Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited. And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 31:8-9

Explanation:
Repentance reveals our trust in God. God always comes through on His promises. Here Isaiah foretells of the protection God would provide. Assyria would be defeated, but not by a mean or mighty man. This may seem impossible to those in that day because of the military strength of the children of Israel. From a human perspective it would have been impossible, but we know that Assyria would fall at the hand of the Lord.

Isaiah 37:36-37 describes what many believe to be the fulfillment of this prophecy:

Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

Isaiah 37:36-37

It is also described similarly in 2 Kings 19:35-36:

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

2 Kings 19:35-36

The “he” in verse 9 continues to refer to Assyria.

And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 31:9

Assyria will leave because of fear, and the leaders of Assyria will be afraid of the ensign or the battle flag of the Almighty God.

Application:
God can be trusted! When we follow Him in obedience and repentance, it is good for us. We can experience His protection. This does not mean that no bad thing will ever happen to us. What it does mean is that those that are in Christ Jesus need not worry about ultimate, eternal danger. Repentance and faith in Christ will always lead to eternal protection. When we repent and put our trust in Christ we can be assured of our salvation.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:9-13

Response:
Is there something you need to repent of today? Put your trust in Christ!