Pruning for the Remnant

Isaiah 10:16-34

16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
Will send leanness among his fat ones;
And under his glory
He will kindle a burning
Like the burning of a fire.

17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire,
And his Holy One for a flame;
It will burn and devour
His thorns and his briers in one day.

18 And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field,
Both soul and body;
And they will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest
Will be so few in number
That a child may write them.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
Will never again depend on him who defeated them,
But will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God.
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
A remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

23 For the Lord GOD of hosts
Will make a determined end
In the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: "O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. 25 For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction." 26 And the LORD of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.

27 It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

28 He has come to Aiath,
He has passed Migron;
At Michmash he has attended to his equipment.
29 They have gone along the ridge,
They have taken up lodging at Geba.
Ramah is afraid,
Gibeah of Saul has fled.

30 Lift up your voice,
O daughter of Gallim!
Cause it to be heard as far as Laish—
O poor Anathoth!

31 Madmenah has fled,
The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge.
32 As yet he will remain at Nob that day;
He will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
The hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord,
The LORD of hosts,
Will lop off the bough with terror;
Those of high stature will be hewn down,
And the haughty will be humbled.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

The pruning of God’s people was like clearing the forest and burning away the chaff of the harvest.  He used the Assyrians to do some of that work by invading Israel, but also promised to draw them back to Himself as He drew the attackers away.  He would prune with fire to consume the horns and useless briars that only cause pain and chocked out the good growth of His people.  In the process both soul and body of His people would be consumed in that refining fire, the ‘glory of his forest and of his fruitful field.’  Ah, but the remnant who passed through the trial by fire learned not to depend on the powerful conquerors like Assyria but on ‘the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.’  God desires that His people worship in spirit and truth and rely on Him alone for life and godliness (John 4:23-24, 2 Peter 1:3) and not lean on worldly powers for security, provision, or fruitfulness.  This was the lesson to the remnant of Israel and also to we who are the remnant of all called through the gospel to the narrow road which few find (Romans 11:5, Matthew 7:13-14, Luke 13:23-24).  The remnant of Israel is abut a small group determined by God out of the larger nation numbered as the sand of the sea as promised to Abraham as descendants.  This elect group includes the nations of that number outside of Israel but still within the nations through Abraham through the same faith in the Lord.  Together we are the remnant who are chosen and called out by and to Himself.  Like God’s people then, we are also not to fear the enemy because they will be destroyed in the final judgment where righteousness will overflow the destruction by grace.  We are called to trust in God alone through Christ alone by His grace alone in that certain hope of His calling (Ephesians 1:18).  Our spiritual yoke of sin has been broken and the yoke of our oppressors will follow as pictured in the Lord’s dealing with the Assyrian onslaught.  He will humble the haughty and bring them down but lift up the humble who have trusted in Him.  Such is the case with those now trusting in the Branch, the Messiah who we now know as Jesus.  Our victory is in Him alone (1 Corinthians 15:57), not the chariots and horses of a nation or government.  Here is the pruning of the remnant in hope.  Amen.