Today in God’s Word

October 8, Isaiah 31

Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. - Isaiah 31:6

I like to make lists comparing my alternatives before I make an important decision. It helps me to put the positives and negatives about the different options on paper and evaluate them. In Chapter 31, Isaiah did such a comparative exercise for Hezekiah and the people of Judah. He wanted them to think carefully about their options before they chose to make an alliance with Egypt to defend themselves from the Assyrian threat. The prophet disagreed with the men who advised Hezekiah, and he expressed his reasons with a list that compared relying on Egypt with relying on God. If they formed an alliance with Egypt, it would prove that Judah was not looking to God, trusting God or even consulting God. Isaiah described God to refresh their memory of what the Lord is like. His wisdom is perfect; the “wise"advisors to the king were suspect at best. His power is great; Judah needed an ally precisely because they were weak. His word is sure; the advice from his officials was subject to change, and Egypt could not be trusted to keep any promises they made. In short, God was all of the above desirable things; Egypt was none of them. Egypt and the other enemies of God were doomed to fall. How did it make any sense to align oneself with a guaranteed loser?

The Lord told Isaiah he was like a lion, growling out threats to the shepherds who were shouting at him. The Lord was unimpressed and not at all threatened by how many false shepherds were shouting at him, or by how loud they shouted. Judah was the Lord's, and he was not going to give them up. Like birds that hover above their nest and swoop down on anyone who comes near, so God watched over his people and would deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrians.

God's prophet pleaded with God's idolatrous, wayward people to turn back to God. He told them they had deeply revolted. They worshiped idols and lived ungodly lives. Their sins estranged them from God. But he told them that a day was coming when they would cast away the idols they had made with their own sinful hands. When disaster finally threatened them enough to turn, they would leave their idols and sins behind, and run back to God.

God assured them once again that the Assyrians would not succeed in their assault against Jerusalem. Assyria would fall, but not by the sword of a human army. The survivors would run away, but not because they were threatened by Judah's sword-bearing soldiers. A disaster was coming to the Assyrians. Their security would be melted, and their officers would flee in terror. The Assyrian threat would end when they got too close to the fiery furnace

of the Lord in Jerusalem . Like Nebuchadnezzer's guards who were burned up by the intense heat of the furnace in Daniel, the Assyrians would be consumed by the fire of God's wrath on the night when 185,000 of them would perish.

In light of all Isaiah told them, God was clearly the best choice they could make. He was far superior than the ally they imagined Egypt could be, and their enemy was no match for the Lord. How could they be so foolish to choose to align themselves with anyone but God?

We can see it about Hezekiah and the people of Judah. Their decision should not have been difficult at all. It simply did not make any sense to form an alliance with an inferior ally because they were so afraid of the Assyrian threat. But the Assyrians were no threat at all to God, who offered Judah his protection if they would only return to him. But do we see our own choices as clearly? Do we realize that any choice we make except to serve God will bring disastrous results? Do we understand how it is folly to leave the wisdom, power and sure promises of God to follow any other master? Our adversary is powerful. But old Satan is powerless against God. No other human being (including ourselves) can overcome him on their own or in league with others. But God has already won the victory over Satan, and offers that same victory to you and me and all who will humble themselves and come to him.

Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Today in God's Word—October 2023

East Tallassee Church of Christ