laid siege to Jerusalem, (2 King xviii. 13.) in consequence of which, we may well suppose Hezekiah and his kingdom were greatly alarmed, though there was a good work of reformation lately begun among them: but it ended well, in the confusion of the Assyrians, and the great encouragement of Hezekiah ahd his people in their return to God.
Now let us see here,
I. How God, in his sovereignty, deputed the king of Assyria to be his servant, and made use of him as a mere tool to serve his own purposes with; (v. 5, 6. ) "O Assyrian, know this, that thou art the rod of mine anger; and I will send thee to be a scourge to the people of my wrath." Observe here, 1. How bad the character of the Jews is, though they appeared very good; they are a hypocritical nation, that made a profession of religion, and, at this time particularly, of reformation, but were not truly religious, not truly reformed, not so good as they pretended to be, now that Hezekiah had brought goodness into fashion. When rulers are pious, and so religion is in reputation, it is common for nations to be hypocritical; they are a profane nation; so some read it. Hezekiah had in a great measure cured them of their idolatry, and now they run into profaneness; nay, hypocrisy is profaneness: none profane the name of God so much as those who are called by that name, and call upon it, and yet live in sin. Being a profane hypocritical nation, they are the people of God's wrath; they lie under his wrath, and are likely to be consumed by it. Note, Hypocritical nations are the people of God's wrath: nothing is more offensive to God than dissimulation in religion. See what a change sin made: they that had been God's chosen and hallowed people, above all, were now become the people of his wrath, See Amos iii. 2. 2. How mean the character of the Assyrian is, though he appeared very great; he is but the rod of God's anger, an instrument God is pleased to make use of for the chastening of his people, that, being thus chastened of the Lord, they may not be condemned with the world. Note, The tyrants of the world are but tools of Providence. Men are God's hand, his sword sometimes, to kill and slay, Ps. xvii. 13, 14. At other times, they are his rod to correct. The staff in their hand, wherewith they smite his people, is his indignation; it is his wrath that puts the staff into their hand, and enables them to deal blows at pleasure among such as thought themselves a match for them. Sometimes God makes an idolatrous nation, that serves him not at all, a scourge to an hypocritical nation, that serves him not in sincerity and truth.
The Assyrian is called the rod of God's anger, because he is employed by him. (1.) From him his power is derived; I will send him, I will give him a charge. Note, All the power that wicked men have, though they often use it against God, they always receive from him. Pilate could have no power against Christ, unless it were given him from above, John xix. 11. (2.) By him the exercise of that power is directed. The Assyrian is to take the spoil, and to take the prey, not to shed any blood; we read not of any slain, but he is to plunder the country, rifle the houses, drive the cattle, and strip them of all their wealth and ornaments, and tread them down like the mire of the streets. When God's professing people wallow in the mire of sin, it is just with God to suffer their enemies to tread upon them like mire. But why must the Assyrian prevail thus against them? Not that they might be ruined, but that they might be thoroughly reformed.
II. See how the king of Assyria, in his pride, magnified himself as his own master, and pretended to be absolute, and above all control; to act purely according to his own will, and for his own honour. God ordained him for judgment, even the mighty God established him for correction, (Hab. i. 12.) to be an instrument of bringing his people to repentance; howbeit, he means not so, nor does his heart think so, v. 7. He does not think that he is either God's servant, or Israel's friend; either that he can do no more than God will let him, or that he shall do no more than God will make to work for the good of his people. God designs to correct his people for, and so to cure them of, their hypocrisy, and bring them nearer to him; but was that Sennacherib's design? No, it was the furthest thing from his thoughts: he means not so. Note, 1. The wise God often makes even the sinful passions and projects of men subservient to his own great and holy purposes. 2. When God makes use of men as instruments in his hand to do his work, it is very common for him to mean one thing, and them to mean another; nay, for them to mean the quite contrary to what he intends. What Joseph's brethren designed for hurt, God overruled for good, Gen. 1. 20. See Mic. iv. 11, 12. Men have their ends, and God has his, but we are sure the counsel of the Lord shall stand. But what is it the proud Assyrian aims at? The heart of kings is unsearchable, but God knew what was in his heart: he designs nothing but to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few, and to make himself master of them. (1.) He designs to gratify his own cruelty; nothing will serve but to destroy, and cut off. He hopes to regale himself with blood and slaughter; that of particular persons will not suffice, he must cut off nations. It is below him to deal by retail, he traffics in murder by wholesale; nations, and those not a few, must have but one neck, which he will have the pleasure of cutting off. (2.) He designs to gratify his own covetousness and ambition, to set up for a universal monarch, and to gather unto him all nations, Hab. ii. 5. An insatiable desire of wealth and dominion, is that which carries him on in this undertaking.
The prophet here brings him in vaunting and hectoring; and by his general's letter to Hezekiah, written in his name, vainglory and arrogance seem to have entered very far into the spirit and genius of the man. His haughtiness and presumption are here described very largely, and his very language copied out, partly to represent him as ridiculous, and partly to assure the people of God that he would be brought down; for that maxim generally holds true that pride goes before destruction. It also intimates, that God takes notice, and keeps an account, of all men's proud and haughty words, with which they set heaven and earth at defiance. They that speak great swelling words of vanity, shall hear of them again.
[1.] He boasts what great things he has done to other nations. First, He has made their kings his courtiers; (v. 8.) "My princes are altogether kings; those that are now my princes, are such as have been kings." Or, he means that he had raised his throne to that degree, that his servants, and those that were in command under him, were as great, and lived in as much pomp, as the kings of other countries. Or, those that were absolute princes in their own dominions, held their crowns under him, and did him homage. This was a vainglorious boast; but how great is our God whom we serve, who is indeed King of kings, and whose subjects are made to him kings! Rev. i. 6. Secondly, He has made himself master of their cities: he names several, (v. 9.) that were all alike reduced by him; Calno soon yielded as Carchemish did; Hamoth could not hold out any more than Arpad; and Samaria is become his, as well as Damascus. To support his boasts, he is obliged to bring the victories of his predecessor into the account; for it was he that conquered Samaria, not Sennacherib. Thirdly, He had been too hard for their idols, their tutelar
