The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. (Isaiah 7:17-18)

When The Lord Whistles

Since the days of the Tower of Babel, the world has become a global land of nations divided by languages and cultures. Powerful nations like Egypt and Rome once ruled over vast tracts of land for centuries. History is filled with nations conquering other nations, global wars, and empires rising and falling. The writings of men record the events, but only the Bible shows the reasons. Some of the world’s great empires include the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Secular history tells the story of great kings who ruled in these nations and their conquests. From a Biblical perspective, the greater story is told.

Assyria was a great nation from 900 to 600 B.C. It was a ruthless and brutal military force devasting anything in its path. Sargon, Shalmaneser, Tiglath-Pileser, Sennacherib, and Esarhaddon were great kings of Assyria who plagued the people of God. It was the Assyrians that captured the northern ten tribes of Israel and destroyed their identity. In 722 B.C., the Assyrians captured Samaria and took the people of God captive. The coming of Assyria against the people of God was not by accident. God whistled, and Assyria came.

Isaiah prophesied 740-700 B.C. during the Assyrian age and was a contemporary with Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Jonah. He pleaded with the people of God to repent and turn back to God. His warning came as he described the Lord whistling for an army as numerous as the swarms of flies that plagued Egypt during the plagues. A bee is a stinging creature called by the Lord to bring great pain and suffering. The Egyptians, Assyrians, and later the Babylonians will all come against the nation of God and punish them. Isaiah tells them that when they see the armies of Assyria encamped around Samaria, it is God’s doing. He whistled, and they came. The warning extended to Jerusalem when the Nebuchadnezzar came with his army.

History unfolds the fulfillment of the nations that came against Israel and Judah. The prophets reminded the people that God rules over all nations, and when it is the will of the Lord for a people to rise to greatness, it is God’s will, not man’s. God brings nations down. When the Lord whistles, nations crumble. He used nations more evil than Israel to destroy them. A nation that turns away from God will hear the divine whistle of a wrathful God. There is no mistaking its sound. Isaiah declares God rules in the affairs of men. It is the will of the Lord when He decides to whistle.

The sound of God’s whistle can still be heard today. There is an unmistakable lesson from the history of nations that remains true. God remains in charge of all nations, and according to His will, nations rise and fall. The political world can seem chaotic and uncertain, but one thing is crystal clear. God has a plan for all nations, including the United States of America. The deeper the nation plunges into ungodliness, the louder the whistle of God becomes. He knows the hearts of all men, and when He sees a nation turn its heart away from Him, He whistles. If you listen for it, you will hear it.