Isaiah 17:7-8, 13-14 (ESV)

In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense.

The nations roar like the roaring of many waters,

 but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away,

chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind

and whirling dust before the storm.

At evening time, behold, terror!

Before morning, they are no more!

This is the portion of those who loot us,

and the lot of those who plunder us.

Two ideas stand out to me in this chapter. The first is found in verses 7-8. God’s discipline and judgment if for the purpose of turning people from false gods to see, trust, and worship the true God. In Romans 14:11 The Lord tells us that there will be a day of judgment when “every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Philippians 2:9-10 tell us that the Father has exalted the name of Jesus “above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” It doesn’t matter what gods the World worships and serves, there will be a day when the world is set right and they will acknowledge God as God.

Here is the reality though: It is not just the World that will recognize their false gods someday. God’s discipline in the lives of his people reveals the false gods we are trusting. We give lip service to God, but too often our faith is placed somewhere else. Our security is in a job, or a bright future. Our significance is in a promotion, peer affirmation, or our spouse. Our satisfaction in life is rooted in external conditions that change like a flickering candle. We rely on these false gods, and when they let us down we blame God. The truth is that God often kicks those false props out from under us so that we will recognize our false gods and turn to him. He judged Damascus for their false worship. He disciplined Israel and Judah for their false worship. His desire is that believers and the World see truth. He is working to expose the deception of our false hopes. God’s discipline and judgment if for the purpose of turning people from false gods to see, trust, and worship the true God.

Second, those who oppose the people of God will one day answer to him. We don’t need justice now. We don’t need to have the truth come out now. We don’t need hypocrites, sinners, and those opposing Christ to be exposed now. That will all come out one day. There will be some who will say, “‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will (God) declare to them, ‘I never knew you’” (Mt 7:22-23). Isaiah 17:13-14 tells us,

The nations roar like the roaring of many waters,

 but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away,

chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind

and whirling dust before the storm.

At evening time, behold, terror!

Before morning, they are no more!

This is the portion of those who loot us,

and the lot of those who plunder us.

As believers, we are too focused on the here and now. We want justice now. We want the truth to come out now. We want everyone to know what they are like now. But even this reveals that our trust is in other gods. We have linked out security, significance, and satisfaction to what other people think, or how other people treat us. Because of our false gods, we cannot see past the moment. God’s sovereign hand is working behind the scenes for our good and his glory. Our eyes get blinded when we place our hope in temporal and temporary gods.

God is faithful. He will faithfully strip away our false gods. He will faithfully and justly judge those who oppose him and his people. It will not be according to our timing, but he can be trusted. One day it will all come to light and we will realize the truth of Paul’s words that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18). In the meantime, we can trust him.