"When the Lord has finished all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, ‘I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.’" (Isaiah 10:12)
The first time I read about the Assyrian king in the Book of Isaiah and the judgment God pronounced against him, I made a decision to never be the reason a believer, a covenant child of God, suffers. I must never allow myself to be the instrument of another person’s downfall or become the one through whom another believer is punished or harmed. I must never be a Judas to any child of God, nor an Assyrian king in someone else’s story.
No matter how deeply you are hurt by the actions or inactions of a fellow believer, you must resist the urge to take matters into your own hands. Seeking revenge or plotting someone’s downfall is never the right response. It would be like justifying the act of dishonouring one’s parents, something God clearly forbids.
God’s laws are not dependent on how others behave. They are personal, requiring our obedience whether or not those around us follow them. Our neighbour’s actions, whether good or bad, do not exempt us from doing what is right. (Luke 6:32). We must choose to walk in obedience, to love even when love is not returned, and to honor God no matter what others do.
The Assyrian King’s Pride and God’s Judgment
Amidst the looming war against God’s people in Judah, Prophet Isaiah delivered a word of judgment: the Assyrian king, who thought so highly of himself, would be brought down. He was certain of his power, convinced that his schemes would succeed.
This king was like many who become consumed by revenge. When bitterness takes root, it blinds people, making them believe their target has no escape. They plot relentlessly. It’s no longer just about payback; they want total destruction. They want to ruin reputations, crush careers, and leave their victims so disgraced that they never recover. With their foot on the person’s neck, they believe they have won.
But they forget one thing: God is the true Judge. The Assyrian king said to himself, “I have conquered them; they are in my hands.” But the fact that he was able to touch God’s people did not mean he had outsmarted God. It only meant that he had unwittingly become an instrument in God’s hands, one that God permitted to serve His higher purpose.
The king’s intentions were completely different from God’s. That meant no matter how much power or control he thought he had, he actually had none. He was merely a pawn in God’s grand design. His actions were fully under God’s control, even though he had no idea. Isaiah 10:15 says, “Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it?”
While God allowed the trial as a means to draw His people back to Him, to restore and redeem them, the Assyrian king was driven by pride and destruction. If Israel had repented immediately, just as Nineveh did, God would have forgiven them at once.
Bámí nàn omo mí, kodé ìnú olomo: Like a Mother Who Permits Discipline
Just like Judah in those days, some believers today have drifted far from God. They have abandoned their first love, their Father, and their King. Instead of seeking His will, they now serve only themselves.
Again and again, God has tried to draw them back. He has spoken through prophetic words and dreams. He has even blocked their plans, hoping they would see His hand and return. He has nudged them, given them time, and endured their stubbornness. Yet, despite all His warnings, they continue on paths that lead only to destruction.
Everyone around them can see the danger ahead, everyone except them. Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.”.
And so, to preserve His people, God allowed the enemy, through certain individuals, to touch His anointed. But these instruments of judgment forgot something critical: the same God who permitted them to act also said, “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” (Psalm 105:15)
It’s like a mother who tells a teacher or maid, “You can discipline my son if he misbehaves,” but deep down, she never really wants her child to be harmed. And if that teacher or maid is too harsh, the mother goes ballistic, furious that her child has been treated without mercy.
This is exactly what happened with the nations that rose against God’s people. He allowed them to act, but they went too far. God said through Zechariah after the Babylonian exile: “I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped—but with evil intent.” (Zechariah 1:15).
These nations were not helping God to bring His people back to Him. Like the Assyrians, their hearts were set on destruction. And this angered God.
Babylon, in particular, took things to an extreme. Not only did they defeat God’s people, but they also carried them into captivity, treating them with excessive cruelty. Jeremiah 50:6-7: “My people have been lost sheep… All who found them have devoured them.”
Other nations followed suit. Edom and neighboring territories did not just watch; they plundered and even aided Babylon in oppressing God’s people. And so God said: “Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and destroyed forever.” (Obadiah 1:10, Ezekiel 25:1-17).
Even when God permits trials to discipline His Children, those who go beyond His intent will answer to Him. You see, if you cannot ease the suffering of someone going through God’s discipline. If you can’t show them mercy, pray for them, or encourage them, at the very least, don’t make things worse. Don’t mock them or ‘add salt to injury.’ Don’t add to their pain.
It’s better to do nothing than to make life even more unbearable for them. Because, just like Edom, Babylon, and the Assyrian king, the Lord will eventually turn against anyone who delights in another’s suffering. And when He does, their own fate may be worse.
Be Careful Not to Usurp God’s Role: A Lesson From David
Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did. Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.” (Isaiah 10:24-25)
"Then He said to the disciples, ‘It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!’" (Luke 17:1)
It is dangerous to position yourself as the instrument of another believer’s downfall. When you make yourself the channel through which someone suffers judgment, punishment, or disgrace, you put yourself in direct opposition to God. And that is never a safe place to be.
While it is true that God allows consequences for sin and disobedience, we must never take it upon ourselves to deliver those consequences with malice. God does not need human enforcers to discipline His own. Scripture shows that God does use human instruments for discipline (e.g., Nathan confronting David in 2 Samuel 12 and Paul rebuking Peter in Galatians 2:11-14), but such actions must be led by His Spirit, not by personal vengeance.
Hebrews 10:30: “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’”
Even when someone faces divine discipline, our role is to show mercy, not to celebrate their downfall or make sure they “get what they deserve.” God is just, and in His perfect time, He will defend His own.
David understood this truth. When he had the chance to harm King Saul, the very man hunting him down, he refused and told Abishai: “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” (1 Samuel 26:9)
Just like Job’s friends, who spoke carelessly and made his suffering worse with their accusations, those who add to another’s pain may later find themselves in need of mercy. In the end, God instructed Job to pray for them so that He could show them mercy (Job 42:7-9).
Similarly, when we, as believers, find ourselves in the position of David of the people of Judah, I’m confident that the Holy Spirit will lead us to pray for those who have hurt us. And when we do, not only do they benefit from our prayers, but we also do. Like Job, we make ourselves candidates for greater blessings in our latter days.
