Isaiah 9:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another.

NIV: By the wrath of the LORD Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; they will not spare one another.

NASB: By the wrath of the Lord of armies the land is burned, And the people are like fuel for the fire; No one spares his brother.

CSB: The land is scorched by the wrath of the Lord of Armies, and the people are like fuel for the fire. No one has compassion on his brother.

NLT: The land will be blackened by the fury of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people will be fuel for the fire, and no one will spare even his own brother.

KJV: Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

NKJV: Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.

Isaiah described wickedness as a fire that begins with consuming smaller, nearby fuel before becoming more aggressive. It leaps from kindling to thickets to trees. Eventually, the forest is ablaze (Isaiah 9:18).

The Lord can use even this "fire" for His own purposes. He brings judgment on His own people in response to their stubborn, unrepentant wickedness. The land is scorched from fires with two sources: the burning of wickedness and the flames of the Lord's wrath toward that sin. In the end, human lives become the fuel for both. Sin devours those who practice it. This is the natural consequence of letting sinfulness run your life. In addition, the Lord steps in to judge those who continue to spread the flames of sin to others.

A common question applied to sin is "who will this hurt?" Isaiah's answer is that sin spreads. It will burn us and then those near us. Then, apart from God's mercy and forgiveness through faith in Christ, we will be engulfed by the wrath of the Lord. Sin never just "infects" one person.

Isaiah 9:8–21 returns to describing the judgment coming upon Israel in Isaiah's time. Despite the arrogance of the people, the enemies of their allies will devour them. When the people do not repent, the Lord will wipe out their leaders. He will have no compassion for the sinful people in every level of society. Wickedness burns through the people like a wildfire, turning human lives into fuel. Sinfulness causes people to devour each other and even themselves in trying to satisfy sin's appetite. The Lord will judge Israel for all of it.

Isaiah 9 begins prophecy about a future when darkness will be lifted from Israel. The nation will be free, prosperous, and at permanent peace. This will happen because God will send a child who will become a king on David's throne. More than a man, this king will be called Mighty God and Prince of Peace and will rule forever. In Isaiah's day, though, God's judgment will soon fall on Israel. He will wipe out their leaders. Wickedness burns through the nation like fire.

Isaiah 9 begins with what may be the conclusion of the previous chapter. Isaiah 8 ended with the description of the darkness experienced by those in Israel who reject the Lord. The prophet describes a day in Israel's far future when the gloom will lift and glory will return. A child will become king of Israel, but He will also be the Everlasting Father who will rule forever. However, In Isaiah's time, the Lord will judge Israel with destruction from other nations. The following chapter pronounces disaster for the people who persist in sin.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 5/6/2024 8:21:30 AM