October 28, Isaiah 51
"I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that
are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man
who is made like grass, and have forgotten the
LORD your Maker, who stretched out the
heavens and laid the foundations of the earth,
and you fear continually all the day because of
the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets
himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of
the oppressor?" - Isaiah 51:12-13
Scientists tell us that the sun is 864,600 miles wide. That's really big. A quarter (like the one in your pocket, purse or piggy bank) is just under one inch wide. That's really small. So how is it possible to hide the giant sun behind a tiny quarter? Just hold the quarter very close to your eye. Because the quarter is approximately 93 million miles nearer your eye than the sun, the tiny object appears to be larger than the giant object. We know it's not really bigger; it just looks that way because the sun is so far away and the coin is so close.
It's the proximity effect. In audio, the proximity effect amplifies the low frequency of a sound nearer the microphone, creating the impression that a sound becomes louder as it moves closer to the mic. In photography, objects nearer the camera's lens are exaggerated in size. This effect is the fisherman’s best friend as he holds his catch out at arm's length to exaggerate the size of the fish in comparison to the fisherman's body.
When God repeated the "I" as he spoke to encourage the Israelites in Babylonian captivity, he called attention to exactly who was speaking this message of hope and assurance to them. God was on their side. God was their comforter. So why were they so afraid of the mortals who held them captive? God said they had forgotten him. Their God was the one who made them and everything else by his unrivaled power. They did not have to live in fear of the oppressor's wrath.
God was far more powerful, but he seemed to be far away from his people when their city was destroyed and they were taken captive. Remember Isaiah wrote this message of encouragement from God decades before the people were taken away. But they would need this reassuring word from their God when their troubles came. Their captors were close, and God seemed far. Their fears were unnecessary, but they needed to look beyond the earthly circumstances to see God and trust that he was still in control.
So God told his people in this chapter, "Listen to me," (verse 1), "Give attention to me," (verse 4), "Lift up your eyes to the heavens," (verse 6), "Listen to me," (verse 7). Isaiah or the people cry out to God, "Awake, awake," (verse 9), but God replies, "Wake yourself, wake yourself, O Jerusalem!" (Verse 17). God wanted them to wake up from their near-sighted vision of their troubles and remember how God had already helped them, and trust the prophecies and promises that would be fulfilled and kept. When they focused on God, he would restore their confidence and they could outlast their temporal troubles.
Isaiah addressed people who needed restoration and revival. They were as powerless as drunks after they tasted the cup of God's wrath. So God called them to repentance. He transitioned from threatening punishment to promising blessings. He would deliver them and give the staggering cup of God's wrath to the enemies who had oppressed them.
Aren't we susceptible to the same flawed thinking and misdirected vision? Do we lose sight of God or feel that he is far away? Do earthly matters such as pleasing people seem bigger and more important than pleasing God? Do we fret over worldly struggles and forget that God is on our side, in control of every situation of our lives and stronger than any opponent we encounter? We have a better covenant with better promises than the Old Testament saints enjoyed. But we still get distracted when temptation and trial are nearby. When we set our minds and eyes on Christ, when we focus on eternal things and God's mighty power at work in us and for us, we won't be so scared of the people and situations around us.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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