Because of Ahaz’ sin, God would bring judgment on Israel. In Isaiah 7:17, the Bible says, “The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.” This judgment was partly due to the terrible sins Ahaz committed while he was king and the sins which he caused Judah to do before the Lord. Also, when Edom came against Judah the second time, Ahaz did not go to God for help. Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. (See II Chronicles 28:16,17) This decision would turn against Ahaz later.
While God’s judgment would surely come, it did not come right away. Ahaz died in his own country. “Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.” (II Chronicles 28:27)
The judgment also did not come in Hezekiah’s day. Although Assyria came against Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, they were not successful in defeating Hezekiah or the people at that time. King Sennacherib went back to his place ashamed and was killed by his own sons when he entered into the house of his gods. (See II Chronicles 32:21) Because Hezekiah had humbled himself before the Lord, the judgment did not come in Hezekiah’s time. (See verse 26)
The judgment did begin to fall upon Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Manasseh, who was Ahaz’ grandson. II Chronicles 33:10,11 says, “10) And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. 11) Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.”
The Lord explained some of the things that would happen when Assyria came against Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah 7:18,19 says, “18) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19) And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.” Not only would Judah’s enemies come upon them, but God would torment them with flies and bees. This may refer to both the insects and the enemies of Judah, which would swarm into the land to overtake it. They would fill the land everywhere, even in the desolate places.
The false hope upon which Judah depended would desert them and would be overcome themselves. Isaiah 7:20 says, “In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.”
Who is this that would be shaved? This is Tyrus. In Jeremiah’s day, God warned the people not to trust in Egypt for help because Egypt would not help them. In the days of king Zedekiah of Judah, God spoke to Jeremiah, “6) Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7) Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. 8) And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. 9) Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.” (Jeremiah 37:6-9) However, neither King Zedekiah nor the people of Jerusalem listened. They depended upon Egypt anyway. The Chaldeans did come into the land, and they did take Jerusalem and burn it with fire, and they did defeat Egypt, though the Egyptians tried to flee.
The ones Israel had hired to help them were made ashamed. However, it was not only Egypt that turned and went away; other nations were affected as well. God promised through Jeremiah that all the following peoples would receive of the judgment and wrath of God, “19) Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; 20) And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, 21) Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon, 22) And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea, 23) Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners, 24) And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, 25) And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, 26And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.” (Jeremiah 25:19-25)
Ezekiel 29:18-20 explains, “18) Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: 19) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. 20) I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD.” I am not sure how Tyrus fits as the one who is hired and therefore shaven. However, since Nebuchadrezzar received no wages for going against Tyrus, God gave Egypt into his hands. God had chosen Nebuchadrezzar to go against Tyrus, and he and his army had wrought for the Lord, and the Lord made sure that Nebuchadrezzar received for the work that he had done.
All this can be a little hard to understand, but we can learn a great lesson. Egypt is a type of the world. God urged His people in Judah and Jerusalem not to trust in Egypt because Egypt would fail. In the same way, we should not trust in the world or its ways or its methods or its reasoning. We also should not put trust in ourselves. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” There is only one source of help, “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:8)
Let us not trust in the world’s ways or in our own understanding or in the arm of flesh to be our help. As Matthew Henry put it, “Many are beaten with that arm of flesh which they trusted to rather than to the arm of the Lord, and which they were at a great expense upon, when by faith and prayer they might have found cheap and easy succour in God.” The Bible assures us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) Let us lean upon Him, the only One who never fails.