Words that Inspire

Throughout the bible, there have been instances where God allowed a foreign country to defeat the children of Israel, as a way to show them a lesson. However, at the end of the punishment, God turns around and punishes the countries that he uses. I have always been confused on this point. Essentially my question has always been: If God uses them to punish His children, why turn around and punish them for punishing his children? I found my answer – in Isaiah 10.

 

Story Summary

The main story is in Isaiah 10:5-19. In this passage we see that God sent Assyria to punish the children of Israel for their transgressions. The assignment God assigns to the king of Assyria is in verse 6. 

 

I send him against a godless nation,

    I dispatch him against a people who anger me,

to seize loot and snatch plunder,

    and to trample them down like mud in the streets.

 

We see in the next verse that the king of Assyria decides he wants to carry out his own agenda. Instead of just looting and plundering, he wants to completely destroy the children of Israel. The king of Assyria boasts that he has conquered nations before Israel and he has the best commanders, so he will abandon God’s plan and carry out his own. Because of this willful change in plans and the  God decides that after his work with the children of Israel is done, he will destroy Assyria and cut the nation down to size.

 

Him who God has raised, no one can destroy

The king of Assyria failed to remember that in spite of their sinful ways, the people of Israel were God’s children. They belonged to God and he had a covenant with them. Whether they enjoyed fruitful times or went through harsh punishment, it was all at God’s discretion. No one is allowed to tamper with them. God’s attitude towards Israel is the same attitude we have towards our loved ones. You can fight like cats and dogs within family, but when there is an interloper or someone from the outside, they are not allowed to come in and interfere with the family.

More importantly, whoever it is God has blessed, no one can curse, and whoever God raises, no one can put down. Balak and Balam could not curse Israel because he had blessed them and despite sins and transgressions, he allowed Rome to rule them for a while, and then he sent Christ to liberate. As it was for the children of Israel in the Old Testament, the same it is for us. We are God’s chosen ones and his words concerning us can never be changed. When He says we are lifted, no one can pull us down. When He says we are blessed, no one can curse us. When He punishes us, there is always mercy.