The Divine Interruption Text: Isaiah 33:10-13
Introduction: God's Timing and Ours
We live in an age of frantic impatience. We want what we want, and we want it two weeks ago. We see injustice, folly, and outright rebellion against God marching in broad daylight, and our constant cry is, "How long, O Lord?" We see the wicked prospering, building their towers of Babel with silicon and fiber optics, and we wonder when God is going to show up and kick over their sandcastles. The people of Judah in Isaiah's time were in a similar state. They were caught between the Assyrian meat grinder and their own covenant unfaithfulness. They had made deals, they had compromised, they had trusted in chariots and diplomats, and now the enemy was at the gate. They were praying, to be sure, but likely with that frantic, desperate energy that comes when you realize your own plans have utterly failed.
And it is into this moment of human desperation that God speaks. But He does not speak according to their timetable. He speaks according to His own. Our text today is a divine interruption. It is God announcing that the time for human striving and scheming is over, and the time for His direct intervention has arrived. This is not a suggestion. It is not a proposal. It is a declaration from the throne room of the universe that changes everything on the ground.
We must understand that God is never late. He is never early. He is always precisely on time. His timing is not just a matter of chronological convenience; it is a matter of theological weight. He often waits until our own strength is utterly spent, until our own wisdom is revealed as foolishness, and until our pride is humbled in the dust. He waits until the stage is perfectly set, so that when He does act, no one can mistake His hand for mere chance or human ingenuity. He acts in such a way that He alone gets the glory. What we are about to read is God's declaration that "now" is that time. It is a word of terror for His enemies and a word of profound comfort for His people.
The Text
"Now I will be on high," says Yahweh,
"Now I will be lifted up, now I will be lifted up.
You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
My breath will consume you like a fire.
The peoples will be burned to lime,
Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
"You who are far away, hear what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
(Isaiah 33:10-13 LSB)
The Appointed 'Now' (v. 10)
We begin with the Lord's emphatic declaration of His own intervention.
"'Now I will be on high,' says Yahweh, 'Now I will be lifted up, now I will be lifted up.'" (Isaiah 33:10)
The word "now" is repeated three times for staggering emphasis. This is the language of sovereign decision. Up to this point, God had seemed hidden, quiet, patient. The Assyrians, the enemies of God's people, had been swaggering and boasting as though they were the masters of history. But their time is up. God announces that the moment has come for Him to act. This is not a reaction to circumstances; it is the implementation of an eternal decree at the appointed time.
And what will He do? He will be "on high," He will be "lifted up." This is the language of exaltation and enthronement. God is about to demonstrate His supreme authority in a way that cannot be ignored. This is a direct answer to the pride of man. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, had lifted himself up. He had blasphemed the living God, claiming that Yahweh was no different from the petty gods of the nations he had conquered (Isaiah 36:18-20). God's response is, in effect, "You think you are high? I will show you what high is."
This is a foundational principle of reality. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Whenever man exalts himself against God, he is setting himself up for a fall. And whenever God exalts Himself, it is not an act of ego, but an act of setting the world right. For God to be lifted up is for reality to be put back in its proper order. The ultimate expression of this, of course, is the cross. Jesus said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" (John 12:32). He was lifted up in shame on a Roman cross, which became the instrument of His ultimate exaltation, where He defeated the principalities and powers. God's exaltation often comes through means that the world considers foolishness.
The Futility of Rebellion (v. 11)
Next, God addresses the enemies of His people directly, exposing the utter emptiness of their efforts.
"You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble; My breath will consume you like a fire." (Isaiah 33:11)
This is a brilliant and devastating metaphor for godless striving. The enemies of God, in all their intricate planning, their military strategies, and their political machinations, are like a woman in labor. They have put forth immense effort, suffered pains, and brought all their strength to bear. And what is the result? They have "conceived chaff" and given "birth to stubble." Chaff and stubble are useless, weightless, and flammable. All their grand designs, all their threats and blasphemies, amount to nothing more than a pile of dry trash.
This is the verdict of Scripture on all human rebellion. Apart from God, all our striving is vanity. The Psalmist says, "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?" (Psalm 2:1). Their conception is folly, and their offspring is futility. They are pregnant with the wind.
And what happens to this pile of chaff and stubble? God's own breath, His ruach, will consume them like fire. The very Spirit of God, the breath that gives life, becomes a consuming fire to those who stand in opposition to Him. This is not a difficult task for God. He doesn't need to muster an army. He simply breathes. The ease with which God dismantles the proud is a constant theme. The wicked are not a worthy opponent; they are fuel for the fire of His holiness.
The Fate of the Wicked (v. 12)
The metaphor of fire continues, describing the complete and total destruction of those who oppose God.
"The peoples will be burned to lime, Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire." (Isaiah 33:12)
To be "burned to lime" is to be incinerated, reduced to nothing but fine white ash. It is an image of utter and irreversible destruction. The second image reinforces the first: "like cut thorns." Thorns are not just useless; they are a nuisance, a sign of the curse (Genesis 3:18). They are gathered up not for building or for food, but simply to be disposed of in the quickest and most efficient way possible, which is to burn them. They burn hot and fast, and are gone in a flash.
This is how God views the most powerful and intimidating empires of men when they set themselves against Him. To us, the Assyrian army was a terrifying, world-conquering force. To God, they were a pile of dry thorns, ready for the match. This should be a profound comfort to the believer and a stark warning to the unbeliever. Do not mistake God's patience for impotence. The fire is always ready. The judgment of God on the wicked is not just a future possibility; it is a present certainty, awaiting only the appointed "now."
The Universal Proclamation (v. 13)
Finally, God declares that His actions are not to be a secret. They are a public demonstration of His power, intended for a global audience.
"'You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.'" (Isaiah 33:13)
God's mighty acts of salvation and judgment are never done in a corner. He is putting His glory on display for the entire world to see. He calls out to two groups. First, to those "who are far away." These are the distant nations, the Gentiles, those who have only heard rumors of the God of Israel. God is telling them to pay attention. The news of what He is about to do to the Assyrian army will travel. He is making a name for Himself among the nations.
Second, He speaks to those "who are near." This is His own people, Judah, who are right there, trembling in Jerusalem. He tells them to "acknowledge My might." The word "acknowledge" here means more than just intellectual assent. It means to know by experience, to recognize and submit to His power. For the remnant, this is a call to worship and trust. For the hypocrites within Zion, this is a terrifying summons. They are about to see firsthand what the God they have been trifling with is capable of. This act of judgment on Assyria will serve as a purifying fire within Israel itself, forcing everyone to decide whose side they are truly on.
This is the essence of evangelism. God acts in history, preeminently in the death and resurrection of Christ, and then He sends His messengers out to declare what He has done. The call is universal: to those far off and those near. Hear what God has done in Christ! Acknowledge His might, His power to save you from your sins, which are far more dangerous than any Assyrian army. Bow the knee to the one who was lifted up on the cross and is now exalted on high.
Conclusion: The God of 'Now'
This passage confronts us with the profound truth of God's sovereignty over time and history. We may fret and worry, we may think God is asleep or indifferent, but all the while He has His appointed "now." And when that "now" arrives, the flimsy structures of human pride are consumed like stubble in a furnace.
The enemies of God conceive chaff and give birth to nothing. Their lives, their ambitions, their legacies are all fuel for the fire. But God's people, those who trust in Him, are invited to watch His salvation. The same fire that consumes the wicked purifies the righteous. The same might that crushes His enemies is the might that defends His children.
The great "now" of God's intervention in history was the coming of His Son. "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son" (Galatians 4:4). That was the ultimate "now." And because of that great act, we live in the era of His exaltation. He has been lifted up. And He is calling to everyone, far and near. He is calling to you, right now. Hear what He has done. He died for sinners. He rose from the dead. Acknowledge His might. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved. For the God who speaks is the God who acts, and His Word will not return to Him void.