Exposed

 

"Then they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their boast. And the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day,

'Behold, this is what happened to those whom we hoped and to whom we fled for help to be delivered from the King of Assyria! And we, how shall we escape?' 

- Isaiah 20:5-6 (ESV)

How shall we escape?

What a fitting question we must be routinely asking ourselves this season. Israel was built on God's covenant with Abraham, yet here they are putting too much stock on the might of Egypt because they have the resources. Here, Israel's idolatry towards Egypt was exposed. Helpless because their trustworthy neighbor has fallen. How might we relate to this?

Reading Isaiah 19-20 reminded me of how my most emotional/visceral responses to current events expose my subtle idolatries. Rage aimed at government failure, disappointment because my previous job did not meet my expectations. These seemingly acceptable recipients of our discontent reveal more about our faith than we think. I realize that I have put a portion of my security on things that have no bearing on my eternal life. 

What Isaiah 19-20 tells us is that God is indeed a jealous God. Not a destructive kind of jealous (which one might not easily see, as Isaiah is filled with destruction and suffering), but the kind that ushers our faith into His unshakeable promises. God wants us to turn to Him, not to worldly authorities, to jobs that pay well or to people whom we deem trustworthy. Yes, these things, blessings we call them, should induce gratitude but not dependence. We must be careful not to put them above our God. Putting our trust in things and people might be profitable in the moment (or so we think), but all these things break down when compared to God's infinite goodness. 

I loved this portion from Matthew Henry's commentary on Isaiah 19:

"Let no man glory then in his own wisdom, nor depend upon that, nor upon the wisdom of those about him; for he that gives understanding can when he please take it away."

So whenever we find ourselves asking "how shall I escape?" in times of distress, we are sure to find assurance in God's promises, not in our worldly comforts. The word tells us that we can only know God's perfect will when we renew our minds, not conform to the world:

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:3-4

Conforming to the world includes thinking like everyone, putting weight on things and people the world considers important - even more important than having faith in the Lord. We can only rest when we fully understand that only God's will is perfect, not ours, or any earthly authority. It might despair us to think that everything we worked so hard for may be taken away by the economic effects of this pandemic, but true peace comes when we know we hold something any disaster cannot take away - the eternal kingdom of the Lord.

Another perspective is to identify God's purpose for what we are experiencing. We usually ask questions when things are not going the way we expect. But the word consoles us by reminding us that even suffering happens for God's purpose and glory, which in effect produces fruit in our lives by building our character.

"Not only that but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope that does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." - Romans 5:3-4 ESV

When we have faith in God, we can rejoice! Our suffering will always be in the perspective of God's grace, much like how the Egyptians turned to God after recognizing that He is indeed the true, living God (Isa 19:19-22). This only came about after they experienced His judgement. In life, God maybe speaking to us through our suffering, urging us to let go of things that are not pleasing to Him. In return, we can only gain the best comfort in God's unending grace and mercy.

May we all find peace and contentment in the might of our God!