What will you do on the day of reckoning when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth? What will you do on the day of reckoningThis phrase refers to a future time of judgment, often associated with the "Day of the Lord" in biblical prophecy. In the context of Isaiah, it speaks to the impending judgment on Israel and Judah due to their disobedience and idolatry. The "day of reckoning" is a time when God holds nations and individuals accountable for their actions. This concept is echoed in other scriptures such as Joel 2:1-2 and Zephaniah 1:14-18, where the day of the Lord is described as a time of darkness and distress. when devastation comes from afar?
The devastation mentioned here is likely referring to the Assyrian invasion, which was a significant threat to Israel and Judah during Isaiah's time. Historically, the Assyrians were known for their military prowess and brutal conquests, which brought destruction to many nations. The phrase "from afar" emphasizes the foreign nature of the threat, highlighting the reach and power of the Assyrian empire. This serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty in using foreign nations as instruments of judgment, as seen in Habakkuk 1:6. To whom will you flee for help?
This rhetorical question underscores the futility of relying on human alliances or false gods for deliverance. In Isaiah's time, Israel and Judah often sought help from neighboring nations like Egypt, rather than turning to God. This is a recurring theme in the prophetic books, where reliance on anything other than God is shown to be inadequate (Isaiah 31:1). The question challenges the reader to consider their own sources of security and to recognize that true help comes only from the Lord (Psalm 121:1-2). Where will you leave your wealth?
This phrase highlights the temporary and insecure nature of material possessions in the face of divine judgment. In times of crisis, wealth cannot provide safety or salvation. This is a common biblical theme, as seen in Proverbs 11:4, which states that riches do not profit in the day of wrath. The question serves as a warning against placing trust in material wealth, urging a focus on spiritual riches and a relationship with God, as emphasized in Matthew 6:19-21. Persons / Places / Events 1. IsaiahThe prophet who delivered God's message to the people of Judah and Israel, warning them of impending judgment due to their disobedience and injustice. 2. Judah and IsraelThe divided kingdoms of God's chosen people, who were often warned by prophets like Isaiah about their unfaithfulness and the consequences thereof. 3. AssyriaThe foreign nation used by God as an instrument of judgment against Israel and Judah, representing the "devastation from afar." 4. Day of ReckoningA time of divine judgment and accountability for the people's actions, emphasizing the seriousness of God's justice. 5. WealthSymbolizes the misplaced trust and false security of the people, who relied on material possessions rather than God. Teaching Points The Inevitability of Divine JudgmentGod's justice is certain, and a day of reckoning will come for all. We must live with an awareness of this truth and align our lives accordingly. Misplaced Trust in WealthMaterial possessions cannot save us in times of divine judgment. Our trust should be in God alone, not in the temporary security of wealth. Seeking Refuge in GodIn times of trouble, we must turn to God for help and refuge, rather than relying on our own resources or other people. The Call to RepentanceIsaiah's warning serves as a call to repentance. We must examine our lives, turn from sin, and seek God's forgiveness and guidance. Eternal PerspectiveWe are encouraged to live with an eternal perspective, focusing on spiritual wealth and treasures in heaven rather than earthly gains. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the concept of a "day of reckoning" challenge your current lifestyle and priorities? 2. In what ways might you be tempted to rely on wealth or material possessions for security? How can you shift your trust to God? 3. Reflect on a time when you faced a "devastation from afar." How did you respond, and what did you learn about seeking refuge in God? 4. How can the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21 help you develop an eternal perspective in your daily life? 5. What steps can you take to ensure that you are prepared for the "day of reckoning" and living in alignment with God's will? Connections to Other Scriptures Amos 5:18-20Amos also speaks of the "day of the LORD," a time of darkness and judgment for those who are unprepared. Proverbs 11:4This verse highlights that wealth is useless on the day of wrath, emphasizing the futility of relying on material riches for salvation. Matthew 6:19-21Jesus teaches about storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth, aligning with the message of misplaced trust in wealth. Hebrews 10:31This verse speaks to the fearsome nature of falling into the hands of the living God, echoing the theme of divine judgment. People Anathoth, Assyrians, Egyptians, Isaiah, Jacob, Laish, Oreb, SaulPlaces Aiath, Anathoth, Arpad, Assyria, Calno, Carchemish, Damascus, Egypt, Gallim, Geba, Gibeah, Hamath, Jerusalem, Laishah, Lebanon, Madmenah, Michmash, Midian, Migron, Mount Zion, Nob, Ramah, Samaria, ZionTopics Afar, Desolation, Destruction, Devastation, Disaster, Flee, Glory, Honour, Inspection, Leave, Punishment, Riches, Ruin, Run, Storm, Sudden, Visitation, WealthDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 10:3 5413 money, attitudes
5503 rich, the
5976 visiting Isaiah 10:1-3 5178 running
5350 injustice, hated by God
5931 resistance
8792 oppression, God's attitude Isaiah 10:1-4 5504 rights
9250 woe 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 ScriptureNob. 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 Links Isaiah 10:3 NIVIsaiah 10:3 NLTIsaiah 10:3 ESVIsaiah 10:3 NASBIsaiah 10:3 KJV
Isaiah 10:3 Commentaries
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