God's Purpose and Assyria's Purpose

Good morning. Today we are in Isaiah 10:5–19.

We started to switch from yesterday, when we were talking about Israel and how His hand is still stretched out and what the judgment was going to be.

In this, we move to Assyria, which is the instrument that God chooses to use to bring this judgment down on Israel.

But there's an interesting contrast that happens here that actually follows along pretty closely with what we discussed yesterday, and that's the difference between God's intentions and His sovereignty for judgment, and then how that lands against Assyria's intentions and the purpose that they have in attacking and plundering Israel, and then what God is going to do about that.

So in verses 5 through 7, it talks about what God was doing.

In verse 6, it says:

"I send it against a godless nation and commission it against the people of My fury to capture spoils and to seize plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets."

Pretty straightforward and pretty, pretty harsh.

The imagery there, in my mind, is pretty graphic.

And then verse 7 is where this all hinges.

Verse 7 is where we realize that Assyria has its own motives:

"Yet it does not so intend, nor does it plan so in its heart, but rather it is its purpose to destroy and to eliminate many nations."

So the part where it says, "But rather it is its purpose," we can reword that to say, "But rather it is Assyria's purpose to destroy and to eliminate many other nations."

And so we know what God's purpose was.

Now we see what Assyria's purpose is, and they're not the same.

And then we have verse 12:

"So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, 'I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the arrogant pride of his eyes.'"

He has said—

So in verse 13 it says:

"For he has said"—and that means the king of Assyria—"By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, because I have understanding; and I removed the boundaries of the peoples and plundered their treasures, and like a powerful man I brought down their inhabitants."

He goes on to talk about all that he did.

And then in verse 15, we have God's response:

"Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, or like the rod lifting the one who is not wood."

And then He goes on to explain—God explains, well, now in verse 16, yeah, starts to explain what God is going to do to Assyria.

And wow.

Again, it comes down to who God is—His sovereignty, His justice, His righteousness—versus what is in the heart of man.

I think we have to be very careful with thinking that God uses bad things for good, because that can be the case at some point, but it is not always the case.

Sometimes people simply go outside of God's will and cause harm to others, and God still can use that for good, yes.

But that does not mean that God used them in that way at that moment in time.

But God can and does use people as a way to do His judgment.

He can use us in obedience to go out and do His will, to exonerate and uplift and teach and love on others and share His gospel with others.

And I think that that's something important to sit with and work through and understand.

There will be another resource on the website to go look at, just for sort of another compare and contrast like I've been doing, because it helps me understand what I am looking at and reading, and I hope that it might help you as well.

I know that I have taken this in a very particular way, but that doesn't mean that's what has been sticking out to you when you slow down and read the Scriptures.

So what sticks out to you?

What jumps out to you?

Do you struggle with it like I struggled with it, or are you good with that part, and so that means that other things really stuck out more to you?

I would love to know either.

Oh, dear Heavenly Father, Lord, thank You.

Thank You for today, and thank You for the fact that we can look at Scripture and understand who You are.

We can grasp Your authority, Your sovereignty, Your intent, Your justice, righteousness, and Your ability to know exactly what is right.

Oh, and I thank You for the comparison to man and how time has proven over and over again that oftentimes the motive of a man's heart is not the same as Your heart, Lord.

I thank You for the warnings.

Thank You for the warnings that if we consistently and continually choose to do things that are outside of Your will, that there will be consequences.

And those consequences are due to our own choice, not because You are mean or angry.

And then could we rather blame You?

Oh Lord, each one of us has things going on in our life that only You know about.

Each one of us needs support and help in ways that only You know, and I just ask that You be with anybody listening to this.

Help them know that You see them, that You understand, and that You will provide.

Help them know that they are not alone.

Lord, I just ask that You'd be with us as we go out today and do the things that You've asked us to do, that You bless the work that we do with our hands and with our minds.

We can also then go out and bless those around us, Lord.

Lord, it is in the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Thank you for joining me today as we wander through God's Word with wonder.