One of the greatest sins that a servant of the Lord can commit is the sin of ingratitude. This sin encompasses a spiritual blindness to the works of the Lord. In the latter days, the Lord has eloquently expressed this concept, ’And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments’ (DC 59:21). This is the sin of the king of Assyria—that he did not recognize the hand of the Lord in his military successes.
Elder Rudger Clawson
“I have wondered sometimes, while traveling in the midst of this people, whether we really understand what the Lord is doing, whether we comprehend His great purposes, and can recognize His hand. I am sure of one thing—that there are many who are numbered with the Church, particularly among the young, who are passing through life without a serious thought. I have seen it in families, in wards and in stakes, that their minds seemed to rest more particularly upon the pleasures of life and the things of the world. And yet the Lord said in the very beginning of this dispensation that He was about to commence a marvelous work and a wonder; that it should be something out of the ordinary; that it should be of such a character as to attract attention in the world, so much so that men would be led to exclaim ’Truly it is a marvelous work.’” (Conference Report, Oct. 1901, p. 7)
Elder Rulon G. Wells
“This gospel…teaches first and foremost faith in God. It teaches men and women to turn their hearts to Him, that they may derive wisdom and understanding and the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. It teaches men and women to put their trust in Him, and to acknowledge His hand in all things. ’In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is His wrath kindled, save those who confess not His hand in all things, and obey not His commandments,’ not only in our prosperity but in our adversity: not only in our fortune but in our misfortune not only in life but also in death. What would we be if there was no such thing as sorrow in this world? what would men and women be in character? They would be unsympathetic; they would not love their fellow men: they would not have those fine traits of character, those noble qualities of heart and of mind, were it not for the fact of the trials they have to endure, the adversity that they have to put up with, and the difficulties they have to encounter. We would not progress; we would not be progressive beings if it were so; but thank the Lord that His hand is in all these things. Those things which sometimes seem to be our greatest sorrows will be sanctified for our good, and often have the purpose in the wisdom of the Almighty of bringing us nearer to Him. The one thing for us always to remember is the Lord our God, and recognize His hand in all things, and if we will do that every misfortune, every difficulty that may come to us, every adversity that overtakes us, will be a blessing though it be in disguise, for nothing of our experiences in mortal life will be in vain; all will have its purpose and all will go to make up our character.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1912, p. 24)
The Assyrian army is going to attack Jerusalem only to be devoured by the Lord as a flame would devour thorns and ’briers in one day.’ The significance of this event is underscored by the chapter heading which reads, the “Destruction of Assyria is a type of destruction at the Second Coming.”
"He describes Assyria as coming from the North; oppressive and ruthless; a law unto itself; militaristic and bent on world domination; imposing its yoke of servitude on other nations; encroaching on the world by degrees, swallowing up territories; and setting all the surrounding peoples in fear of it. When the world is ripe in iniquity, Assyria suddenly bursts forth like a flood. With its alliance of nations, it sweeps over the entire earth, conquering, destroying by fire and by the sword, leaving havoc and disaster in its wake—capturing the whole world. Only Zion/Jerusalem, a safe place for the Lord’s righteous, does Assyria not conquer. Assyria invades even Egypt, the other great superpower; Assyria penetrates Egypt and ravages her land.
“After a few years of war and oppression, Assyria lays siege to Zion/Jerusalem, where a remnant of Israel take refuge. Then occurs Assyria’s demise. Because of his covenant with Israel, and because the righteous of his people remain faithful through much trial and tribulation, the Lord utterly destroys the Assyrian army. The 185,000 men who perished overnight in the days of King Hezekiah…serve as the historical type of a latter-day Armageddon….” (Abraham Gileadi, The Book of Isaiah: A new Translation with Interpretive Keys from the Book of Mormon, 72-73 as taken from Commentaries on Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. by K. Douglas Bassett, [American Fork, UT: Covenant Publishing Co., 2003], 162-163)