Thoughts for the Day

Arrogant Assyria Also Judged

Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger—
the club in their hands is my fury!
Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
But this is not what he intends,
nor does he have this in mind;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
and to cut off nations not a few.....

When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride. For he says:

‘By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I have removed the boundaries of peoples,
and have plundered their treasures;
like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.

Shall the axe vaunt itself over the one who wields it,
or the saw magnify itself against the one who handles it?
As if a rod should raise the one who lifts it up,
or as if a staff should lift the one who is not wood!

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Chapter 10 of Isaiah opens with a warning to Judah (Southern Kingdom) of a coming 'day of punishment', as has already happened to Samaria (Northern Kingdom). Isaiah's message would have been shocking to God's people, for he declares that the ruthless Assyrian Empire is an instrument of God’s anger. This acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over all nations is a recurring theme in the Bible, highlighting that no matter how mighty earthly empires may seem, they are subject to the ultimate authority of Yahweh. For example, the Babylonians would be used to punish the Israelites for their disobedience (Jeremiah 25.9) and years later a remnant to be returned from Babylon to Jerusalem through the instigation of Cyrus the Great (Ezra 1).

But even more shockingly is a second prophecy, a warning against Assyria that although they are a powerful nation, ultimately their actions are within God’s control and purpose. He asks "Shall the axe vaunt itself over the one who wields it?" Implicit in this is the cruelty of the conquerors who have massacred the people of the northern Kingdom or carried them off as slaves to work elsewhere in the Assyrian Empire, while believing that this was all their own work.

Some of this is alien to our modern way of thinking, but throughout the Bible, pride is considered a sin that leads to destruction (Proverbs 16.18), and here, the king of Assyria’s pride has brought him under God’s judgment. This serves as a reminder that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Almighty God,
ruler of the universe
may we learn to recognise that Your hands
are at the centre of all things,
and that You encourage us to work with You.
When our words or actions are self-centred
draw us back to You to rethink our plans,
and repent our decisions.
Amen.