Bird's-eye view
Isaiah 33 opens with a sharp, sudden cry of judgment. It is a formal declaration of a covenant lawsuit, a "woe" pronounced against a destructive and treacherous entity. In its immediate historical context, this is aimed squarely at Assyria, the brutal empire that God Himself had raised up as a rod to discipline unfaithful Judah. The central theme of this opening verse is the iron-clad principle of divine retribution, what we might call "measure for measure" justice. The destroyer, who has operated with seeming impunity, is given notice that his commission is temporary. The moment his divinely-appointed task of destruction is complete, he himself will be destroyed. The treachery he has sown, he will reap in full. This verse sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, which contrasts the fleeting power of this earthly destroyer with the eternal stability and saving power of Yahweh, who is Israel's true Judge, Lawgiver, and King.
This is not a statement of karma, but rather a revelation of the personal and meticulous justice of a sovereign God. He is not a detached observer of cosmic balancing acts. He is the one who raises up destroyers and the one who casts them down. He gives them their assignment, and when they have fulfilled it (all the while acting out of their own wicked hearts), He holds them to account for every bit of it. This verse is therefore a word of terror for the proud and a word of profound comfort for the people of God. It reminds them that their oppressors are on a leash, and that the God who judges the world will most certainly vindicate His own.
Outline
- 1. The Law of Divine Retribution (Isa 33:1)
- a. The Indictment of the Destroyer (Isa 33:1a)
- b. The Temporary Impunity of the Treacherous (Isa 33:1b)
- c. The Guaranteed Reversal of Fortunes (Isa 33:1c)
- d. The Symmetrical Nature of Judgment (Isa 33:1d)
Context In Isaiah
This chapter comes after a series of prophecies concerning the threat of Assyria. In Isaiah 10, God explicitly identifies the Assyrian as "the rod of My anger." He is a tool, an axe in the hand of the Lord, sent to punish a godless nation. However, Isaiah 10 also promises that once the Lord has finished His work on Zion, He will punish the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria. Isaiah 33:1 is the fulfillment of that promise. It is the pivot point. The rod of judgment is about to have judgment pronounced upon it. This woe follows chapters that detail Judah's foolish attempts to find security in an alliance with Egypt (Isa 30-31) and precedes the glorious vision of the King in His beauty and the security of Zion under His rule (Isa 33:17-24). This verse, therefore, serves as the hinge, swinging from the terror of judgment by a foreign power to the terror of judgment upon that foreign power, thereby clearing the way for the salvation of God's people.
Key Issues
- The Nature of a Prophetic "Woe"
- God's Use of Wicked Nations as Instruments
- The Doctrine of Retributive Justice (Lex Talionis)
- The Sovereignty of God Over History
- Distinguishing Divine Justice from Karma
The Divine Boomerang
There is a moral grain to the universe, and that is because God created it and He governs it personally. That grain is this: you reap what you sow. This is not an impersonal, mystical force like karma. It is the active, personal, and just administration of the living God. When a man or a nation decides to live by a certain standard, God in His justice will often say, "Very well. You have chosen the standard. You will be judged by it." The technical term for this is lex talionis, the law of retaliation. Jacob deceived his father with goatskins and was in turn deceived by Laban with a veiled bride. David took another man's wife in secret, and his own wives were taken in broad daylight. Haman built a gallows for Mordecai and was hanged on it himself.
Isaiah 33:1 is a perfect encapsulation of this principle. Assyria had chosen destruction and treachery as its foreign policy. They were a terror to the nations. They broke treaties, they lied, they slaughtered, they deported. And God says here that the very same treachery and destruction will visit them. The boomerang they threw with such arrogance is about to come around on its flight path and strike them in the back of the head. This is a profound comfort to the righteous, because it means that the outrages of the wicked are never the final word. God always has the final word, and it is always a word of justice.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1 Woe to you, O destroyer, While you were not destroyed; And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.
The verse is a single, tightly-wound sentence of judgment, and we should take it piece by piece. Woe to you, O destroyer. As we have noted, a "woe" is not an expression of pity. It is a formal pronouncement of doom. It is the opposite of a blessing. The prophet, speaking for God, is pointing his finger at the great world power of the day, Assyria, and declaring that its time is up. He calls them simply "destroyer," defining them by their chief characteristic. This is what they do. This is who they are.
While you were not destroyed. This clause highlights the period of their unchecked success. From a human perspective, it looked as though Assyria was invincible. They swept through nations, and no one could stop them. This was their time of seeming impunity. But the prophet reveals that this impunity was not an accident; it was a temporary permission slip from the God of Israel. They were not destroyed because their destructive work, as an instrument of God's wrath, was not yet finished.
And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. This parallels the first line and adds a moral dimension. Their destruction was not just raw military might; it was characterized by faithlessness. Assyria was notorious for breaking treaties. They were the quintessential covenant-breakers. And for a time, they got away with it. They demanded loyalty from their vassals which they themselves never showed. The charge is one of cosmic hypocrisy.
As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed. Here is the pivot. The word "finish" is crucial. It means their destructive career has a set limit, a boundary established by God Himself. They think they are acting on their own initiative, but they are really just fulfilling a divine commission. The moment that commission is complete, the moment the purpose for which God raised them up is accomplished, their own destruction will begin. The axe that boasted against the one who wields it (Isa 10:15) will be thrown into the fire.
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you. The symmetry is perfect. The sentence fits the crime. The very methods you used to build your empire will be the methods used to dismantle it. The Babylonians and the Medes would rise up against Assyria, and the treacherous nation would be undone by treachery. This is not fate; it is the righteous judgment of God, who repays every man according to his deeds.
Application
The principle laid down in this verse is timeless. It applies to bullying nations, to corrupt corporations, to abusive churches, and to treacherous individuals. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. If you build your life, your business, or your ministry on a foundation of destroying others, of faithless dealings, of gossip, of slander, of back-stabbing, you must know that a day of reckoning is coming for you. For a time, you may get away with it. You may even prosper. You may look around and say, "I am the destroyer, and I am not destroyed." But God says your assignment has a due date. And when you are finished, you will be finished.
The only escape from this terrible math is the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the cross, the ultimate act of treachery occurred. Judas, the religious leaders, the Roman government, and the fickle crowd all dealt treacherously with the only innocent man who ever lived. He was destroyed by the very ones He came to save. And in that destruction, this very principle of retributive justice was satisfied. He reaped what we had sown. He took the boomerang that was heading for our heads and caught it in His own body on the tree. He absorbed the full measure of the destruction we deserved. Therefore, for those who are in Christ, the threat of this verse is removed. But for those who stand outside of Christ, this verse stands as a terrifying and permanent warning. The justice of God is coming for you, and it will be perfectly, frighteningly, just.