July 18th~In Gods We Trust

Isaiah 30:1-33:24

We continued reading the prophecies of Isaiah, in which the Lord shared His disgust with the fact that His people had turned to other nations to help them against their enemies. All they needed to do was turn to Him. “For without consulting Me, you have gone down to Egypt to find help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh for his protection. But, in trusting Pharaoh you will be humiliated and disgraced. For though his power extends to Zoan and Hanes, it will all turn out to your shame. He will not help you even one little bit... Egypt will give you nothing... Its promises are worthless... (30:2-5, 7).

“Destruction is certain for those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their cavalry and chariots instead of looking to the Lord... Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits!” (31:1-3).

In the midst of their trouble, the people had refused to turn to God for help. In fact, they despised His prophets. “They tell the prophets, ‘Shut up! We don’t want to hear any more of your reports.’ They say, ‘Don’t tell us the truth. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies...’ But the Lord says, ‘Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies, calamity will come upon you...” (30:10-12).

As I read these passages, I couldn’t help but think about the Church today, particularly in America. So many believers, pastors, even denominations are refusing to listen or adhere to the commands and wisdom of God’s Word. “Shut up!” they shout. “We don’t want to hear what the Bible really has to say. Tell us nice things. Tell us what we want to hear.” Instead of hearing, preaching, or following the truth, they would rather have their ears tickled and their hearts deceived. It is all a game to them, and they want to make the rules.

But not so fast. We cannot treat God’s Word with such disdain and expect no repercussions. There are consequences for rebellion against the Lord; calamity will befall those who put their trust in the world’s faulty reasoning. When we make our own way, we are, in essence, fashioning our own god and writing our own scriptures. When we abandon the Lord’s Word for others’ wisdom, we are trusting in an idol and putting our hopes in human help.

Daily Reflection

Sin is deceiving. It looks harmless; it seems right, but, before you know it, one errant step after another has led you far away from the true path. Where is your hope? In what or whom do you trust? Are you adhering to God’s Word or writing your own?

Why is trusting in human wisdom or the ways of the world so unreliable, so untrustworthy?

What lies have you been tempted to believe? How far off the true path have you stepped?

BiAY.org | Day 199 — 166 Days to Go