The Book Of Isaiah. Day 142, Woe To The Destroyer And The Betrayer

The "destroyer" and the "betrayer" referenced in Chapter 33 is believed by most scholars to be a reference to the Assyrian Empire or to its current leader (Sennacherib) at the time this text was written. We know that the Lord supernaturally turned away the Assyrian army during the days of Isaiah's ministry and it is generally thought that the material at the beginning of our chapter has to do with the most imminent threat that was facing the people of Jerusalem in Isaiah's time.

"Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed." (Isaiah 33:1) King Sennacherib of Assyria had already laid waste to a number of cities and villages in that region of the world. He had attacked the northern kingdom of Israel and he had attacked the southern kingdom of Judah, destroying many cities and villages there. He appears unstoppable as he advances toward Jerusalem. He believed he was unstoppable; indeed, he will make the boast that no nation and no nation's god can withstand his assault. 

Not only will the Lord destroy 185,000 of Sennacherib's troops when they encamp around Jerusalem in preparation to lay siege to the city, but this will force Sennacherib to withdraw from where he headquartered himself nearby in order to return to Nineveh to regroup and plan his next attack---and it is in Nineveh that he will be assassinated by two of his own sons. If Sennacherib is primarily the one who is the "destroyer" and "betrayer" of today's text, then it's clear that this destroyer and betrayer was himself betrayed and destroyed just as the Lord told Isaiah. 

I think also that the Assyrian Empire itself is included in the prophecy, for as powerful as it seems in Isaiah's time, it will be destroyed by the rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. At one time this appeared impossible to the human way of thinking, since Assyria had so abjectly trodden down the nation of Babylon, but kingdoms have risen and kingdoms have fallen all throughout history---with Assyria being no exception. The only kingdom that will never fall will be the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord. The prophet Daniel foresaw kingdom after kingdom rising and falling until the arrival of the eternal one, and of it he said: "The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever." (Daniel 2:44)