Isaiah 10:19 Study Bible: The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.

◄ Isaiah 10:19 ►

The remaining trees of its forests will be so few that a child could count them.

The remaining trees of its forests
This phrase refers to the aftermath of God's judgment on Assyria, symbolizing the once-great power reduced to insignificance. In biblical context, trees often symbolize strength and prosperity (e.g., Psalm 1:3). The forests of Assyria, representing its military might and resources, will be decimated. This imagery is consistent with the prophetic theme of divine retribution against nations that oppose God's people, as seen in other prophetic books like Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

will be so few
The emphasis here is on the drastic reduction of Assyria's power and resources. Historically, Assyria was a dominant empire known for its vast armies and wealth. The prophecy indicates a complete reversal of fortune, aligning with the biblical principle that pride and oppression lead to downfall (Proverbs 16:18). This serves as a warning to all nations and individuals about the consequences of arrogance and injustice.

that a child could count them
This hyperbolic expression underscores the extent of Assyria's downfall. In ancient cultures, children were often seen as lacking the capacity for complex tasks, so the imagery of a child counting the remaining trees highlights the ease with which the remnants can be numbered. This connects to the broader biblical theme of God using the weak and humble to confound the strong and wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). It also foreshadows the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom, where the seemingly insignificant will prevail through divine intervention.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book that bears his name. He prophesied during the reigns of several kings of Judah and is known for his messages of judgment and hope.

2. Assyria
A dominant empire during Isaiah's time, known for its military prowess and conquests. Assyria is often depicted as an instrument of God's judgment against Israel and other nations.

3. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which Isaiah primarily addressed. Judah faced threats from surrounding nations, including Assyria.

4. The Remnant
A recurring theme in Isaiah, referring to the small group of Israelites who remain faithful to God and survive His judgments.

5. The Forest
Symbolically represents the strength and multitude of a nation, in this context, Assyria. The imagery of a forest being reduced to a few trees signifies a drastic reduction in power and influence.

Teaching Points

God's Sovereignty Over Nations
Isaiah 10:19 illustrates God's control over the rise and fall of empires. No nation is beyond His reach or judgment.

The Power of God's Judgment
The imagery of a forest reduced to a few trees serves as a stark reminder of the severity of God's judgment against pride and arrogance.

Hope for the Faithful Remnant
Even in judgment, God preserves a remnant. This offers hope and assurance to those who remain faithful amidst trials.

The Futility of Human Pride
Assyria's downfall is a cautionary tale against pride and self-reliance. True security is found in humility and dependence on God.

Counting the Cost of Disobedience
The reduction of the forest to a countable number of trees symbolizes the consequences of turning away from God. It encourages self-examination and repentance.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the imagery of a forest reduced to a few trees in Isaiah 10:19 reflect God's judgment on Assyria, and what can we learn about His sovereignty over nations?

2. In what ways does the concept of a remnant in Isaiah 10:19 provide hope for believers today, especially in times of widespread unfaithfulness?

3. How can the downfall of Assyria serve as a warning against pride and self-reliance in our personal lives and communities?

4. What parallels can you draw between the judgment of Assyria in Isaiah 10 and other biblical accounts of God's judgment on nations or individuals?

5. How does the theme of a faithful remnant in Isaiah connect with the New Testament teachings on grace and salvation, particularly in Romans 11?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Isaiah 37
This chapter describes the eventual downfall of Assyria, fulfilling the prophecy of their diminished power.

2 Kings 19
Provides a historical account of Assyria's invasion and God's deliverance of Jerusalem, illustrating the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies.

Romans 11
Paul speaks of a remnant chosen by grace, echoing Isaiah's theme of a faithful remnant preserved by God.

Sermons

Man in His Folly and God in His Righteousness	W. Clarkson	Isaiah 10:5-19
Assyria an Instrument of Vengeance	J. Parker, D. D.	Isaiah 10:5-34
Nations Instruments in the Hands of God	J. Parker, D. D.	Isaiah 10:5-34
O Assyrian	Prof. J. Skinner, D. D.	Isaiah 10:5-34
Our Assyria May be the Forces of Nature	Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.	Isaiah 10:5-34
Our Assyria May be the World	Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.	Isaiah 10:5-34
The Judgment of the World Power	Prof. J. Skinner, D. D.	Isaiah 10:5-34
Judgment and Conversion	E. Johnson	Isaiah 10:16-23

People

Anathoth, Assyrians, Egyptians, Isaiah, Jacob, Laish, Oreb, Saul

Places

Aiath, Anathoth, Arpad, Assyria, Calno, Carchemish, Damascus, Egypt, Gallim, Geba, Gibeah, Hamath, Jerusalem, Laishah, Lebanon, Madmenah, Michmash, Midian, Migron, Mount Zion, Nob, Ramah, Samaria, Zion

Topics

Child, Forest, Forests, Remainder, Remnant, Rest, Trees, Wood, Writing, Yea, Youth

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Isaiah 10:12-19

5606 warfare, nature of

Isaiah 10:18-19

4448 forests

Library

Light or Fire?
'And the Light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.'--ISAIAH x. 17. With grand poetry the prophet pictures the Assyrian power as a forest consumed like thistles and briers by the fire of God. The text suggests solemn truths about the divine Nature and its manifestations. I. The Essential Character of God. Light and Holiness are substantially parallel. Light symbolises purity, but also knowledge and joy. Holiness …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Nob. Bahurim.
That Nob was placed in the land of Benjamin, not far from Jerusalem, whence Jerusalem also might be seen,--the words of the Chaldee paraphrast, upon Isaiah 10:32, do argue. For so he speaks; "Sennacherib came and stood in Nob, a city of the priests, before the walls of Jerusalem; and said to his army, 'Is not this the city of Jerusalem, against which I have raised my whole army, and have subdued all the provinces of it? Is it not small and weak in comparison of all the fortifications of the Gentiles, …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Covenanting Predicted in Prophecy.
The fact of Covenanting, under the Old Testament dispensations, being approved of God, gives a proof that it was proper then, which is accompanied by the voice of prophecy, affording evidence that even in periods then future it should no less be proper. The argument for the service that is afforded by prophecy is peculiar, and, though corresponding with evidence from other sources, is independent. Because that God willed to make known truth through his servants the prophets, we should receive it …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

If Then the Prophets Prophesied that the Son of God was to Appear Upon The...
If then the prophets prophesied that the Son of God was to appear upon the earth, and prophesied also where on the earth and how and in what manner He should make known His appearance, and all these prophecies the Lord took upon Himself; our faith in Him was well-founded, and the tradition of the preaching (is) true: that is to say, the testimony of the apostles, who being sent forth by the Lord preached in all the world the Son of God, who came to suffer, and endured to the destruction of death …
Irenæus—The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

His Holy Covenant
"To remember His Holy Covenant; to grant unto us that we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, should serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all our days."-LUKE i. 68-75. WHEN Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, he spoke of God's visiting and redeeming His people, as a remembering of His Holy Covenant. He speaks of what the blessings of that Covenant would be, not in words that had been used before, but in what is manifestly a Divine revelation …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

The Instrumentality of the Wicked Employed by God, While He Continues Free from Every Taint.
1. The carnal mind the source of the objections which are raised against the Providence of God. A primary objection, making a distinction between the permission and the will of God, refuted. Angels and men, good and bad, do nought but what has been decreed by God. This proved by examples. 2. All hidden movements directed to their end by the unseen but righteous instigation of God. Examples, with answers to objections. 3. These objections originate in a spirit of pride and blasphemy. Objection, that …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, K ING OF K INGS AND L ORD OF L ORDS T he description of the administration and glory of the Redeemer's Kingdom, in defiance of all opposition, concludes the second part of Messiah Oratorio. Three different passages from the book of Revelation are selected to form a grand chorus, of which Handel's title in this verse is the close --a title which has been sometimes vainly usurped by proud worms of this earth. Eastern monarchs, in particular, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Humility is the Root of Charity, and Meekness the Fruit of Both. ...
Humility is the root of charity, and meekness the fruit of both. There is no solid and pure ground of love to others, except the rubbish of self-love be first cast out of the soul; and when that superfluity of naughtiness is cast out, then charity hath a solid and deep foundation: "The end of the command is charity out of a pure heart," 1 Tim. i. 5. It is only such a purified heart, cleansed from that poison and contagion of pride and self-estimation, that can send out such a sweet and wholesome …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Purposes of God.
In discussing this subject I shall endeavor to show, I. What I understand by the purposes of God. Purposes, in this discussion, I shall use as synonymous with design, intention. The purposes of God must be ultimate and proximate. That is, God has and must have an ultimate end. He must purpose to accomplish something by his works and providence, which he regards as a good in itself, or as valuable to himself, and to being in general. This I call his ultimate end. That God has such an end or purpose, …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

A Discourse of the House and Forest of Lebanon
OF THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LEBANON. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. That part of Palestine in which the celebrated mountains of Lebanon are situated, is the border country adjoining Syria, having Sidon for its seaport, and Land, nearly adjoining the city of Damascus, on the north. This metropolitan city of Syria, and capital of the kingdom of Damascus, was strongly fortified; and during the border conflicts it served as a cover to the Assyrian army. Bunyan, with great reason, supposes that, to keep …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Providence of God
Q-11: WHAT ARE GOD'S WORKS OF PROVIDENCE? A: God's works of providence are the acts of his most holy, wise, and powerful government of his creatures, and of their actions. Of the work of God's providence Christ says, My Father worketh hitherto and I work.' John 5:17. God has rested from the works of creation, he does not create any new species of things. He rested from all his works;' Gen 2:2; and therefore it must needs be meant of his works of providence: My Father worketh and I work.' His kingdom …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Concerning Christian Liberty
CHRISTIAN faith has appeared to many an easy thing; nay, not a few even reckon it among the social virtues, as it were; and this they do, because they have not made proof of it experimentally, and have never tasted of what efficacy it is. For it is not possible for any man to write well about it, or to understand well what is rightly written, who has not at some time tasted of its spirit, under the pressure of tribulation. While he who has tasted of it, even to a very small extent, can never write, …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

And for Your Fearlessness against them Hold this Sure Sign -- Whenever There Is...
43. And for your fearlessness against them hold this sure sign--whenever there is any apparition, be not prostrate with fear, but whatsoever it be, first boldly ask, Who art thou? And from whence comest thou? And if it should be a vision of holy ones they will assure you, and change your fear into joy. But if the vision should be from the devil, immediately it becomes feeble, beholding your firm purpose of mind. For merely to ask, Who art thou [1083] ? and whence comest thou? is a proof of coolness. …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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