20 Judgment of the Lord

This section of Isaiah is a poem structured with four stanzas also called strophes or episodes. The first is depicted in Isaiah 9:8–12. The second is seen in Isaiah 9:13–17. The third starts at Isaiah 9:18 and goes to the end of chapter 9:21. The fourth and final stanza runs from chapter 10:1–4. After having given them the promise of the Redeemer of the world entering time and space, Isaiah begins to relate God's warning to the Northern tribes. The Lord announces that He is giving a message to Jacob which is a personification of all of Israel but it will alight only on Israel meaning the Northern tribes. He further calls them by their names Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria. This is referencing the largest tribe Ephraim and the capital city Samaria. The message is directed to the king which was Pekah. The world is judged by God's moral standards. Following His moral absolutes, a nation does not depend for survival strictly upon superior might as in armed power, but rather upon correct moral behavior for survival and thriving. When Ephraim fell to her enemies, it was not because she was too weak militarily. It was because she was measured according to the Lord's moral standards and found lacking. The people will realize it is God who brought these judgments upon them. They will realize the truth of God's prophecies of their destruction and why it is happening.