Truth #12 - God is sovereign over the affairs of men and controls even the flies! Isaiah 7-11

Isaiah 10:15 Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, Or like a rod lifting him who is not wood. To fully understand the above verse out of Isaiah 10 we have to understand what God is talking about in this section of the prophet's writings. God is telling the nation of Israel and Judah that He will be disciplining their disobedience by using the wicked nation of the Assyrians to punish them. God could have used flies, or blood, or lice, or frogs, like He did in Egypt, to convince them to let His people God. God used an ass when the prophet Balaam was tempted to prophesy against Israel. God used a harlot to protect the spies in Jericho. God used a young lad to send a message to Paul's guard when there was a plot against Paul's life. God uses anyone and anything He wants to do His work. Note what Isaiah had just written a few chapters earlier about using a wicked nation to punish His holy people: Isaiah 7:18 In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. God calls people like He herds the bees and the flies. God uses the wicked in the way He wants. He allowed wicked men to be used by Satan to destroy Job's wealth. God uses the wicked, often. Yet, the wicked often boast about their power, position and possessions and never acknowledge that the Holy One of Israel was their guide and overseer. That is the context of the above verse. When the wicked fail to acknowledge God's sovereign rule over them, they are like the axe boasting that it cut the tree down, rather than giving glory to the One who wielded the axe. When the wicked (or anyone) fails to acknowledge God's rule over the affairs of this world they are a like a Black and Dekker saw jumping off the table and dancing around the room, claiming it was the saw that cut the stud so accurately. Assyria was a tool for God to work His greater plan. God uses the world to accomplish glorious things. Sometimes that is simply by removing His common-grace and allowing the wickedness of man to take control of him. When God removes His grace, that is holding back the wickedness of man, man will do awful and terrible things to themselves and each other. This is what God did with Assyria. God removed His grace and the evil hearts of the Assyrians took over and began to destroy the nation of Israel. When God wanted that stopped, He injected His grace again and caused them to have mercy ... something they would not have done prior without God's grace. God uses evil men, without making them do evil things. God simply removes the grace He is supplying that keeps the evilness in their hearts from going wild and unchecked. That is why it is so laughable ... or, better, unforgivable ... for the axe to claim fame when they are just a dumb, evil axe with a sharp edge. God is in perfect control of the flies, the bees, the evil axe of men's wickedness. We can trust Him to use it correctly to accomplish His plan.