Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16 / Matthew 11:25-27
Isaiah rebukes
Assyria:
“Can an ax be greater than its user?”
The
nation of Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel. Now
it threatened to destroy the southern kingdom of Judah, as well. Isaiah
portrays Assyria as an ax in the hand of a woodsman (God) who was grubbing out
the undergrowth from his vineyard (Judah). God was using Assyria to purify
Judah. Meanwhile, Assyria grew arrogant, thinking that it alone was responsible
for its power and its victories. This led Isaiah to remind Assyria that without
the power of the woodsman’s arms the ax is useless.