Woe, you destroyer never destroyed, you traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, they will betray you. Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for you. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble. The peoples flee at the thunderous noise; the nations scatter when you rise in your majesty. Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered; people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts. The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. There will be times of security for you — a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure… “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord. “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted… “For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us.” (Isaiah 33:1-6, 10, 22 CSB)
We have reached our final “woe” of this section of Isaiah. All of the previous declarations have been against specific nations. However, this declaration of “woe” – declaration of God’s judgment – is not against a particular nation. While it does appear to be directly attributable to Assyria, its general nature makes it attributable to anyone who fits this description. What description? The “destroyer never destroyed” and the “traitor never betrayed.” In other words, those who ignore God’s laws, thumb their noses at His commandments and righteous authority and seem to get away with it. Notice the outcome, “When you have finished, you will be destroyed.. they will betray you.”
Anyone who defies the LORD and His Word will be held accountable. Yes, Sennacherib will get what’s coming to him and so will we.
Let me begin with a bit of background information. We’ve been discussing the impending Assyrian attack upon Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, for quite some time. Egypt’s help in staving off the attack was useless and the enemy is on his way. In a last ditch effort to save his neck and his people, Hezekiah has stripped the city and temple of most of its “treasures” and has sent them to Sennacherib in an attempt to buy peace. Sennacherib takes the gift, but doesn’t back down. Now the Assyrian army is encamped outside Jerusalem’s city gates and he has vowed to destroy the city and its entire population (see II Kings 18:13-35). Hezekiah and the people have nowhere else to turn but to the LORD God.
Listen to Hezekiah’s prayer: “Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: Lord God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you are God — you alone — of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. Listen closely, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see. Hear the words that Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God. Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but made by human hands — wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. Now, Lord our God, please save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are God — you alone.” (2 Kings 19:15-19 CSB)
That is a prayer of despair, contrition, repentance and of faith. Hezekiah realized he had been wrong, all this time. He had tried everything humanly possible to save his country, his beloved city – Jerusalem, his people and even his own neck. But everything he had tried, completely and utterly failed. Hezekiah was out of options. Well, he was out of all reasonable options. What do I mean by unreasonable? Simply put, unreasonable means that it doesn’t make sense according to human logic. Isn’t it ironic that we tend to view God as the unreasonable option. The source of logic and reasoned response is considered unreasonable. At least He is until we reach the point of hopelessness and despair.
Listen to the people’s response: “LORD, be gracious to us! We wait for you. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble.” Not only has king Hezekiah been praying with a heart of contrition, repentance and trust but so are the people of Jerusalem. This is a cry of dependence, trust and the for LORD’s grace upon them. Will God answer? These people, the king and the general populace alike, have trusted in everything and everyone except the LORD. Why should they expect God’s help, now? Why should the LORD hear and respond favorably to their prayers? Because of who He is and because of His deep love and compassion for us. As I mentioned last week, God is patient and long suffering and He doesn’t want anyone to perish because of His judgment. He wants us to turn to Him, to trust Him, to cry out to Him in humble need for His help.
“You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 CSB)
“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 CSB)
And God does respond to their cries: “The peoples flee at the thunderous noise; the nations scatter when you rise in your majesty. Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered; people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts. The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. There will be times of security for you — a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets; the messengers of peace weep bitterly.” (Isaiah 33:3-7 CSB)
I love that phrase, “the nations scatter when You rise in Your majesty.” Do you know that look when Momma has had enough? Do you recognize that tone in Dad’s voice when he has grown weary of the backtalk? Boy, I do! Do you hear it in Isaiah’s words? The nations scatter when God rises up in ALL of His majesty, glory and power. When God gets up off of His throne, watch out! Something big is about to happen. When He gets up in response to His people’s prayers, Assyria has no chance. Listen to me folks, when He gets up in response to our prayers nobody stands a chance. Catch this: “The fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.” The reason we don’t see the power of God’s hand moving in our churches is that we do NOT live with the fear of the LORD as our treasure.
When we learn to live in the fear of the LORD we will never live in fear of anything else, ever again.
So, what does it take to get God to respond to our needs? Humble, contrite repentance, absolute trust in Him and His word and obedience to His commands. To live with a holy fear of the LORD God, of His righteous power and His just judgment. The people of Jerusalem and king Hezekiah were at a crossroads. Everything they had tried to do to save themselves, failed. The Assyrian army was encamped outside the city gates. Isaiah put it this way: “The highways are deserted; travel has ceased. An agreement has been broken, cities despised, and human life disregarded.” (Isaiah 33:8 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/isa.33.8.CSB) Sennacherib had taken their silver and gold and then turned his army loose on them. But… wait. What’s this I see? I see a humble people falling to their knees, crying out in humble repentance before God. And what about God? Well… HE is on the move!
You see, Jesus is not just the humble, lowly and meek Lamb of God. He is also the righteous, mighty and just Lion of Judah! He suffered and died as that meek and lowly Lamb of God to bring our redemption, but He has risen from that grave victoriously as the MIGHTY Lion of Judah to bring justice and judgment upon those who refuse to bow before Him. Now that His people have fallen in contrite repentance before Him, He rises up to respond to their need: ““Now I will rise up,” says the Lord. “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted.” (Isaiah 33:10 CSB)
Oh church! Do you want to know His power? Do you want to see His glory? Do you want His majesty to be on full display in our worship? Then fall to your knees in humble, contrite repentance and tremble before His righteous power and just judgement. Recognize that your efforts at saving yourselves is nothing more than conceiving chaff and giving birth to stubble (see v. 11).
Everything we try and do to bring purpose and meaning to our lives apart from God is nothing but chaff and stubble that will be burned up in God’s just and righteous judgment. God’s not measuring your success by how big your house is, how much wealth you’ve accumulated, how popular you are on social media, how many accolades and achievements you’ve garnered from men. He’s measuring you based on your humility, fear of and trust in Him and obedience to His word. Note this: “The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the ungodly: “Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?” (Isaiah 33:14 CSB)
What can we bring before God as a sacrifice that won’t be consumed by the altar fire? This is that same word we’ve seen before, Ariel – the altar hearth. Who can dwell or live on the altar hearth? Can you or your goodness survive the fire of God’s judgment upon the altar hearth? In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul tells us that we are to build our lives in such a way that they honor God. The foundation upon which life must be built is Jesus Christ. No other foundation can sustain us and provide a life that is worthy to present before God, on the altar hearth. As we build, we build with various materials or “works” that we do before God. Some are worthy, many are not.
“According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved — but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15 CSB)
In our focal passage, Isaiah asks who can dwell on that altar hearth and not be consumed by the flames? Then he answers, “The one who lives righteously and speaks rightly, who refuses profit from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots and shuts his eyes against evil schemes — he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses, his food provided, his water assured.” (Isaiah 33:15-16 CSB) The only one who can survive that fire of God’s judgment on the altar hearth is the righteous One.
I’m not righteous, but Jesus is. I can’t survive life on the altar hearth. My actions are not holy enough to withstand the judgment of God’s purging fire. But He is! When Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, refused to bow to the king’s image (see Dan. 3) and trust God for deliverance, they were saved from the fire by one who looked like the “Son of Man”. That’s my hope. My goodness will be burnt up in the flames on God’s altar hearth, but Jesus’ goodness and righteousness will not.
Finally, Isaiah lays out for us in specific detail the One who will save us: “For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us.” (Isaiah 33:22 CSB) He will judge us based on His righteous life and the law/commands He gave, because He is our King. He alone can save us. He alone can give us life and the godliness that can endure the fire of His own judgment. He alone is our salvation and our life. He even tells us: “our ropes are slack; they cannot hold the base of the mast or spread out the flag.” In other words, we are unable to achieve this victory in and of ourselves and He alone can provide and sustain it.
So, let me close by asking who you depend on for life? Yourself? Your own goodness? Are you hoping that you’ve done enough good to offset the bad you’ve done? Let me be blunt, your goodness won’t survive His purging fire of judgment. If you depend on those things, you will stand empty handed before God with no means of justifying your life. But if you trust Jesus, He will stand up with you. He will step into that fire with you and you’ve nothing to fear. If you will fall before Him in humble, contrite repentance and seek His mercy and forgiveness then you will find that His grace is poured out upon you – covering you in Jesus’ righteousness. Then He will reach down and pull you up, to stand up and to walk with Him as your Judge, Lawgiver and King. He will save you!
When that happens, the final words of this chapter will be true for you, too: “The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.”
Come walk with us…
Hilltop Baptist Church - Shawnee, OK 
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