The LORD’s Razor

Ahaz is the king of Judah as we look at this passage of Scripture.  According to Second Kings chapter sixteen Ahaz was  a young man of twenty years of age when he began to reign.  He also did not follow the path of David, and “Did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God”.  He followed the path of the kings of the Northern kingdom.

Ahaz had even “Made his son pass through the fire, according tot he abominations of the nations whom the LORD cast our from before the children of Israel” 2 Kings 16:3 (NKJV).  That means that Ahaz sacrificed his son in the fires of worship to Molech, the god of the Moabites.  Is it any wonder that YHWH became angry with the sins of Judah.

Here is the judgment that was to follow:

“In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.  And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.

In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River–with the king of Assyria–the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.

In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey.

In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns.  With bow and arrows a man will come thre for all the land will be briers and thorns.  And as for the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.  Isaiah 7:18-25 (ESV).

The “In that day” statements are of a future day for Israel of that day.  They do however continue until Jesus Christ the Messiah comes and makes all things new.  “The LORD will whistle for the fly” is picturesque of a  man calling a dog.  It is as though the Lord calls the fly to Judah to become a nuisance to them.  A fly is also an insect that comes around uncleanliness, death, and stinch.  Of course the fly here is representative of Egypt coming to carry the people away into captivity.

Assyria is noted for being beekeepers, thus they would be the ones coming to carry away people into captivity as well.

No part of the land of Judah was going to be inaccessible to the foreign invaders.  The steep ravines, rock clefts, pastures, thorns would all be places the enemy would find for rest. 

When God judges the sins of His people He judges completely.  When His people sin they should know it.  If they are ignorant of their sin He will inform them, then it is up to them to repent and turn back to the Lord.  It is so sad that we live in an era of time when many preachers are not even preaching for the revelation of sins curse and damage to the body of Christ.  We hear much more about the goodness and love of God, and how good we are.  God will not hold us guiltless for not proclaiming the whole counsel of God and His Word.  There will be a judgment day.

The day came to Judah when the land became desolate.  It was no longer and agrcultural land, ie., growing fruits, vegetables, crops of the field.  It became almost desolate, and deserted.  Overrun with briers and thorns.  Three times in verses 23 – 25 we read about the “Briers and thorns”.  “That wherever there could be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it will be briars and thorns” (v. 23).  “With arrows and bows men will come there, because all the land will become briars and thorns” (v. 24).  “You will not go there for fear of briars and thorns” (v. 25).

There will be an abundance of milk, because there will be no need to till the land, be no way of doing so.  The people who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.  It was a time of great poverty.  The places where there should be a vineyard are places for hunting – the men with “arrows and bows”.  It will be a place for cattle and sheep to graze on what there is to graze.

The land of Judah had been a wealthy land.  It was during the time of Ahaz, but poverty was on its way.  Those of us who live in the good old USA let us not be so haughty to think that poverty may not be right around the corner for us.  You can laugh if you will, but this country is in the hands of the Almighty God, and with a snap of His fingers the Stockmarket could crash overnight.  No matter what the financial experts say.  They have no control of our economy, but God does.  God has give us ample warnings and we only attribute the warnings to weather, or disease, or being born that way.  We are the United States of America.  We love our freedom too much to let anything serious happen.  A bridge in Minneapolis, MN. collapsed last night (08/01/07 p.m.).

Be alert God is in control.  He is good.  He also is holy, righteous and just.  He will not allow sin to dominate and control His people.  He will judge sin completely.