Isaiah 10:7

He meaneth not so. This is an interesting revelation of the way the Lord works with nations. When certain powers needed to have judgment meted out against them, the Lord used Assyria as His rod for punishment. Assyria, however, had no idea that it was being used as a tool in the hands of the Lord. So far as Assyrian leaders were aware, their policies were determined entirely by their own selfish interests. In other words, it was not the Spirit of the Lord that influenced Assyria to go against Israel and Judah, but the spirit of the evil one. How, then, can it be said that Assyria was a tool in the hand of the Lord? God’s protecting hand was withdrawn from the power against whom judgment had been decreed, and Assyria was permitted to work out her selfish, evil will. It is thus that the Lord works out His sovereign will in a world that is in rebellion against Him. The purposes of men and demons are overruled to carry out the purposes of God (see on 2 Chron. 18:18; 22:8; Dan. 4:17).