The Burden against Damascus
Isaiah 17:1 – 14 “This is the burden against Damascus: “Behold, Damascus is no longer a city; it has become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they will be left to the flocks, which will lie down with no one to fear. The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the sovereignty from Damascus. The remnant of Aram will be like the splendor of the Israelites,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “In that day the splendor of Jacob will fade, and the fat of his body will waste away, as the reaper gathers the standing grain and harvests the ears with his arm, as one gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. Yet gleanings will remain, like an olive tree that has been beaten— two or three berries atop the tree, four or five on its fruitful branches,” declares the LORD, the God of Israel.
In that day men will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars they have fashioned with their hands or to the Asherahs and incense altars they have made with their fingers. In that day their strong cities will be like forsaken thickets and summits, abandoned to the Israelites and to utter desolation. For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge. Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out cuttings from exotic vines— though on the day you plant you make them grow, and on that morning you help your seed sprout— yet the harvest will vanish on the day of disease and incurable pain.
Alas, the tumult of many peoples; they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations; they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters. The nations rage like the rush of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a gale. In the evening, there is sudden terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us and the lot of those who plunder us.”
In this prophecy, Isaiah is foretelling the coming of the Assyrians. Eventually, the terrifying armies of Assyria would move relentlessly in from the East, reducing Damascus to a heap of rubble and wiping out most of Israel and Judah. The destruction will be so terrible that only handfuls of people will be left wherever the Assyrians have passed. “Yet gleanings will remain, like an olive tree that has been beaten— two or three berries atop the tree, four or five on its fruitful branches,” declares the LORD, the God of Israel.
Both Israel and Judah have been caught up in idolatry. But when the Assyrians move in, all those idols will prove worthless! Satan always only has one thing in mind: gaining power over people so that they will join him in hell. Those who refuse to reject their idols and turn to the God of Israel for deliverance will be crushed by the Assyrian juggernaut. Those who reject their idols and trust the Holy One of Israel will be spared. But Isaiah predicts that these people will be very few. Not even the rural areas will be spared. Isaiah describes farmers and vine dressers cultivating delightful plots and setting out cuttings from exotic vines only to see their work completely destroyed. The Assyrians will practice a true scorched earth policy, leaving nothing behind them.
But what’s going to happen to the Assyrians? Are they going to go free? Isaiah says, “Absolutely not!” The Assyrians themselves will be destroyed. “He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a gale. In the evening, there is sudden terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us and the lot of those who plunder us.” Here, Isaiah is describing the fate of the Assyrians. But how did this enormous empire come to grief?
“By the end of the 7th century B.C.E., this once – proud empire had been destroyed. The Assyrian Empire ruled through brutal military force, so when it showed signs of instability and weakness, its enemies seized the opportunity. A coalition of rebels and other Mesopotamian kingdoms rose up and attacked the Assyrian Empire. This resulted in what was probably one of the largest wars ever fought in the Ancient Near East, which lasted almost 20 years. When it was over, the Assyrian Empire was no more. It was utterly destroyed by several new Mesopotamian kingdoms, which would shape the region’s future in their own ways.” (https://thecollector.com/fall-of-assyrian-empire-mesopotamiankingdom/
APPLICATION: As we enter a new year, we wonder about those who committed injustices in 2022. Each of us can think of some country, some leader, some politician, or some group who spent 2022 lying, cheating, stealing, and generally causing havoc. But will these people get away with their sins? God says, “No!”
Galatians 6:7 tells us, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” My late stepmother was a highly decorated newspaper editor who had survived newsroom politics for decades. My stepmom’s favorite saying was, “What goes around, comes around.”
As I am writing this, so many situations are on my heart and in my prayers. Whenever I am about to operate, I lay hands on the patient and pray for them, their families, everybody they know, everybody in their towns, everybody in their tribes, for complete healing, for salvation and baptism in the Holy Spirit, and for peace in their areas.
Peace! Forget all the stuff exchanged at Christmas; peace is what we all need – peace of mind and heart, peace in our families, peace in our countries. When we are reading Isaiah’s prophecies, we must read them in the light of the world events that later fulfilled them. Even though Assyria appeared invincible, eventually, the Assyrian Empire was overthrown and reduced to dust. This fate awaits anything and anybody who trusts in any source of help apart from the One True Living God. Today, let us lift up all oppressors to God, begging for Him to deal with them and trusting that He will do so!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You that You are the One who keeps the books, You are the Holy One of Israel, You are our Sources of help. Let all who read these words trust in You and let them learn that You are wholly trustworthy. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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