Isaiah 10

The Lord used the Assyrians as a "tool" to overcome the wickedness of the kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and other nations ("cut of nations not a few")because He was not their God. The Assyrian did not recognize of Whom they were tools. They began thinking that it was all of their own strength and not the strength of the True and Living God. Even the king thought -

"By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man..." (Old Testament | Isaiah 10:13)

The trouble is he eventually came to battle with Judah, whose God was God even though the many of the people were not keeping His commandments. If find the Lord's response to be one to all haughty people -

"Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood." (Old Testament | Isaiah 10:15)

We know that the Assyrians even came to the gates of Jerusalem for a final attack where we read -

"...that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh." (Old Testament | 2 Kings 19:35 - 36)

What caught my attention was the way Isaiah prophecied concerning this event -

"Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.
17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day..." (Old Testament | Isaiah 10:16 - 17)

The record in Kings only reflects that the angel smote those in the camp. I sense from Isaiah that that how they were smote was with a light or holy burning like fire. Sounds very much like that which will take place in the latter days -

"FOR, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." (Old Testament | Malachi 4:1)