They fail to recognize that their perceived triumph over others stems from God's will and the decree that those individuals should endure such hardships; instead, they believe they have outdone Him, who seeks their salvation. Hence, God justly turns His wrath upon them. As He opposes the arrogant, He humbles their pride and subjects them to the penalties they merit, aiming to instill in them the understanding that their success over the punished is not due to their own power, but rather His authority.
This scenario unfolded with the king of Assyria, who, after conquering Judah and ravaging its cities, became conceited and believed he had seized the holy land against God's intentions, who both ruled it and promised its redemption. Therefore, it is stated that God's wrath remains unappeased, threatening calamity upon the Assyrians. Why is this so? He asserts, "For, saith he, the rod of my fury is given into their hands, signified by me, that they may strike those who are ungodly against me; for I have commanded my own people to be made lucre and captivity, and to trample down the cities, and to lay me in the dust." He continues, claiming that if he had not withdrawn his salvific hand and withheld his usual aid from them, they would never have been captives but would have prevailed over their adversaries with His support.
The Assyrian, however, failed to understand this truth; instead, he imagined that he would annihilate numerous nations. He believed that no one could oppose his might, and he would easily vanquish all and reign over all peoples without resistance. If someone with an insatiable appetite for dominion over everything approached him, claiming, "Are you the only ruler? Can you truly claim sovereignty over the universe? I will take all the kingdoms. Halah, where the ancient tower was erected, lies in the farthest eastern reaches, across the land of Babylon." He would boast that he had extended his kingdom to these limits and had taken Damascus and Samaria, with their gods providing no assistance, and therefore he would conquer other lands beyond.
It is worth noting that Rabsak, while conveying the king of Assyria's message to those on the wall, warned them, stating that the king said, "Let not Hezekiah entice you with words which cannot deliver you; and let not Hezekiah speak unto you, that God will deliver us." He then questioned, “How shall the Gentile gods deliver any man from the power of the king of Assyria? Where is the god of Emath and Arphath? And where is the god of the city of Seppharim? Is it possible to rescue Samaria from my grasp? Which of the gods of all these lands will save his territory from my power, as the God of Jerusalem will save Jerusalem from my hand?" (Isaiah 36:14, 18-20). Therefore, God proclaims that He will punish the Assyrian who held himself in high esteem and dared to ridicule divine wrath. Likewise, we should shun the sin of pride; if it should rise up defiantly against the divine glory, woe to those who dare to do so.
THEOSIS