God Judges Proud Assyria and Keeps a Remnant

God pronounced woe on those who made unjust laws and robbed the poor of justice. Assyria was the rod in God's hand to discipline Israel, but the king of Assyria became proud, thinking everything was due to his own strength and cleverness. God said, "Should an ax brag against the one who chops with it?" So God would punish the king of Assyria's arrogant heart. Although the people of Israel would walk through suffering, God promised to keep a remnant who would no longer lean on those who oppressed them, but would honestly lean on the LORD. At the end of the story, Isaiah used a tender shoot growing from an old stump to remind the children that God can leave new hope even where things seem cut down. This tells us: God judges pride and injustice, and yet He keeps those who humbly trust in Him.