The Hired Razor and the Remnant's Diet Text: Isaiah 7:18-25
Introduction: The Folly of Worldly Alliances
We are continuing in our study of Isaiah, and we come now to the consequences of King Ahaz's unbelief. In the face of a political and military threat from Israel and Syria, Ahaz had a choice. He could either trust in the promise of God, delivered by the prophet Isaiah, or he could do what all the smart, pragmatic rulers of the world do, and that is make a deal with a bigger bully to handle the smaller bullies. Ahaz chose the latter. He refused to ask for a sign, feigning a piety he did not possess, and instead sent messengers with silver and gold to the king of Assyria, effectively hiring him as a mercenary.
What we see in these verses is God's response to this faithless pragmatism. God says, in effect, "You want to hire a razor? Fine. I will be the one to sign the check. You want to trust in the armies of the nations? I will be the one to whistle for them. But you must understand that when you reject my simple offer of salvation, the alternative you have chosen will not be your servant. It will be your master, and it will be your scourge."
This passage is a stark and vivid lesson on the sovereignty of God over the affairs of nations. God is not a frantic spectator, wringing His hands over the geopolitical machinations of pagan kings. He is the one moving the pieces on the board. He whistles, and armies swarm. He hires a razor, and a nation is shaved clean. This is terrifying news for those who trust in chariots and horses, but it is a profound comfort for those who trust in the name of the Lord our God. It teaches us that political solutions apart from faith in God are not just ineffective; they are instruments of judgment. Ahaz thought he was being clever, but he was simply choosing the instrument of his own punishment.
And yet, in the midst of this coming desolation, we see the stubborn grace of God. He always preserves a remnant. The land will be laid waste, but there will be just enough. The vineyards will be gone, but there will be curds and honey. This is the pattern of God's work throughout history: judgment and preservation, severity and kindness, the hired razor and the remnant's diet.
The Text
And it will be in that day, that Yahweh will whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they will all come and rest upon the steep ravines, on the crevices of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes, and on all the watering places.
In that day, the Lord will shave with a razor, one hired from regions beyond the River (that is, the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.
And it will be in that day, that a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep; and because of the abundance of the milk produced, he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey.
And it will be in that day, that every place where there used to be one thousand vines, valued at one thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns. People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.
(Isaiah 7:18-25)
The Summoned Scourge (v. 18-19)
We begin with God's sovereign summons of the instruments of His judgment.
"And it will be in that day, that Yahweh will whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they will all come and rest upon the steep ravines, on the crevices of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes, and on all the watering places." (Isaiah 7:18-19)
The phrase "in that day" points us to a specific time of divine intervention and judgment. God is orchestrating this. And notice His method: He will "whistle." This is the language of a beekeeper summoning his swarm, or a shepherd calling his flock. It denotes effortless, absolute control. The great empires of Egypt and Assyria, with all their pomp, military might, and self-important pride, are nothing more than insects to the Lord. He doesn't negotiate with them; He whistles for them.
Egypt is described as a "fly" from the remotest part of their rivers, likely the Nile. Flies are annoying, swarming, and they bring filth and disease. Think of the plague of flies in Exodus. This is an image of a pestering, debilitating invasion. Assyria is described as a "bee." Bees are organized, aggressive, and they possess a painful sting. This points to the disciplined, ruthless, and painful nature of the Assyrian military machine. Ahaz wanted to hire the bees to get rid of his local pest problem, but God says He will whistle for both the flies and the bees, and they will utterly overwhelm the land.
And where will they settle? Everywhere. On the steep ravines, in the crevices of the cliffs, on the thorn bushes, and at the watering places. There will be no escape. This is a picture of total military occupation. The very places where one might seek refuge or sustenance will be infested with the enemy. The land will be completely overrun. This is what happens when God's people seek security in the world's strength. The world does not serve you; it consumes you.
The Hired Razor (v. 20)
The imagery grows even more graphic and personal in the next verse.
"In that day, the Lord will shave with a razor, one hired from regions beyond the River (that is, the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard." (Isaiah 7:20)
God here takes direct credit for the actions of Assyria. Ahaz thought he was hiring the razor, but God says, "No, I am the one doing the hiring." Assyria is a tool, a disposable razor in the hand of the Almighty. The king of Assyria thinks he is acting out of his own imperial ambition, but he is merely fulfilling the purpose of God (Isaiah 10:5-7). This is the biblical doctrine of divine providence over all things, including the sinful actions of men. God's sovereignty does not negate the responsibility of the Assyrians for their cruelty, but it does mean their cruelty serves His ultimate, righteous purpose.
The act of shaving was a sign of profound humiliation and disgrace in the ancient Near East. A man's beard was a symbol of his honor, his manhood, and his dignity. To have it forcibly removed was an act of extreme shame. Think of how David's ambassadors were shamed by the Ammonites (2 Samuel 10:4-5). God says He will shave Judah completely, from the head to the "hair of the legs," a euphemism for the pubic hair. This is an image of total stripping, utter disgrace, and complete vulnerability. The nation will be left naked and ashamed before the world. This is the price of rejecting the Lord's protection. When you refuse to be clothed in His righteousness, you will ultimately be stripped bare by your own chosen saviors.
The Remnant's Diet (v. 21-22)
But in the midst of this overwhelming judgment, God remembers His covenant. He always leaves a remnant.
"And it will be in that day, that a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep; and because of the abundance of the milk produced, he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey." (Isaiah 7:21-22)
The picture shifts from the grand scale of invading empires to the small scale of a single homesteader. The economy has been decimated. The great herds and flocks are gone. A man will be fortunate to keep just one young cow and two sheep. This is subsistence living. This is the result of the land being shaved clean.
But notice the paradox. Because the human population has been so drastically reduced, and the cultivated land has returned to pasture, there will be an "abundance of milk" for the few who remain. The survivors will eat "curds and honey." This is not the diet of a thriving, agricultural kingdom. It is the diet of a pastoral, semi-nomadic people. It is simple, basic sustenance. Curds, or soured milk, and wild honey, gathered from the uncultivated land. This is the same diet mentioned earlier for Immanuel (Isaiah 7:15), linking the fate of the remnant to the fate of the Messiah. He identifies with His humbled people.
This is a picture of God's severe mercy. He brings His people to the brink of annihilation, but He does not wipe them out completely. He provides for them, not with luxury, but with sufficiency. He reminds them of His promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, but He provides it in a humbled, chastened form. He is teaching them to depend on Him alone, not on their vineyards or their political alliances.
A Desolate Land (v. 23-25)
The final verses describe the complete reversal of the land's fortunes. What was once valuable and cultivated will become wild and dangerous.
"And it will be in that day, that every place where there used to be one thousand vines, valued at one thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns. People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample." (Isaiah 7:23-25)
The economic devastation is total. A prime vineyard, a symbol of prosperity and covenant blessing, where each of the thousand vines was worth a shekel of silver, will be completely overgrown with "briars and thorns." This is the language of the curse from Genesis 3. The land, because of the people's sin, is returning to a state of uncultivated wildness. The fruitfulness of the covenant is replaced by the barrenness of the curse.
The land becomes so wild that it is no longer a place for farming, but for hunting. Men will go there with bows and arrows, not to tend vines, but to hunt wild animals that live in the overgrown thickets. The fear of briars and thorns will keep people from the once-productive hillsides. Civilization is in retreat. The land is being de-domesticated.
And the final image is one of pastoral simplicity born of ruin. The once carefully cultivated hills will become open pasture for the few remaining cattle and sheep. The land that was once worked by the hoe is now simply trampled by livestock. The judgment is complete. God has humbled His people, stripped them of their pride and their false securities, and returned them to a state of utter dependence upon Him.
Conclusion: Trust the Shepherd, Not the Razor
The message for Ahaz, and for us, is brutally clear. When we are faced with threats, the temptation is always to turn to a human solution, to hire a razor of our own. We look to political power, financial security, or military might to save us. But God warns us here that the razors of this world, when we trust in them, will always turn on us and shave us clean.
The pagan nations are God's tools, but they are not our saviors. He is sovereign over the bees of Assyria and the flies of Egypt. He directs their flight and their sting. Our only true security is to trust in Him, even when it looks foolish to the world. To refuse His offer of salvation is to invite a far worse desolation than the one we initially feared.
And yet, for the people of God, the story does not end with the shaving. It ends with the remnant's diet. God's judgment is always a purifying fire, not an annihilating one. He strips us down, not to destroy us, but to rebuild us on a better foundation. He takes away our vineyards so that we might learn to be satisfied with the simple, sweet provision of His grace, the curds and honey of His presence.
This entire chapter points us forward to the ultimate Immanuel, Jesus Christ. He is the true King who did not trust in the armies of men, but trusted His Father, even to the point of death. He endured the ultimate shaving, the ultimate humiliation on the cross, stripped naked and shamed for our sakes. He did this so that we, the true remnant, might be spared the final judgment. Through His humiliation, we are clothed in honor. Through His death, we are given the food of eternal life. He is our only security, our only hope. Let us therefore abandon all our hired razors and trust in Him alone.