Isaiah 33:1 says, Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. This chapter relates to the same events as foretold in the previous chapters. This would be the distress of Judah and Jerusalem by the invasion of Sennacherib’s army and the destruction of the Assyrian army. The Assyrians had been proud of defeating Israel and having them under their power, thinking they would always be the destroyers. Isaiah said they were about to feel the woe of being the ones who were destroyed. People of the world may take pride in defeating Christians today and believe that they are too powerful to be destroyed, but woe is coming to them when Jesus Christ returns in victory if not before.
Verse two adds, O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. Isaiah called on God to be gracious to or merciful on those who had waited for Him to bring them victory over their enemies. This prayer would be from the remnant that remained true to God. When we feel that the world is overpowering us as followers of Christ, we need to be patient and never lose our faith in God. We should also go to Him in prayer and ask for His protection. We will never be defeated spiritually if we do.
Verse three continues, At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered. Isaiah said when the Assyrian army encountered the angel of the Lord, that those who heard the sounds of war that were not killed fled. When God’s judgment comes, those who have rejected Jesus Christ will hear the coming destruction, but there will be nowhere that they can flee to.
Verse four concludes, And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them. The spoils that the people of Assyria had gathered would be scattered and gathered up by the people of Jerusalem. Instead of destroying the people of Jerusalem, the Assyrians were going to provide them with goods. The things that people gather in the war against God will always be taken from them. This will happen when Jesus Christ returns if it doesn’t happen before.
Verse five states, The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. Isaiah said that the Lord Who lived on high was exalted and He had filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. If we are to have fair judgment and righteousness in the world today, it must be because we acknowledge God Who lives high above us and Who alone can bring fair judgment and righteousness. Our judgment of others can neither save nor condemn them, nor will our righteousness ever be enough to save us. We must accept God’s gift of salvation by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and must give Him all the glory.
Verse six adds, And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure. Isaiah said faith in God’s judgment and righteousness would bring about stability in the lives of His people and would be the strength of their salvation. He also said the fear of the Lord was His treasure, but I believe that fear for the Christian means an overpowering awe for God and not a cowering before Him because we are afraid He is going to zap us.
Verse seven continues, Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. This refers to the ambassadors sent by Hezekiah who were disappointed in the haughty attitude of those they were looking to for help. Isaiah said that all those who put their faith in anyone or anything other than God would weep bitterly. Those who considered themselves to be ambassadors of peace would be included in this time of weeping. If we are looking to people of the world to bring peace, we are going to be left weeping bitterly when God’s judgment comes. There can never be spiritual peace outside of God’s will, much less worldly peace.
Verse eight says, The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man. During this time, people would be afraid to travel the highways because the ones who the people of Israel thought would help them had no regard for the covenant they made with them. If we are looking to someone other than God for direction and strength, we may find ourselves afraid to venture out into the world. Anyone or anything else that we are looking to for assurance of peace will ultimately fail us.
Verse nine continues, The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. The earth itself was affected by this situation. There was nothing good coming out of the land itself. When we turn away from God, we should not expect Him to continue to bless the land.
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