fear. His anger against His people will not last forever, and He will rescue them as He has done before.
(B) “Behold, the LORD God of Hosts”: Our faith is in the LORD of Power
Isa 10:25-28 describe Assyria’s advance. The names of the locations are largely enroute from the North towards Jerusalem. Each city listed is nearer and nearer to Jerusalem and is probably meant to convey impending and unstoppable nature of Assyria’s arrival. Each city that the Assyrians pass by are terrified. And it suggests that Jerusalem, being the ultimate destination of the Assyrians’ march, should also be terrified. There is clear and present danger. Each city that the Assyrians past by terrify Judah more!
Yet, how is God being described in Isa 10:33-34? We’ve just read of how Assyria is terrifying and here, God is described in a way that shows us who is really in charge. He is the LORD God of hosts, who lops the boughs with terrifying power.
Isaiah responds in faith to what has been laid out in Isa 10:20-27 and also Isa 10:28-32. Assyria can only shake his fist at Jerusalem. In contrast, God will act in a way that can cut down thickets and bring down tall trees. Using a similar picture to what was previously describing the Assyrians in Isa 10:15-16, God will now bring them down because of their pride! For all of Assyria’s might and the terror struck in the hearts of the cities, he will never defeat Jerusalem but only shake his fist at it. God will humble all who are proud, including Assyria. The lofty Assyrians are brought low. It doesn’t matter how many there are. They may the thickets of the forest, but they will be felled by the Lord who wields an axe. In fact, they were the original axe that God used, an agent of God. But because they boasted over the LORD who wielded them, they now become the trees who will themselves be hewn down.
Our God is full of power. He makes promises and keeps them. Can we hold up what we are afraid of against God truths, and see how we are to live?
For those of us who fear failure at work or school, have we been trying to live up to our own standards of success? Are we afraid of not having enough? Have we leaned on our boss’ appraisals and our ability to work for significance? God, in His power, made us and defined us, saved us from our sins. He confers us our significance. He promises us that He will provide for us and invites us not to fear.
For those of us who feel like our ministries are failing, people are falling away, have we leaned on our own abilities to counsel and care for people, or on the latest discipleship program? God is the one with power to cause growth, and Jesus has promised to guard His sheep, and never lose a single one.
For those of us who fear the effects of the pandemic, have we leaned on our ability to take precautions to protect ourselves and our loved ones? Do we believe that we are ultimately in control over when we, our loved ones, live and die? God has assured us that not a hair falls from our head apart from His will.
These verses force us to pause and consider what we are really placing our trust in? The mighty God, the Lord of hosts, calls us to trust Him. Let us behold Him in His power and trust that He will not abandon His people. The things we are afraid of may cause us real harm, devastate a part of our lives. At the end of it all, only a remnant may remain but we can trust that He will and we do not have to be afraid.
This mighty God also invites us to trust Him, by beholding Him in His power. Trust in His promise to never abandon His people despite the great harm and suffering that we do experience. All these things we are afraid of must ultimately bow the knee before the LORD God of Hosts. He sovereignly limits the things that hurt us. He may use other sinners, even the proud and very wicked, to discipline us, but they are not themselves exempt from punishment. In His timing, He will rescue and liberate them. As we behold His might, we can find comfort in His gentle words: "be not afraid"