Isaiah 10
"When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes." - Isaiah 10:12
Isaiah writes to the people of Judah in the late 8th century bc as the Assyrian army marches south to destroy them. By this time, Assyria has already conquered most of the Middle East. She cannot be stopped. Judah is the next nation in line to be conquered. Isaiah prophecies that Judah will indeed be disciplined by the Lord through this Assyrian invasion. However, after the Lord finishes using the Assyrian king and his army to discipline Judah, the Assyrian king himself will be punished. This is because of the Assyrian king's pride and arrogance. What goes around comes around.
Some important lessons: (1) God uses nations to discipline other nations, under his sovereign governance of history; (2) if a nation is on the upswing through economic might or military conquest, it should keep itself from becoming boastful or arrogant; instead it should humble itself and recognise God is the reason for its temporary success; and (3) national leaders who boast in themselves and who do not recognise God are asking for discipline/punishment.
Father, I want to recognise this morning that you are the God of history. You are truly in command. I recognise that you are holy and that, in your holiness, you always deal appropriately with sin. If a nation turns away from you, it is within your prerogative to bring discipline upon it through various means. Military invasion is one of those means. But thank you that, in the end, your people will survive, just as the remnant of Israel is promised survival in Isaiah 10:20-23. May all nations of the earth be humble toward you, Father. May every nation recognise that you are the great King. Thank you that one day Messiah Jesus will bring peace to the entire world, and that every knee will bow to him.
"Therefore God has highly exalted [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:9-11
Father, again I pray for for the Christians in Afghanistan. Protect, provide, and encourage them today. In Jesus' name, amen.