National judgments the result of national sins.
God's dealings with Israel are to be viewed as a pattern of his dealings with nations generally. He has not two standards of right and wrong, or two rules of action under like circumstances. He is "no respecter of persons." As he dealt with his own peculiar people, so will he deal, so has he always dealt, with the other nations of the world.
I. EVERY NATION HAS ITS PROBATION. God proved Israel during the space of above seven hundred years by the laws which he gave them, and the circumstances in which he caused them to be placed (Exodus 15:25; Exodus 16:4; Exodus 20:20; Deuteronomy 8:2, Deuteronomy 8:16; 2:22; 3:1, 3:4, etc.). He chastened them by foreign enemies, comforted them by deliverances, warned them by his prophets, afflicted them by famine and pestilence, gave them "times of refreshing." So long as there was any hope of their repentance and reformation, he bore with them, forgave their transgressions, prolonged their time of trial, "destroyed them not." It was only after all the resources of his mercy had been exhausted, and there was "no remedy" left (2 Chronicles 36:16), that the destruction fell, and the nation ceased to exist. And so it was with the other nations of the earth. God raised them up, set each a work to do, gave them laws, if not by revelation, at any rate through their conscience, and proceeded to "prove them," whether they would work his will or no. Each fell in its turn because it rebelled against God, and persisted in its rebellion, until God could suffer it no more. (See the example of Assyria in Isaiah 10:5-19.)
II. THE PROBATION IS CARRIED ON PARTLY BY THE BESTOWAL OF FAVORS. Peace, prosperity, good seasons and rich harvests, a succession of capable monarchs or ministers, and, again, success in war, victories, conquests, and the wealth that sometimes flows in through conquests, are, all of them, blessings which God bestows on nations with the object of trying them. Will they be thankful? Will they make a good use of the favors granted them? Will they maintain their equanimity, and not, like Assyria, be unduly puffed up? The discipline of prosperity is exceedingly trying; and under it nations almost invariably wax wanton and proud. Israel was thus tried in the times of David and Solomon, and also under Uzziah and Jotham (2 Chronicles 26:6-16; 2 Chronicles 27:3-6). Assyria underwent the probation for many centuries, from the time of the king contemporary with Ahab to the great blow received under Sennacherib. Egypt in early days, and Rome in later ones, had even longer periods of unmixed prosperity, and became proportionally "lifted up." It is rarely, indeed, that we find any nation improve under this kind of probation. Almost invariably there is a rapid change for the worse.
III. THE PROBATION IS FURTHER CARRIED ON BY THE INFLICTION OF JUDGMENTS. God has many arrows in his quiver, many plagues whereby he can punish nations, as he showed in Egypt (Exodus 7-12.); but three of these stand out from the rest as the especial instruments of his wrath—the sword, famine, and pestilence. (See 2 Samuel 24:13; 1 Chronicles 21:12; Ezekiel 34:17. In Ezekiel 14:12-21, "four sore judgments" are mentioned; but "the noisome beast" is clearly not on a par with the other three.) On the employment of the sword to chastise Israel, see Exodus 22:24; Le Exodus 26:17-33; 3:8, 3:12; 4:2; 6:1; 13:1; 2 Kings 17:20; 2 Chronicles 36:17; of famine, see Le 2 Chronicles 26:19, 2 Chronicles 26:20, 26-29; Deuteronomy 28:22-24; 1 Kings 18:1-18; Joel 1:4-20; Joel 2:3-11; of pestilence, see Numbers 16:46-49; 2 Samuel 24:15; Ezekiel 14:19; Ezekiel 38:22. Of these three, famine and pestilence are the minor scourges, and are employed to warn, to terrify, to arouse; war has sometimes the same object, but is especially used to destroy. War destroyed Assyria (Nahum 3:2-15), Babylon (Jeremiah 1:2 -37; Jeremiah 2:1 -58; Daniel 5:30, Daniel 5:31), Media, Egypt (ibid; Ezekiel 3:11-13), Persia (Daniel 8:3-7, Daniel 8:20, Daniel 8:21), Greece, Rome. War is still God's last, most terrible scourge, and will remain such until the happy time, described by Isaiah in verses 24, arrives.