TRUST WORTHY God’s Remnant: WORD

20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

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

Rashi

A remnant will return—The remnant of them will return to the Holy One, blessed be he.

The mighty God who demonstrated his might against Sennacherib.

And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field.” ISA 7:3

Rashi

And Shear-jashub your son—The small remnant that will return to me through you, and they are like your sons.

At the end of the conduit—There you will find him. תְּעָלַת is fosed a ditch in O.F.

The upper pool—A type of gathering of water that is made for fish.

Upper—On the incline of the mountain, and there is one below it at its base.

The Washer’s Field—A field in which the washers spread out laundry to dry. So did Jonathan render this. Our Rabbis expounded that Ahaz humbled himself before Isaiah and placed on his head a washer’s utensil, i.e., he inverted a vessel on his head i.e., a perforated vessel used by the washers, with which they sprinkle water on the clothing.

5 For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Rashi

For to us a child is born—Although Ahaz is wicked, his son who was born to him many years ago nine years prior to his assuming the throne to be our king in his stead, shall be a righteous man, and the authority of the Holy One, blessed be he, and his yoke shall be on his shoulder, for he shall engage in the law and observe the commandments, and he shall bend his shoulder to bear the burden of the Holy One, blessed be he.

And his name shall be called—The Holy One, blessed be he. who gives wonderful counsel, is a Mighty God and an Everlasting Father, called Hezekiah’s name, “the prince of peace,” since peace and truth will be in his days.

Sanhedrin 94a:11

The verse states: “Therefore shall the Master, the Lord of hosts, send among his stout warriors [mishmanav] wasting sickness” (Isa 10:16). What is the meaning of the phrase “send wasting sickness among his stout warriors”? The meaning is that the Holy One, blessed be he, said: Let Hezekiah, who has eight [shemona] names, come, and exact retribution from Sennacherib, who has eight names. The Gemara elaborates: The eight names of Hezekiah are as it is written: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:5). The Gemara asks: But isn’t there an additional name, Hezekiah? The Gemara explains: That was not a given name; rather, it is an appellation based on the fact that God strengthened him [ḥizzeko]. Alternatively, he was called Hezekiah due to the fact that he strengthened the devotion of the Jewish people to their Father in heaven.

12 The people did not turn to him who struck them,

nor inquire of the Lord of hosts. ISA 9:5, 12

Rashi

To him who struck them—To the Holy One, blessed be he, who brings these afflictions upon them.

And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved,” ROM 9:27

but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. ACT 26:20

22 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness.

Rashi

For though your people—The prophet says to Hezekiah, Though your people are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them that return to do good, will wash away the destruction sentenced to come upon them, and prevent it from coming, through the righteousness with which they will behave.

Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? GEN 18:25

Avodah Zarah 4a:15

The Gemara continues discussing the manner in which God metes out punishment. Rabbi Abba Bar Kahana says: What is the meaning of that which is written as part of Abraham’s prayer to God, when God informed him that He was going to destroy Sodom: “Far be it [ḥalila] from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked” (Gen 18:25)? This is what Abraham said before the Holy One, blessed be he: Master of the universe, it is a sacrilege [ḥullin] for you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked.

Rashi

Far be it from you—It is a profanation (חוּלִין) of yourself. People will say, “That is what he usually busies himself with: He destroys every one, righteous and wicked alike”—and thus did you indeed do to the generation of the flood and to that of the dispersal of nations (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 8).

Such a thing—Neither this nor anything like it (Bereishit Rabbah 49:10).

Far be that from you—In the world to come.

Shall . . . the Judge of all the earth—The “hey” of הֲשֹׁפֵט is punctuated with a chataf pattach because the words express a question: Shall he who judges not do true justice?!

11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”

And he said:

“Until cities lie waste

without inhabitant,

and houses without people,

and the land is a desolate waste,”

Rashi

How long will they make their heart heavy and not listen?

And he said—I know that they will not repent until retribution comes upon them and they go into exile, and the cities will lie waste without inhabitants.

Is a desolate waste—An expression of solitude, without an inhabitant.

13 And though a tenth remain in it,

it will be burned again,

like a terebinth or an oak,

whose stump remains

when it is felled.

The holy seed is its stump. ISA 6:11, 13

Rashi

And though a tenth remain—And when they are diminished to one out of ten (Rashi ms.) even upon this remnant will I return my hand as a purge after a purge, and it will be burned until only completely righteous men will remain, who will repent wholeheartedly.

Like a terebinth or an oak which, at the time of their casting, when they cast off their leaves during the fall, one casting after another casting, until nothing is left in it except the stump, they too, the holy seed found in its midst, adhering to their holiness, they will be to me as the stump; another explanation of מַצַּבְתָּהּ is: its planting. Therefore, I will not destroy them, for I planted them as holy seed. Some explain that there was the gate of Shallecheth in Jerusalem, as it is stated in Ezra (1Ch 26:16, written by Ezra), and there, terebinths and oaks were planted.

because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. ACT 17:31

John Gill

Because he has fixed a day—The day of judgment is fixed by God in his eternal purposes, and is sure and certain, and will come, though it is not known by men or angels; and this is a reason why God will have the doctrine of repentance everywhere published, both to Jews and Gentiles, since all must come to judgment: and the day for it is appointed by him,

On which he will judge the world in righteousness—The whole world will be judged, and every individual in it, good and bad, righteous and wicked; and this judgment will be a righteous one; it will proceed according to the strict rules of justice and equity, and upon the foot of the righteousness of Christ, as that has been received or rejected by men, or as men are clothed with, or are without that righteousness:

By a man whom he has appointed—Beza’s ancient copy reads, “the man Jesus”: not that the apostle means that Christ is a mere man; for then he would not be fit to be a judge of quick and dead, and to pass and execute the definitive sentence; which requires omniscience and omnipotence: but preaching to mere Gentiles, he chose not at once to assert the deity of Christ, though he tacitly suggests it: but intended, by degrees, to open the glories of his nature and office to them, he being the person God had from all eternity appointed, and in time had signified, should have all judgment committed to him, and by whom the last judgment shall be managed and transacted:

And of this he has given assurance to all—Or full proof, both of his being the judge, and of his fitness to be one, and also of the righteousness, according to which he will judge:

By raising him from the dead—Whereby he was declared to be the Son of God; and when all power in heaven and in earth was given to him; and which was done for the justification of all those for whose offences he was delivered: and this seems to be the reason why the apostle calls Christ the judge a man, that he might have the opportunity of mentioning his resurrection from the dead.

But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. ROM 2:5

23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.

Rashi

A full end—You shall see that the Holy One, blessed be he, executes upon the wicked, and you shall humble yourselves and return to him.

26 This is the purpose that is purposed

concerning the whole earth,

and this is the hand that is stretched out

over all the nations.

Rashi

Over all the nations—Over Assyria in its time and over Babylon in its time.

27 For the Lord of hosts has purposed,

and who will annul it?

His hand is stretched out,

and who will turn it back? ISA 14:26-27

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ROM 1:6-7

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ROM 8:28, 31

24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did.

25 For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.” ISA 10:20-25

You will say in that day:

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,

for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away,

that you might comfort me.” ISA 12:1

Isaiah spoke this prophecy after God had already pronounced judgment on his people because of their pride, arrogance, self-centeredness, and acts of social injustice. To bring judgment on Israel, God used a different nation: Assyria. God would then punish Assyria as well because of their wickedness and refusal to turn to him. However, God showed his faithfulness in preserving a remnant for himself from Israel. Today, we will look at some things we can learn from the judgment on the people of God.