Isaiah

Isaiah 10: God rules proud Assyria

Begin in prayer

Before we watch a great empire boast against God, let us acknowledge His rule. Ask the Lord to show our family His justice and teach us to rely on Christ alone.

He will cut off the spirit of princes. He is feared by the kings of the earth.

Psalm 76:12

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us Your rule over rulers and the mercy You give the remnant. Teach us to trust Jesus with humble hearts. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

God condemns laws that rob the poor, widows and the fatherless of justice. He sends Assyria as the rod of His anger against a profane nation. The Assyrian king boasts that he conquers by his own strength and treats Jerusalem like the kingdoms of idols. God will punish that pride and burn the empire’s glory until only a few trees remain. A remnant of Israel will return to the mighty God and stop leaning on the one who struck them. The army approaches Jerusalem, yet the Lord Himself will cut down the tall trees of its power.

As you read Isaiah 10, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God judges proud Assyria and brings His remnant back to Himself.

A rod acts in the hand that holds it, which makes Assyria’s boasting as absurd as an ax boasting against its user. God sends the empire to judge, while its king intends destruction for his own glory. The king remains guilty for the proud purpose in his heart. God’s sovereignty never turns that evil intention into innocence. The promised remnant will lean on the LORD, who is greater than the empire that struck them. Paul cites this promise to show that God saves a remnant within Israel (Romans 9 verses 27 and 28). The final march brings the threat close enough to shake a fist at Jerusalem. God answers by felling the lofty forest Himself.

How does Isaiah 10 show us that God judges proud Assyria and brings His remnant back to Himself?

God judges injustice among His people.

The decrees deprive the needy of justice and make widows and orphans prey. Wealth cannot provide a hiding place when God visits in judgment. The lawmakers will fall among prisoners and the slain.

God will punish the empire He uses.

Assyria is a tool in God’s hand while imagining itself master of every kingdom. Its king takes credit for strength and wisdom God controls. The Lord will punish that proud heart after accomplishing His work on Zion.

God brings a remnant back to the mighty God.

Israel’s numbers cannot prevent the determined destruction. Those who escape will depend upon the LORD alone. God will turn His anger toward Assyria’s destruction and remove its burden.

Memorise

A remnant will return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

Isaiah 10:21

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, do I boast in my own strength, or do I depend on Jesus?

The proud king pictures himself gathering nations like eggs from an abandoned nest. God asks, “Should an ax brag against him who chops with it?” The conqueror is accountable to the Lord who rules him.

That justice also condemns our pride. Jesus humbled Himself and paid His people’s debt of sin through His death on the cross. Raised from death, He lives as the mighty Savior they need. His saving work is finished, and nothing is missing from the redemption He accomplished.

Turn from boasting and rely on Christ. Ask for the mercy your strength cannot earn. In Him every believer receives forgiveness and a secure place among God’s people. The mighty God brings His remnant home, and no proud empire can overthrow His purpose.

Parent's note

Tell your children that God rules Assyria while holding its king responsible for his pride. The remnant depends on God’s mercy, not its numbers. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that He overrules proud rulers and preserves His remnant, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Matthew 24:31

Sovereign Lord, thank You that no ruler can boast beyond Your authority. Please humble us and turn us to Jesus for mercy. Turn us from using strength to oppress others. In the coming week, help us depend on You and give You the glory. Amen.