Isaiah 10:5 says, O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. God said Assyria was going to be the nation to defeat Israel. We can interpret this as God empowering them God or as God removing His protection from Israel. I believe it means the latter. Though I may be wrong, I don’t see God as empowering those who don’t believe in Him at all so they can defeat those who are supposed to be His people. I believe He expects us to serve Him out of love and not out of fear.
Verse six adds, I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. God said that the destruction of Israel by Assyria was going to be a near complete destruction of the nation since His people were a hypocritical nation. If we are hypocritical in our relationship to God, we cannot expect Him to protect us spiritually, much less physically. We just have to look at the early disciples or even Jesus Himself to see that God does not always keep us from physical harm, but if we are a true believer in Christ, He will always keep us from spiritual harm. I don’t believe that God empowered those who persecuted the early Christians, or even the saints of old, to be able to do so.
Verse seven continues, Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. Isaiah said that the king of Assyria did not view himself as an instrument of God’s punishment of Israel, and did not acknowledge that only by God’s removing His protection from Israel was he able to defeat them. He saw himself as more powerful than God and His people. Many rulers in the world today take pride in their own strength, believing that there is no God Who is more powerful than them, and God may at times allow them to rule over His people, but if we as His people remain true to Him, we will never be defeated spiritually.
Verse eight adds, For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? The king of Assyria asked if his princes were not as powerful as those who had been kings themselves. He was trusting in his power over other leaders to be more powerful than the king of Israel and his God. People of other nations who serve other gods or claim there is no god at all have defeated God’s people at times and may believe they are able to today. Even when God’s people have been defeated physically though, they have never been defeated spiritually and never will be.
Verse nine adds, Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? He then asked about specific cities that he had defeated. He believed that he was able to defeat anyone as he had in the past. Some nations have been successful at defeating others in the past, and they begin to believe that they are undefeatable, even by the power of God, since they often do not even acknowledge His existence. Even if other nations may have defeated God’s people at times, they have never defeated God.
Verse ten continues, As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; Here, he plainly states that he had defeated other countries and their gods and graven images had exceeded those of Jerusalem. No matter how many countries who serve false gods any nation may defeat, no matter how many false gods they may have, they will never defeat God. As the Romans and the Jews thought when they crucified Jesus Christ, they may at times have physical success in defeating Christians, but they will never defeat them spiritually. God will always keep His people spiritually safe, and this is all that really matters.
Verse eleven concludes, Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? He then said that Judah and Jerusalem would be no different, whose idols wouldn’t protect them any more than any other nations idols had protected them. He was accurate in this sense, but those who worshipped the true and living God would never be defeated forever. It was because of their worship of false gods that the people of Jerusalem had lost the protection of God, and not because He was too weak to protect them.
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