Compare Isaiah 9:20 with Galatians 5:15 on internal strife's destructive nature.

The Picture of Self-Destruction in Isaiah 9:20

• “They slice off what is on the right, but still are hungry;

They devour what is on the left, but still they are not satisfied.

Each of them will feed on the flesh of his own arm.”

• Israel’s civil turmoil had become so fierce that people metaphorically “ate” their own flesh—an image of a nation turning on itself.

• Hunger remains despite frantic grasping; conflict never satisfies.

• Literal judgment: when covenant people reject God’s ways, He allows internal decay as part of discipline (cf. Deuteronomy 28:53-57).

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The Warning of Mutual Destruction in Galatians 5:15

• “But if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.”

• Paul confronts believers tempted by legalistic rivalry.

• The violent verbs—biting, devouring—echo Isaiah’s imagery, showing how unchecked strife in the church ends the same way: self-consumption.

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Shared Theme: Consumption from Within

• Both passages expose a spiritual law: when God’s people fight each other, they eventually destroy themselves.

• Strife eliminates the testimony of love that should distinguish the covenant community (John 13:34-35).

• What famine and sword do externally, envy and contention accomplish internally.

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Roots of Internal Strife

• Fleshly desires (Galatians 5:13-14, 19-21).

• Pride and selfish ambition (James 3:14-16).

• Failure to heed God’s Word (Isaiah 8:20-22).

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God’s Desire for Unity

• “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” (Psalm 133:1).

• Jesus prayed “that they may all be one” (John 17:21).

• The Spirit produces love, peace, patience, kindness (Galatians 5:22-23)—the antidote to mutual consumption.

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Practical Takeaways

• Guard your words: reckless speech stirs conflict (Proverbs 18:21).

• Address grievances quickly, seeking reconciliation (Matthew 5:23-24).

• Walk in the Spirit, not the flesh, to avoid devouring others (Galatians 5:16).

• Promote edification: “Let everything be done for building up” (1 Corinthians 14:26).