In one sense the unity of this passage is very clear; it deals from beginning to end with the future downfall of Assyria. Its message also is clear: neither fear nor rely on Assyria; she is merely a tool in the Lord’s hand and her time, too, will come.

Verse 12 alerts us to the fact that, while the northern kingdom has not been lost to view entirely, the focus has shifted back to the south and to Jerusalem/Zion in particular. The Assyrian “flood” which overwhelmed the north eventually swept on into Judah as well. It was at Jerusalem that the Lord finished all His work of judging the two kingdoms. It shouldn’t surprise us that the Lord should then, as verse 12 tells us; redirect His anger towards arrogant Assyria. For chapter 2 has already put on record God’s abhorrence of arrogance and His intention to judge it, not only among His own people, but also in the world at large. Of course the judgment on Assyria here, like that on Israel and Judah, is envisioned as taking place within history rather than on the final day, but it is nevertheless entirely in keeping with the character of God as revealed in the earlier chapters. What is surprising is that the Lord should have chosen to use such a proud, pagan nation at all, especially against His own people. But two things are strongly affirmed. First, the Lord did in fact do so (vv. 5-6), and second, this did not absolve Assyria of moral accountability (vv. 7-11, 15). It’s not that Assyria resisted her calling (she was not even aware of it), but that she sinned in the matter in which she fulfilled it (arrogantly, v. 15). The twin truths of divine sovereignty and human responsibility are held together in a fine tension here, as they are in Scripture as a whole.

When Assyria is reduced to a remnant (v. 19), the remnant of Israel will no longer lean on her, but will lean upon the Lord (v. 20). Israel in verse 20 is not just the northern kingdom, but the whole twelve tribes, as the repetition of the name Jacob in verses 20 and 21 confirms. The whole land, both north and south, will be devastated, and only then will Assyria herself be dealt with (vv. 25-27).

Essentially, the choice that Isaiah and his compatriots faced was whether to respond to the circumstances that threatened them with calm reliance on God or with a frenzy of self-help, using whatever means the wisdom of the age deemed most likely to succeed. And since the world is always with us, and has the same basic character from age to age, it is an issue which always faces people of God in a multitude of ways small and great. In the book of Isaiah the issues of faith and unbelief are constantly related to the very pressing and practical business of political, national and personal survival, and this has a most important lesson to teach us. Faith is more than a means of justification; it is also a practical approach to the challenges of daily life, just as much for us as it was for those who faced the Assyrian threat. We are not only saved by faith; we are to live by it!

While God may use evil people to accomplish His purposes, this does not in any way diminish their accountability. We are in touch here with something we will not fully understand this side of heaven; it is part of the mysterious interplay between divine sovereignty and human freedom. We should, however, grasp it firmly and be profoundly grateful for it, for it will preserve us from either denying the reality of evil or fearing that it will ultimately triumph. Wicked men served God’s purpose by nailing Jesus to the cross, but the resurrection lays on them, and on all of us, the urgent need for repentance.

Isaiah 10:5-34 Reflection Questions:
What lessons do we learn with how God used Assyria concerning our Christian walk?
How do you respond to any difficult circumstances that threatened you, with calm reliance on God or with a frenzy of self-help?
What does it mean to you “to live by faith?”