Isaiah 2

Isaiah 2:7, 22 NIV

Their land is full of silver and gold;
there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
there is no end to their chariots.

Stop trusting in mere humans,
who have but a breath in their nostrils.
Why hold them in esteem?

"Their land is full of silver and gold." That sounds like a good thing, but it's not. Israel's kings had been told not to amass wealth and horses and yet that is exactly what they had done. They were also worshiping false gods and neglecting the Lord. Their hope was in their own strength, possessions and wealth. God knows better.

Isaiah 2:11 NIV

The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled
and human pride brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Our security is not found in our savings accounts, secret food stashes, strong locks, hidden weapons, or even in our friends. God can destroy all of those in an instant. He will not share his glory. When our hope and security is founded on anything other than God we have become idolators. There is nothing wrong with any of these things in themselves the problem comes when we look to them for our security. When we have no worries because of these things we have failed to take into account how vulnerable we really are and how undependable they really are.

We ought to have no worries, but not because of our "preparations." Our peace finds its roots in the God we serve not in the stuff we amass. Our confidence lies in a God who has promised that he will never leave us, not in a cache of food and weapons that can easily be destroyed in an unexpected natural disaster. In the midst of our relative wealth we need to honestly ask the question: Where is our hope? The answer will reveal the god we serve.

Father, I confess that it is sometimes easier to trust that which I can see, feel and touch. But, I realize how undependable those things really are. You are my hope. In God I trust.

By His grace,
Rick Weinert
District Superintendent
EFCA Northern Mtn District