Remember the objective is that, “that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him,” Acts 17:25 WEB

Jeremiah compares God’s work with the nations
to a potter working with clay.

“3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he was making a work on the wheels. 4 When the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”
Jer 18:3-4 WEB

Then the Lord comments,

“House of Israel, can’t I do with you as this potter? says Yahweh. Behold, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.”
Jer 18:6 WEB

Even so, God is not just concerned with physical Israel, but with all men. God oversees and deals with all men, to discourage them from wickedness, and to encourage them “to seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him.”

So perhaps “a nation” has turned aside to
selfish and evil conduct.

Then God may decide concerning that nation to destroy it.

“At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it;”
Jer 18:7 WEB

However, if that nation will repent, and turn toward better conduct?

“if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them.”
Jer 18:8 WEB

God has the power to do whatever He wills with, and can either bless them or destroy them.

At other times God may decided to bless a nation.

“At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;”
Jer 18:9 WEB

Sometimes though, when nations experience just a little of prosperity they immediately begin to indulge in evil things which they had not considered before. What then? So God says,

“if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they not obey my voice, then I will repent of the good, with which I said I would benefit them.”
Jer 18:10 WEB

These are continual things in history.

Nations are not made safe by military might. It takes more than that.

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle;
But victory is with Yahweh.”
Prov 21:31 WEB

Further, in our time, in New Testament times, all of this power and authority over the nations is given to God’s One and Only Son, Jesus the Christ (Mtt 28:18), that He exercises the rule over the nations, and He,

“Yahweh will send forth the rod of your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies. ”
Psa 110:1-2 WEB

That is of course out of the heavenly Zion that Jesus presently rules.

How we act, the decisions we make, do make a difference. Thus the relevance of what God sees as happening in history.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901