Day 196: Destruction of Israel (2024)

This episode dives into the prophetic texts of Isaiah, exploring themes of destruction, redemption, and prophecy in ancient Israel as revealed through sacred scripture.

1. The prophetic texts highlight the dual aspects of God's nature—His justice in allowing Assyria to punish Israel, and His mercy in promising future restoration.
2. The regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, central to Isaiah's prophecies, symbolize the initial destruction and the first glimmers of new hope.
3. Jesus Christ is portrayed as the fulfillment of the prophecy, bringing light to the darkness foretold by Isaiah.
4. The episode of Tobias and Sarah in the Book of Tobit illustrates personal faith and divine guidance in familial settings.
5. The interconnection between Old and New Testament texts emphasizes the continuity and fulfillment of divine promise.

1: The Righteous Reign

Explores Isaiah's prophecy about the light overcoming darkness in Israel, predicting a future of peace and justice.
Father Mike Schmitz: "For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder."

2: Judgment on the Oppressors

Discusses divine judgment on Assyria despite its role as the instrument of God's wrath against Israel.
Father Mike Schmitz: "Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, who write oppression."

3: The Repentant Remnant of Israel

Focuses on the remnants of Israel that will turn back to God despite the devastation, symbolizing hope and renewal.
Father Mike Schmitz: "A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob to the mighty God."

1. Reflect on Scripture: Regularly read and meditate on Biblical texts to understand the historical context and its implications for today.
2. Embrace Mercy: In your personal interactions, practice forgiveness and understanding as exemplified by divine mercy.
3. Acknowledge Justice: Recognize the role of divine and human justice in societal structures and strive to uphold fairness.
4. Cultivate Hope: In times of personal and communal difficulty, hold onto the promise of restoration and renewal.
5. Connect Old and New Testament Teachings: Deepen your understanding of how the New Testament fulfills the Old Testament prophecies.

Fr. Mike talks about the destruction of Israel and explains how Jesus becoming man is the fulfillment of this prophesy we hear in Isaiah. He also points out the importance of God's anger with the Assyrians destroying Israel, even though he will bring the greatest blessings out of the worst circumstances. Today's readings are Isaiah 9-10, Tobit 10-12, and Proverbs 10:9-12.

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Father Mike Schmitz

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Father Mike Schmitz
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in ear podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in Ear podcast is brought to you by ascension using the great adventure Bible timeline. We'll read all the way from Genesis to revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story. Today it is day 196. We are continuing in our journey through the book of the Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah nine and ten, as well as only two more days left in the Book of Tobit Tobit 1011 and twelve.

We're also reading from proverbs chapter ten, verses nine through twelve. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the revised standard Version, second catholic edition. I'm using the great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com bibleina year. You can also subscribe to this podcast and receive daily updates and daily episodes every day.

That's what daily means. That's what we mean when we say it's day 196 and we're reading Isaiah nine and ten. Topit 1012 proverbs ten 912 the book of the Prophet Isaiah, chapter nine the righteous rain. But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan Galilee of the nations.

The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy. They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult, and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace, of the increase of his government and of peace. There will be no end upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness. From this time forth and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and it will light upon Israel.

And all the people will know Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart, the bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones. The sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place. So the Lord raises adversaries against them and stirs up their enemies. The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor seek the Lord of hosts. So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm, branch and reed in one day. The elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tale. For those who lead this people lead them astray, and those who are led by them are swallowed up. Therefore the lord does not rejoice over their young men and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows.

For everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this, his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. For wickedness burns like a fire. It consumes briars and thorns. It kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke through the wrath of the Lord of hosts.

The land is burned, and the people are like fuel for the fire. No man spares his brother. They snatch on the right but are still hungry. They devour on the left, but are not satisfied. Each devours his neighbor's flesh.

Manasseh Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh. And together they are against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. Chapter ten judgment on the oppressors woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees and the writers who keep righting oppression. To turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they make the fatherless their prey.

What will you do on the day of punishment in the storm which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth? Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger, the staff of my fury against a godless nation.

I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. But he does not so intend, and his mind does not so think. But it is in his mind to destroy and to cut off nations, not a few. For he says, are not my commanders all kings? Is not Kalno like Carchemish?

Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria, shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols as I have done to Samaria and her images? When the lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride. For he says, by the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding.

I have removed the boundaries of peoples and have plundered their treasures like a bull. I have brought down those who sat on thrones. My hand has found like a nest the wealth of the peoples. And as men gather eggs that have been forsaken, so I have gathered all the earth. And there was none that moved a wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped.

Shall the axe vaunt itself over him who hews it? Or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood. Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire. The light of Israel will become a fire, and his holy one a flame.

It will burn and devour his thorns and briars. In one day the glory of his forest and of his fruitful land, the Lord will destroy both soul and body. And it will be as when a sick man wastes away the remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down, the repentant remnant of Israel. In that day, the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean upon him that struck them, but will lean upon the Lord, the holy one of Israel. In truth, a remnant will return the remnant of Jacob to the mighty God.

For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness for the Lord, the Lord of hosts will make a full end, as decreed in the midst of all the earth. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the lord of hosts. O my people who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. For in a very little while, my indignation will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.

And the lord of hosts will wield against them a scourge, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt. And in that day, his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke will be destroyed from your neck. He has gone up from Ramon. He has come to aath.

He has passed through Migron. At Michmash, he stores his baggage. They have crossed over the pass. At Geba, they lodge for the night. Rama trembles.

Gibeah of Sahl has fled. Cry aloud, o daughter of Galim. Listen, o Laisha. Answer her, o anathoth. Madmenah is in flight.

The inhabitants of Gibim flee for safety this very day. We will halt at nob. He will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. Behold the Lord. The Lord of hosts will lop the bows with terrifying power.

The great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low. He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe. And Lebanon, with its majestic trees, will fall.

Tobias and Sarah journey home to Tobit and Anna. Now his father. Tobit was counting each day. And when the days for the journey had expired and they did not arrive, he said, is it possible that he has been detained? Or is it possible that Gabael has died and there is no one to give him the money?

And he was greatly distressed. And his wife said to him, the lad has perished. His long delay proves it. And she began to mourn for him and said, am I not distressed, my child, that I let you go, you who are the light of my eyes? But Tobit said to her, be still and stop worrying.

He is well. And she answered him, be still and stop deceiving me. My child has perished. And she went out every day to the road by which they had left. She ate nothing in the daytime and throughout the nights.

She never stopped mourning for her son Tobias, until the 14 days of the wedding feast had expired, which Raguel had sworn that he should spend there. At that time, Tobias said to Raguel, send me back, for my father and mother have given up hope of ever seeing me again. But his father in law said to him, stay with me, and I will send messengers to your father, and they will inform him how things are with you. Tobias replied, no, send me back to my father. So Raguel arose and gave him his wife Sarah and half of his property in slaves, cattle, and money.

And when he had blessed them, he sent them away, saying, the God of heaven will prosper you, my children, before I die. He also said to his daughter, honor your father in law and your mother in law. They are now your parents. Let me hear a good report of you. And he kissed her.

And Edna said to Tobias, the lord of heaven, bring you back safely, dear brother, and grant me to see your children by my daughter Sarah, that I may rejoice before the lord. See I am entrusting my daughter to you. Do nothing to grieve her. Chapter eleven the return after this, Tobias went on his way, praising God because he had made his journey a success. And he blessed Raguel and his wife Edna.

So he continued on his way until they came near to Nineveh. Then Raphael said to Tobias, are you not aware, brother, of how you left your father? Let us run ahead of your wife and prepare the house, and take the gall of the fish with you. So they went their way, and the dog went along behind them. Now Anna sat looking intently down the road for her son, and she caught sight of him coming and said to his father, behold, your son is coming, and so is the man who went with him.

Tobit's sight restored. Raphael said to Tobias before they approached his father, I know that his eyes will be opened. Smear the gall of the fish on his eyes, and the medicine will cause the white films to fall away, and your father will regain his sight and see the light. Then Anna ran to meet them and embraced her son and said to him, I have seen you, my child. Now I am ready to die.

And she wept. Tobit got up and came stumbling out through the courtyard door. But his son ran to him with the gall of the fish in his hand, and holding him firmly, he blew into his eyes, saying, take courage, Father. With this he applied the medicine on his eyes. Next, with both his hands, he peeled off the white films from the corners of his eyes.

Then he saw his son and embraced him, and he wept and said, here I see my son, the light of my eyes. Then he said, blessed be God, and blessed be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be blessed throughout all the ages, though he afflicted me, he has had mercy on me. Now I see my son Tobias and his son went in rejoicing, and he reported to his father the great things that happened to him in media. Then Tobit went out to meet his daughter in law at the gate of Nineveh, rejoicing and praising God.

Those who saw him as he went were amazed because he could see. And Tobit gave thanks before them that God had been merciful to him. When Tobit came near to Sarah, his daughter in law, he blessed her, saying, welcome, daughter. Blessed is God who has brought you to us, and blessed are your father and your mother. So there was rejoicing among all his brethren in Nineveh.

Ahaikar and his nephew Nadab came, and Tobias marriage was celebrated for seven days with great festivity. Chapter twelve Raphael's wages Tobit then called his son Tobias and said to him, my son, see to the wages of the man who went with you, and he must also be given more. He replied, Father, it would do me no harm to give him half of what I brought back, for he has led me back to you safely. He cured my wife, he obtained the money for me, and he also helped you. The old man said, he deserves it.

So he called the angel and said to him, take for your wages half of all that you two have brought back, and farewell Raphael's exhortation. Then the angel called the two of them privately and said to them, praise God and give thanks to him. Exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his name, worthily declaring the works of God and with fitting honor to acknowledge him. Do not be slow to give him thanks.

It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God and with fitting honor to acknowledge him. Do good and evil will not overtake you. Prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold, for almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin.

Those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have fullness of life, but those who commit sin are the enemies of their own lives. Raphael reveals his identity. I will now declare the whole truth to you, and I will not conceal anything from you. I have said it is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God. And so when you and your daughter in law Sarah prayed, I brought a reminder of your prayer before the holy one.

And when you buried the dead, I was likewise present with you. When you did not hesitate to rise and leave your dinner in order to go and lay out the dead, I was sent to test you. So now God sent me to heal you and your daughter in law Sarah. I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Lord. They were both alarmed, and they fell upon their faces, for they were afraid of.

But he said to them, do not be afraid. You will be safe. But praise God forever. For I did not come as a favor on my part, but by the will of our God. Therefore praise him forever.

All these days I merely appeared to you and did not eat or drink. But you were seeing a vision. And now bless the Lord upon the earth and give thanks to God, for I am ascending to him who sent me. Write in a book everything that has happened to you. Then they stood up, but they saw him no more.

So they confessed the great and wonderful works of God and acknowledged that the angel of the Lord had appeared to them.

The book of proverbs, chapter ten, verses nine through twelve. He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out. He who winks the eye causes trouble, but he who boldly reproves, makes peace. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up strife.

But love covers all offenses.

Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory, and we thank you so much. We thank you for your word. And we thank you for your wisdom that you give to us through these wise sayings of Solomon in the book of proverbs. Because we know, we know it is true. It is true that you call us to not mess around with evil.

You call us to choose the good with our whole heart. To choose you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. To love you with everything we have and everything we are. Because hatred stirs up strife. But love covers all offenses.

Help us to love you well. Help us to love you wisely. In this world that can often be so confusing and so tricky. To know how to love the people around us well. To know how to love you well.

And to know how to let people into our lives. To let them know us. To let them. To let them love us so. We ask for your help Lord, help us to love well, help us to be loved well, and help us to be an image of you in this world every day of our lives.

In Jesus name we pray, amen. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Okay. Gosh, you guys.

Chapter nine of Isaiah. What. How incredible is this now? Okay, a couple quick things. This.

What's the context? The context is in the beginning of chapter nine is, yes, there's gonna be the destruction of Israel, right? There's gonna be the Assyrians are coming in and they're coming to the north and they're going to destroy it. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. Right?

So that happened. The destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel. But in the latter time, he'll make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. Or another way to say it is the Galilee of the Gentiles. And then it goes into a little poem.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness on them has light shined. Now, you might have heard this before, because Matthew's gospel, this is how Matthew not begins his gospel, but in chapter two of Matthew's gospel. This is where he's rocking it. I mean, Jesus comes after the baptism by John and the Jordan, and he goes into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for 40 days, and he's fasting and the whole nine yards.

Where does he go from here? From there he goes up to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. Now, this is incredible, because Jesus is the fulfillment of what Isaiah is writing here in chapter nine, that Jesus goes up to the land of Zebulun, the land of Naphtali. Now, some geography stuff. The land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali.

Those are the. Remember two of the twelve tribes of Israel that made up the entire kingdom of Israel and then two of the tribes that made up the northern, ten tribes that made up the northern kingdom of Israel. When Assyria comes in, they're coming from the north, and what do they do? They take out the first two tribes first, right? Because that's.

You're coming from the north, and the first two tribes in the north are Naphtali, Zebulun. So they're the first to be destroyed and brought into desolation, essentially. Not even exile. I mean, it's exile, but they're destroyed completely. And yet the promise is in this very spot where everything began to be destroyed, is the same spot where everything will be rebuilt.

So Jesus goes up to the north shore of the sea of Galilee, which is the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. And what does he begin doing? He sees Simon and his brother Andrew fishing. He says, come, follow me. Then he sees James and his brother John fishing, says, come, follow me.

He assembles these four apostles, and it ultimately assembles how many apostles? How many people? Twelve apostles with him symbolizing the reconstituted twelve tribes of Israel, with Jesus as the king and those twelve tribes as the reconstituted, those twelve men, as the reconstituted Israel. And it all begins where? In the land of Zebulun, the land of Naphtali, the land beyond the Jordan, the Galilee of the Gentiles.

People who walked in darkness have seen a great light. How insane is this? So good. So good. And then not only that, but Isaiah goes on to give this incredible prophecy of what Jesus will be like.

What? Oh, gosh, here it goes on. Chapter nine. For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder. His name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace of his kingdom, there will be no end upon the throne of David is over.

Oh, gosh, all the things, so good. Here is Jesus, who's completely fulfilling this, because how could any other person at all fulfill this? Why? Because one of his names, of this child to be born, a son to be given, is mighty God himself. And there is no God born to us except for Jesus Christ, who, yes, coexisted eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

But when he took on our flesh in the incarnation, he was born in time. And so Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, the son of God, becomes among us a divine person with a divine and human nature. As it says here, he is mighty, mighty. He is mighty God. So incredible.

But the rest of the prophecy, of course, in Isaiah, chapter nine, goes on to talk about how the people in the north did not turn and will not turn back to the Lord no matter what happens. And so what's going to happen is Manasseh will devour Ephraim, and Ephraim will devour Manasseh. And together they're against Judah. And it is horrible, it's terrible, and they're going to be destroyed. And then what happens is God also speaks to those people who would destroy them.

In chapter ten, God is speaking. Woe to the Assyrians. And this is, this is really remarkable because not only is God saying, yeah, Assyria is the rod of my anger, the staff of my fury. This is chapter ten, verse five. Assyria.

He said, I'm using Assyria, this nation, as a nation, to bring justice to the northern kingdom of Israel. So they're the rod of my anger. They're the staff of my fury. I will be able to use them. And yet, at the same time, they are not.

They are not good. They are woad woed, if that's a word. He's pronouncing woe over them because, yes, even though I'm using them as a tool to bring about justice in the north, they are not. They are not good. And it is remarkable that at the end of chapter ten, God is already promising a repentant remnant in Israel.

And in that repentant remnant, he's saying that, yes, even though all this destruction is going to happen, there will be my people who will still be left, and my people will still be able to accomplish my plan, which is to bring about worldwide blessing to the world. So just some context for Isaiah, chapter nine, and chapter ten. Last little note. We have this incredible, great story of the book of Tobit that Tobias has gotten married now, and Sarah has gotten married to Tobias, and they're getting blessed by his now father in law and mother in law. And he blesses them back, and then they finally get to it.

Just shows. I love just the words of Tobias and Sarah, who are waiting for their son. And Tobias thinks like, no, he's going to be fine. And Sarah says, no, he's dead. And I love even just how the biblical author wrote that.

Tobit said to her, be still and stop worrying. He is well. And she responds, be still and stop deceiving. He's dead. And I just think that's great.

That's good writing right there. It's beautiful. But the last thing is, Raphael gives his exhortation, and one of the things he says is he says, okay, you're going to pray. Prayer is really good. Yes, keep on praying.

But prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving and righteousness. That it can't just be on my lips, right? It can't just be. Yeah, I spent some time in prayer. It's also got to accompany fasting.

I deny myself and almsgiving. I take care of those around me and righteousness. I'm actually doing the, what God has commanded me to do, and those four together, it just. This is what makes up the large part the spiritual life, right? So prayer, obviously, our relationship with God, fasting, this denial of self.

Jesus said, you cannot be my disciple unless you deny yourself. Pick up your cross and follow me. So we have to fast almsgiving. We have to take care of those around us. And righteousness.

We want to follow the commandments of God and follow what God has taught us to do. And I love this verse, this scripture verse in chapter twelve, verse nine and ten. It basically says, those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have fullness of life. But those who commit sin are the enemies of their own lives. And I just, I read that and I hear it.

I just, it pierces my heart. Those who commit sin are the enemies of their own lives. And so we just pray that God help us. Help us not to be the enemies of our own lives. Help us to be friends, not only friends of God, friends of ourselves.

By choosing what God wants us to choose, by choosing him and choosing righteousness, and choosing justice and choosing almsgiving, choosing all those good things, help us. We just pray, God help us not be the enemies of our own lives. I'm praying for you that that is the reality in your life, that you are not the enemy to your life. Please pray for me that I'm not the enemy of my life. Let's pray for each other.

My name is Fr. Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God blessed.