It Will Stop

“For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.” (Isa 10:25 AV)

The context here is the LORD’s using of Assyria to be the arm of His chastisement against the ten norther tribes of Israel.  The ‘…their…’ is Assyria.  The indignation is the chastisement Assyria brings to Israel.  In other words, the chastisement of which Assyria brings will cease and the anger which the LORD feels regarding the sin of Israel and the warfare of Assyria will be satisfied upon Assyria.  God may have used their invasion and carrying away of Israel as the means of correction for His chosen people, but that does not mean He has lost His sense of justice.  He has feelings about those who would abuse His people as well.

As God’s people, we avoid confessing to a fact that we all know.  If we are a child of God, He does chasten us.  Sometimes, rather severely.  In our pride, we are too slow to admit that we have failed and God must correct us.  Sometimes these corrections are obvious and embarrassing.  To pass them off as something other than the chastening of God is to make the effect of them less than intended.  Admitting to the nature and cause of the event helps in the conversion process.  What is particularly encouraging is two little words above.  “…shall cease…”!  I can testify to this.  There were several times the LORD sent His severe chastening into my life.  I didn’t think I was going to survive.  The thing is, I deserved a whole lot worse.  Why He puts up with us I will never understand.  I will not say that God could have sent even more, but what I can say is that He sent all that I can handle.  The wonderful and glorious chastening hand of God was almost impossible to bear.  However, I am so grateful He sent it.  His chastening hand is the most precious extension of His love outside of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary’s cross.  His chastening hand is the obvious statement of His endearing love for His children.

What we want to see is that the indignation shall cease.  There will come a time when His chastening has accomplished that for which it was intended.  God will relax that hand for a time.  The quicker we learn and conform, the quicker it is over with.  The more we are humbled, the less the degree of the severity.  Let me say this as well.  The holiness of which His hand of correction produces is a beautiful thing.  The child of God who loves the LORD and His righteousness wants more and more of this correction.  No matter how severe it has to be, he or she can see the beauty of holiness and wants more of it no matter how much it might hurt.  Be encouraged fellow saints.  This indignation shall cease.  It will be over.  Then the beauty of Christlikeness will take its place.