Isaiah 7:20
20 In the same day [yowm] shall the Lord ['Adonay]
shave [galach] with a razor [ta`ar] that is hired, [sakiyrah]
namely, by them beyond [`eber] the river, [nahar] by the king [melek] of
Assyria, ['Ashshuwr] the head, [ro'sh] and the hair [se`ar] of the
feet: [regel] and it shall also consume [caphah] the beard. [zaqan] KJV-Interlinear
20 In
that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the
Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the
legs; and it will also remove the beard. NASB
In the day of judgment, regardless
of when that judgment is to occur, it is the Lord who brings that judgment,
regardless of who He employs to bring about that judgment.
Jesus Christ controls history. He is God.
God controls history in
three ways.
He controls history
directly by doing something directly Himself.
His direct will.
He controls history by
utilizing the influence of truth and the principles of divine establishment. His indirect will.
He controls history
through permitting the free will decisions of mankind. His permissive will.
In all of these ways, God
knows what the circumstances are and what the outcome will be. He foresaw all things in eternity past and
decided to insert people and events into history at the appropriate time in
order to guide and direct history, even to cause discipline and judgment.
In this situation, Ahaz
and the people of Judah have been anti-God and anti-truth. They are going to be judged.
Through their own
decisions the king of Assyria will invade them, double cross them and take the
land from them.
And in this manner, it is
God who will permit this series of events to occur. Therefore, the hired or employed army of
Assyria, is hired by God through the events and decisions of history as brought
about by man, but directed by God from eternity past.
God did not interfere
with anyone's decisions, nor even in the decisions that were made to invade the
land. Man brought about all of the
misfortune upon themselves.
To shave the hair off the
head off the beard off the feet, means to bring into disgrace those who have
placed their trust in their appearance.
The hair on the head and on the face was traditionally viewed as an
appearance of honor. But such
appearances are on the external portion of ones body, not in the soul. So the trust and therefore the arrogance of
confidence by means of appearance is totally misplaced.
To cut off the hair on
the head and on the feet means to cut the hair off all portions of the body
that have hair. This includes privates,
and this emphasizes the disgrace and the total humiliation that will be
inflicted on the people of Judah.
And note, that when an
invading enemy army is cutting your hair off, they are not concerned with your
appearance or your comfort. Violence
attaches with the cutting. This applies
to both male and female. Torture accompanies
the abuse of the males and abuse in many aspects accompanies the mistreatment
of the females.
