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The Yoke Shall Be Destroyed Because o​f The Anointing (Christ)

Isa 10:27  And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
Isa 10:28  He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:
Isa 10:29  They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.
Isa 10:30  Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.
Isa 10:31  Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
Isa 10:32  As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
Isa 10:33  Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
Isa 10:34  And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

The Lord is informing His Israel how He is using Assyria and Babylon to punish His Israel for their sins. Then after He has used Assyria and Babylon to punish His people, then He will use His people to "take away from off [our] shoulder... and... neck... the yoke" of the lies, the false doctrines, and the bondage of Assyria and Babylon, which comes with those heresies.

He will do so, "because of... by reason of... [and] through the anointing". What is this 'anointing'?

This is the only 'anointing' which can and does deliver "from off [our] shoulder, and... from off [our] neck.. the yoke" which is the bondage of the lies of Assyria and Babylon".

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Being "bound... broken hearted... captives [in] prison" is indeed a great "yoke", upon the shoulders of those who are in bondage to all the lies of the kings of Assyria and Babylon.

However, that deliverance comes only through Christ and His Christ, as Christ made clear with these two statements:

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Christ informs us that Isa 61:1 is a prophecy of Himself, but then He also tells us this of 'Himself':

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Christ was anointed by His Father to break the yoke of Assyria and Babylon, and Christ has sent us to do the same, with the same 'anointing'.

Isa 10:12  Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

"The yoke" we bear is "the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of His high looks" which rule over our proud carnal minds for so long. We are literally slaves to our own pride and our desire to preserve that pride and fit in with all the traditions of men. Those who have been there and who have come out from that bondage, know best just what it means to have that yoke taken off their necks and shoulders, "because of the anointing", because of the Truth of the words of God which are the spirit and which are that 'anointing':

1Jn 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1Jn 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
1Jn 2:20  But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

The Greek word translate as 'unction' is:

G5545
χρίσμα
chrisma
khris'-mah
From G5548; an unguent or smearing, that is, (figuratively) the special endowment (“chrism”) of the Holy Spirit: - anointing, unction.
Total KJV occurrences: 3

It means "anointing", and it is so translated just five verses later:

G5545
χρίσμα
chrisma
Total KJV Occurrences: 3
anointing, 2
1Jo_2:27 (2)
unction, 1
1Jo_2:20

1Jn 2:26  These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
1Jn 2:27  But the anointing [G5545: chrisma] which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man ["them that seduce you"] teach you: but as the same anointing [G5545: chrisma] teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

It must be pointed out that "you need not that any man teach you", is not referring to the teachers God has "set in the church":

1Co 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29  Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

All of our years spent in bondage to the kings of Assyria and Babylon are a work of our own Creator who is humbling us through "them that seduce [us]" and in delivering us out of that seduction, is qualifying us to be used as kings and priests in His service:

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.

It is a great privilege to be given to know the very mind and plan of our own Creator. It is in His mercy and His honor toward us that we are told:

Isa 10:27  And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

It is "because of the anointing" upon Christ's Christ, His anointed, that the yoke of our enslavement to the doctrines of Assyria and Babylon "shall be destroyed". The destruction of "his burden" is in no way connected to anything we have done by our own might or power. That is the very spirit and doctrine being revealed and prepared for destruction in the kings of Assyria and Babylon.

This is what is NOT true either for the spirit of the king of Assyria or for the Lord's elect:

Isa 10:13  For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:
Isa 10:14  And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

We do not choose of ourselves either to be proud and lifted up, or to be humbled and pliable in the Lord's hands. All that is done within any of us, both the good and the evil, are His works who is working all things after the counsel of His own will.

Gen 45:8  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Isa 45:6  That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

Rom 9:11  (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Why does Paul neglect to tell us that God has mercy on those who choose of their own free will to obey Him? He neglects to do so because he is being inspired of the holy spirit, and the holy spirit knows the doctrine of "free moral agency" is an outright lie which directly conflicts with the Truth of scripture which teaches instead that it is the Lord who makes us to err from His ways and hardens our hearts from His fear. The holy spirit knows and teaches that "it is not of him that wills... but of God that shows mercy... or hardens". That is why Paul neglects to tells us that lie!

"The purpose of God according to election" is what will stand, and it is not based upon what works we choose to perform, rather it is based upon "him that calls" us either to be His anointed, under His mercy, or to be in enmity to Him and to be given by our Lord Himself, a deceived and hardened heart" simply because 'He wills' to do so.

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

On the other hand, if we are used of our Lord to remove the yoke of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, then that, too, will be only "because of the anointing" of His spirit, which He will give us to "set at liberty the captives" (Luk 4:18), then it will again be only by and through His anointing:

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Since we must "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God", being a hard-hearted, carnal-minded, deceived prophet is an essential part the "experience of evil", which is given to all men:

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.

Not one person can circumvent that "experience of evil" the Lord has given to the sons of humanity. We must all first be "marred in the Potter's hand", before we can be 'His anointed... His Christ":

Psa 2:1  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

These words are quoted by the holy spirit as referring to Christ and His disciples, "His Christ", in the book of Acts:

Act 4:25  Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

Both "His anointed", and "His Christ", are correct because the Greek word 'Christos' means 'anointed':

Here is Strong's definition of the Greek word 'Christos', translated as 'Christ':

G5547
Χριστός
Christos
khris-tos'
From G5548; anointed, that is, the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus: - Christ.

Here is where this word appears in the New Testament:

G5547
Χριστός
Christos
Total KJV Occurrences: 569
christ, 553
Mat_1:1, Mat_1:16-18 (3), Mat_2:4, Mat_11:2, Mat_16:16, Mat_16:20, Mat_22:42, Mat_23:8, Mat_23:10, Mat_24:5, Mat_24:23, Mat_26:63, Mat_26:68, Mat_27:17, Mat_27:22, Mar_1:1, Mar_8:29, Mar_9:41, Mar_12:35, Mar_13:21, Mar_14:61, Mar_15:32, Luk_2:11, Luk_2:26, Luk_3:15, Luk_4:41 (2), Luk_9:20, Luk_20:41, Luk_22:67, Luk_23:2, Luk_23:35, Luk_23:39, Luk_24:26, Luk_24:46, Joh_1:17, Joh_1:20, Joh_1:25, Joh_1:41, Joh_3:28, Joh_4:25, Joh_4:29, Joh_4:42, Joh_6:69, Joh_7:26-27 (2), Joh_7:31, Joh_7:41-42 (3), Joh_9:22, Joh_10:24, Joh_11:27, Joh_12:34, Joh_17:3, Joh_20:31, Act_2:30-31 (2), Act_2:36, Act_2:38, Act_3:6, Act_3:18, Act_3:20, Act_4:10, Act_4:26, Act_5:42, Act_8:5, Act_8:12, Act_8:37, Act_9:20, Act_9:22, Act_9:34, Act_10:36, Act_11:17, Act_15:11, Act_15:26, Act_16:18, Act_16:31, Act_17:3 (2), Act_18:5, Act_18:28, Act_19:4, Act_20:21, Act_24:24, Act_26:23, Act_28:31, Rom_1:1, Rom_1:3, Rom_1:6-8 (3), Rom_2:16 (2), Rom_3:22, Rom_3:24, Rom_5:1, Rom_5:6, Rom_5:8, Rom_5:11, Rom_5:15, Rom_5:17, Rom_5:21, Rom_6:3-4 (2), Rom_6:8-9 (2), Rom_6:11, Rom_6:23, Rom_7:4, Rom_7:25, Rom_8:1-2 (2), Rom_8:9-11 (3), Rom_8:17, Rom_8:34-35 (2), Rom_8:39, Rom_9:1, Rom_9:3, Rom_9:5, Rom_10:4, Rom_10:6-7 (2), Rom_12:5, Rom_13:14, Rom_14:9-10 (2), Rom_14:15, Rom_14:18, Rom_15:3, Rom_15:5-8 (4), Rom_15:16-20 (5), Rom_15:29, Rom_16:3, Rom_16:5, Rom_16:7, Rom_16:9-10 (2), Rom_16:16, Rom_16:18, Rom_16:20, Rom_16:24-25 (2), Rom_16:27, 1 Cor 1 (17), 1Co_2:2, 1Co_2:16, 1Co_3:1, 1Co_3:11, 1Co_3:23, 1Co_4:1, 1Co_4:10, 1Co_4:15 (2), 1Co_4:17, 1Co_5:4 (2), 1Co_5:7, 1Co_6:15 (2), 1Co_8:6, 1Co_8:11-12 (2), 1Co_9:1, 1Co_9:12, 1Co_9:18, 1Co_9:21, 1Co_10:4, 1Co_10:9, 1Co_10:16 (2), 1Co_11:1, 1Co_11:3 (2), 1Co_12:12, 1Co_12:27, 1 Cor 15 (14), 1Co_16:24 (3), 2Co_1:1-3 (3), 2Co_1:5 (2), 2Co_1:19, 2Co_1:21, 2Co_2:10, 2Co_2:14-15 (2), 2Co_2:17, 2Co_3:3-4 (2), 2Co_3:14, 2Co_4:4-6 (3), 2Co_5:10, 2Co_5:14, 2Co_5:16-20 (5), 2Co_6:15, 2Co_8:9, 2Co_8:23, 2Co_9:13, 2Co_10:1, 2Co_10:5, 2Co_10:14, 2Co_11:2-3 (2), 2Co_11:10, 2Co_11:13, 2Co_11:23, 2Co_11:31, 2Co_12:2, 2Co_12:9, 2Co_12:19, 2Co_13:3, 2Co_13:5, 2Co_13:14, Gal_1:1, Gal_1:3, Gal_1:6-7 (2), Gal_1:10, Gal_1:12, Gal_1:22, Gal_2:4, Gal_2:16-17 (5), Gal_2:20-21 (3), Gal_3:1, Gal_3:13-14 (2), Gal_3:16-17 (2), Gal_3:22, Gal_3:24, Gal_3:26-28 (4), Gal_4:7, Gal_4:14, Gal_4:19, Gal_5:1-2 (2), Gal_5:4, Gal_5:6, Gal_6:2, Gal_6:12, Gal_6:14-15 (2), Gal_6:18, Eph_1:1-3 (5), Eph_1:5, Eph_1:10, Eph_1:12, Eph_1:17, Eph_1:20, Eph_2:5-7 (3), Eph_2:10, Eph_2:12-13 (3), Eph_2:20, Eph_3:1, Eph_3:4, Eph_3:6, Eph_3:8-9 (2), Eph_3:11, Eph_3:14, Eph_3:17, Eph_3:19, Eph_3:21, Eph_4:7, Eph_4:12-13 (2), Eph_4:15, Eph_4:20, Eph_5:2, Eph_5:5, Eph_5:14, Eph_5:20, Eph_5:23-25 (3), Eph_5:32, Eph_6:5-6 (2), Eph_6:23-24 (2)Phi_2:1, Phi_2:5, Phi_2:11, Phi_2:16, Phi_2:30, Phi_3:3, Phi_3:7-9 (4), Phi_3:12, Phi_3:14, Phi_3:18, Phi_3:20, Phi_4:7, Phi_4:13, Phi_4:19, Phi_4:21, Phi_4:23, Col_1:1-4 (5), Col_1:7, Col_1:24, Col_1:27-28 (2), Col_2:2, Col_2:5-6 (2), Col_2:8, Col_2:11, Col_2:17, Col_2:20, Col_3:1 (2), Col_3:3-4 (2), Col_3:11, Col_3:13, Col_3:16, Col_3:24, Col_4:3, Col_4:12, 1Th_1:1 (2), 1Th_1:3, 1Th_2:6, 1Th_2:14, 1Th_2:19, 1Th_3:2, 1Th_3:11, 1Th_3:13, 1Th_4:16, 1Th_5:9, 1Th_5:18, 1Th_5:23, 1Th_5:28, 2Th_1:1-2 (2), 2Th_1:8, 2Th_1:12 (2), 2Th_2:1-2 (2), 2Th_2:14, 2Th_2:16, 2Th_3:5-6 (2), 2Th_3:12, 2Th_3:18, 1Ti_1:1-2 (3), 1Ti_1:12, 1Ti_1:14-16 (3), 1Ti_2:5, 1Ti_2:7, 1Ti_3:13, 1Ti_4:6, 1Ti_5:11, 1Ti_5:21, 1Ti_6:3, 1Ti_6:13-14 (2), 2Ti_1:1-2 (3), 2Ti_1:9-10 (2), 2Ti_1:13, 2Ti_2:1, 2Ti_2:3, 2Ti_2:8, 2Ti_2:10, 2Ti_2:19, 2Ti_3:12, 2Ti_3:15, 2Ti_4:1, 2Ti_4:22, Tit_1:1, Tit_1:4, Tit_2:13, Tit_3:6, Phm_1:1, Phm_1:3, Phm_1:6, Phm_1:8-9 (2), Phm_1:23, Phm_1:25, Heb_3:1, Heb_3:6, Heb_3:14, Heb_5:5, Heb_6:1, Heb_9:11, Heb_9:14, Heb_9:24, Heb_9:28, Heb_10:10, Heb_11:26, Heb_13:8, Heb_13:21, Jam_2:1 (2), 1Pe_1:1-3 (4), 1Pe_1:7, 1Pe_1:11 (2), 1Pe_1:13, 1Pe_1:19, 1Pe_2:5, 1Pe_2:21, 1Pe_3:16, 1Pe_3:18, 1Pe_3:21, 1Pe_4:1, 1Pe_4:11, 1Pe_4:14, 1Pe_5:1, 1Pe_5:10, 1Pe_5:14, 2Pe_1:1 (2), 2Pe_1:8, 2Pe_1:11, 2Pe_1:14, 2Pe_1:16, 2Pe_2:20, 2Pe_3:18, 1Jo_1:3, 1Jo_1:7, 1Jo_2:1, 1Jo_3:22-23 (2), 1Jo_4:2-3 (2), 1Jo_5:1, 1Jo_5:6, 1Jo_5:20, 2Jo_1:3, 2Jo_1:7, 2Jo_1:9 (2), Jud_1:1 (2), Jud_1:4, Jud_1:17, Jud_1:21, Rev_1:1-2 (2), Rev_1:5, Rev_1:9 (2), Rev_11:15, Rev_12:10, Rev_12:17, Rev_20:4, Rev_20:6, Rev_22:21 christ’s, 16
Rom_15:30, 1Co_3:23, 1Co_4:10, 1Co_15:22-23 (2), 2Co_2:12, 2Co_5:20, 2Co_10:7 (3), 2Co_12:10, Gal_3:29, Gal_5:24, Eph_4:32, Phi_2:21, 1Pe_4:13

In the book of Acts the apostle Peter reveals this to us:

Act 2:36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. Then Paul tells us that Christ said this about who you and I are to Him and His Father:

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

To that Paul adds this additional bit of knowledge:

2Co 1:21  Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
2Co 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Here is verse 21 with the Strong's numbers:

2Co 1:21  Now^G1161 he which stablisheth^G950 us^G2248 with^G4862 you^G5213 in^G1519 Christ,^G5547 and^G2532 hath anointed^G5548 us,^G2248 is God;^G2316

G5547 is the Greek word 'christos, the anointed', and in this same verse we are told that we, too, have been 'chrio' by God.

Here is the definition of the Greek word here is translated as 'anointed':

G5548
χρίω
chriō
khree'-o.
Total KJV occurrences: 5
Probably akin to G5530 through the idea of contact; to smear or rub with oil, that is, (by implication) to consecrate to an office or religious service: - anoint

So Christ is God's anointed, His [G5547: 'christos', Act 2:36], who also "hath anointed [chrio^G5548, 1Co 1:21] us", and if we are anointed (chrio) by Christ then we have the anointing [G5545, chrisma, 1Jo 2:27] and we "shall know the Truth", and will not be seduced by the tempter.

The Greek word translated as 'stablisheth' in 2Co 1:21 appears 8 times in the New Testament, and of those 8 entries it is most often translated as 'confirm'.

Here are all the entries and how they are translated:

G950
βεβαιόω
bebaioō
Total KJV Occurrences: 8
confirm, 2
Rom_15:8, 1Co_1:8
confirmed, 2
1Co_1:6, Heb_2:3
confirming, 1
Mar_16:20
established, 1
Heb_13:9
stablished, 1
Col_2:7
stablisheth, 1
2Co_1:21

What Paul has been inspired to tell us is that it is God who has established and confirmed us together in the Christ. Then he tells us that we are "chrio... anointed" by God. That is why we are three times called the Christ of Christ, the Lord's Christ.

Here are those three times we are called "His Christ":

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

"Our God, and... His Christ, are accused by "the accuser... day and night". There is only one group who 'the accuser accuses day and night', and that is those who are "the Christ [of] our Lord".

But the accuser uses the spiritual kings of Assyria and Babylon to punish us for the fact that we all really do 'leave our first love' and have our candle removed, have the blood of all the prophets required of us, and have our names blotted out of His book', before the Lord sees fit to 'confirm and establish us to the end':

Rev 2:4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

 Exo 32:33  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

But the Lord knows those who are His, and He keeps His very elect from being deceived:

Mat 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

2Pe 2:9  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

1Co 1:8  Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we are given over to Babylon, we are punished for our sins by the king of Assyria. The Lord actually gives us space of repentance by first breaking us to pieces:

Ezr 9:8  And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

Luk 20:18  Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Rev 2:20  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Rev 2:21  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 2:22  Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Rev 2:23  And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Israel, Judah and Jerusalem all typify how Christ works with us. The king of Assyria carried away all the cities of the northern kingdom of Israel. He also took many of the cities of Judah, but he was not given to conquer Jerusalem, giving Judah "a little reviving in [their] bondage".

This is what the king of Assyria does to us as the Lord pleads with us to repent of our sins:

Isa 10:28  He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:
Isa 10:29  They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.
Isa 10:30  Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.
Isa 10:31  Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
Isa 10:32  As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
Isa 10:33  Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
Isa 10:34  And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

"The high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled" is a reference back to this verse:

Isa 10:8  For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?

The king of Assyria is far more powerful than we are of our own power. The loss of all these cities within us is the story of how the Lord demonstrates to us that we cannot do war with the beast within. It is our own sins which humble us and bring us to see our sad, helpless state, yet we are not yet humbled, and we are brought to our "wits' end" (Psa 107:27), as the apostle Paul explains:

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? [Psa 107:27]
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

But it takes many failures to bring us to this point, and in the meantime, the Lord demonstrates His mercy and gives us space for repentance by actually delivering us from the king of Assyria. This is what happened to the cities listed in Isaiah 10:28-32.

2Ki 18:13  Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.

The Lord's judgment is just now beginning. King Hezekiah cries out to be delivered, and he is delivered, but the kingdom is not yet at its wits' end, and it is only "given... a little reviving in [their] bondage" to the sins which still afflict the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem. Judah and Jerusalem are given "space for repentance", but they do not repent because they have not yet come to see their own helpless, and hopeless, condition, and they still think they are free from the will of their own God and Creator.

Nevertheless, just for our own admonition, and just to let us know what "a long time" means (Luk 20:9), the Lord takes mercy on Hezekiah, and He delivers them from the might of the king of Assyria:

2Ki 19:1  And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
2Ki 19:2  And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
2Ki 19:3  And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
2Ki 19:4  It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.
2Ki 19:5  So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
2Ki 19:6  And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
2Ki 19:7  Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

So the Lord's judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem is postponed until a later date, and Judah and Jerusalem, as Laodicean types of you and me, will continue on as a lukewarm kingdom until they will, in time, be spewed from the mouth of their own God, to be judged in the fire of His doctrine and His words.

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

The Lord was equally patient with King Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel. Ahab killed Naboth and simply took Naboth's vineyard for an herb garden. When the Lord told Ahab that he would die for that treachery, Ahab fasted and repented, and the Lord showed mercy and spared Ahab's life:

1Ki 21:28  And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
1Ki 21:29  Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

The entire book of Judges is a commentary on the longsuffering of God in working with His people. It is a commentary on how we are gradually brought to see the necessity of the utter destruction of the entire kingdom and economy of our own rebellious old man, so that through that death, the life of the new man is birthed:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

1Co 15:42  So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
1Co 15:43  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Next week, Lord willing, we will learn when the wolf really does "dwell with the lamb", in the kingdom of God, and when all the beasts of our land will be submissive unto us.

Here are the verses we hope to cover next Sunday:

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Isa 11:6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isa 11:7  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.