God's Sovereignty and the Rise and Fall of Empires
July 17, 2024 - Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 10:5-7, 13b-16
Our passage today is dedicated to Assyria, God's instrument of punishment for His people Israel. The question that immediately comes to mind is why God used a nation much more sinful than Israel as a "rod of His anger" (see Isaiah 10:5). A similar question was asked centuries ago by the prophet Habakkuk (see Habakkuk 1:5-17). We shall not answer this question right now; instead, let us explore a topic suggested by the Jewish Study Bible in its commentary on this passage: "the Assyrian emperor: lord of lords or pawn of the Lord?"
If you search the topic "the rise and fall of empires" on the internet, the resources provide us with the following insights. The rise of any empire is attributed to three basic factors: political stability, economic strength, and military power. Conversely, the fall of an empire is caused by overextension, internal conflicts, and external invasion. Isaiah, however, attributes the rise and fall of the Assyrian empire to the decision of the Lord, which is often accelerated by human pride. The king of Assyria claimed that he achieved his success by his power and skills (see Isaiah 10:13). He could not imagine himself to be just a pawn in the great design of the almighty God. Now, let us apply this insight to world history.
Barry Linton, in his book "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire," presents the factors that contributed to the rise and fall of Rome along the lines of contemporary historians. On the other hand, Saint Augustine, who witnessed the fall of Rome, ascribed it to divine punishment for its idolatry and immorality. The great theologian of Western Christianity concluded that since human nature is affected by sin, the fall of any empire is inevitable. Any empire of this world is transient and subject to God's governance. Ultimately, it is God who decides to put an end to an empire when it has filled up the measure of its sins.
Isaiah reminds us of the truth of "God's primacy and absolute Lordship over history and the world" (CCC, 304). The answer to our initial question, "the Assyrian emperor: lord of lords or pawn of the Lord?", is obvious. The Book of Revelation declares Jesus Christ, the risen and exalted at the right hand of the Father, as the "Lord of lords and King of kings" (Rev 17:14; 19:16). Saint Paul uses the same title speaking of the mystery of God: "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen" (1 Tim 6:15-16).
As Christians, we must rediscover this truth in a world dominated by contemporary empires. At the heart of Jesus' message was the kingdom of God, which came through Jesus to liberate, heal, and raise to new life. All the empires of the world are phantoms; like grass, they spring up in the morning and wither in the evening. But God's reign shall last forever.