What other scriptures show God's use of nations to fulfill His purposes? Isaiah 13:17—the Principle Introduced “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them…” (Isaiah 13:17). God openly declares that He Himself “stirs up” a specific nation to accomplish His judgment on Babylon. From this single verse the door opens to a sweeping biblical pattern: the Lord directs entire kingdoms just as surely as He guides individual lives. Nations as Instruments—Old Testament Snapshots • Genesis 45:7-8 — Joseph tells his brothers, “God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant… It was not you who sent me here, but God.” Egypt becomes the divinely prepared shelter that keeps the covenant family alive. • Deuteronomy 28:49 — As a covenant warning, Moses says, “The LORD will bring against you a nation from afar, from the end of the earth.” Foreign invasion is portrayed as God’s own disciplinary tool. • Judges 3:1-4 — “These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan… to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites.” Pagan neighbors remain in the land for God’s training purposes. • Isaiah 10:5-6 — “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger… I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people of My wrath.” Assyria, unaware, serves as God’s “rod.” • Jeremiah 25:9 — “I will summon all the families of the north… and My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” The conquering power is explicitly called “My servant.” • Jeremiah 27:6-7 — “Now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar… All nations will serve him.” Even the duration of Babylon’s dominance is fixed beforehand. • Isaiah 44:28; 45:1-4 — More than 150 years ahead of time, God names Cyrus: “He is My shepherd… I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness.” Persia will free Judah and fund the rebuilding of the temple. • Habakkuk 1:5-6 — God shocks the prophet: “I am raising up the Chaldeans, that ruthless and impetuous nation.” The Lord answers Judah’s corruption with Babylonian conquest. • Ezekiel 38:16 — Speaking of future Gog, God says, “You will come against My people Israel like a cloud… so that the nations may know Me.” Even end-time coalitions are harnessed to reveal God’s glory. • Zephaniah 2:13 — “He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria… Nineveh will be a desolation.” The fall of empires is timed by God for judgment and warning. New Testament Echoes • Luke 2:1 — “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken.” Rome’s administrative order moves Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, fulfilling Micah 5:2. • John 19:10-11 — Pilate claims authority; Jesus answers, “You would have no power over Me if it were not given to you from above.” Civil power is derived, not autonomous. • Acts 17:26-27 — Paul proclaims, “From one man He made every nation… and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.” Geography and history rest in God’s decisions. • Romans 13:1-4 — “There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God… The ruler is God’s servant for your good.” Governing structures serve divine aims, even when rulers themselves do not recognize it. • Revelation 17:17 — “God has put it into their hearts to accomplish His purpose by agreeing to hand over their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” End-time alliances move history exactly where God has said it will go. Threads That Tie the Passages Together • God raises up and removes nations on His timetable (Daniel 2:21). • He names specific rulers centuries in advance (Isaiah 44-45). • He disciplines His people through foreign powers and later judges those same powers (Habakkuk 2; Isaiah 14). • He aligns political events to fulfill Messianic prophecy (Micah 5:2 with Luke 2:1-7). • He directs even hostile coalitions to showcase His glory and justice (Ezekiel 38-39; Revelation 17). Living Confidence in a Sovereign God Scripture consistently portrays nations—not just individuals—as clay in the Potter’s hands. Whether it is Egypt preserving life, Assyria chastening Israel, Persia rebuilding Jerusalem, or Rome unknowingly paving the way for the gospel, the Lord is never a passive observer. His purposes, foretold and recorded, unfold exactly as He says, anchoring our confidence that He continues to guide world events toward the day when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15). |
    |