Isaiah
33 reminds me that very often we have elusive issues from our past
that impact the decisions we make today. Sometimes the result is
anger, or bitterness, or fear. It can hinder us; it can steal our
joy and it can repeatedly drag us down to the same spot again.
Isaiah is speaking to the Assyrian army outside the city of
Jerusalem, but he may also be talking to the unspoken nemesis of
yours. He begins, “Woe to you,
destroyer…
Woe to you, betrayer… you will be destroyed… you will be
betrayed“. Isaiah
matter-of-factly presents the antidote, “LORD,
be gracious to us; we long for You.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress“.
You say, but what about the years of counseling and placing blame?
It cannot be that easy. Isaiah answers, “The
LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high… with His justice and
righteousness. He
will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation
and wisdom and knowledge; the
fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure“.
What is your destroyer?
Isaiah
gives us the alternative. To the one who endures through sobbing, to
the proud, to the self medicated, Isaiah continues, “Look,
their brave men cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep
bitterly… highways
are deserted, no travelers are on the roads… treaty is broken…
no one is respected…
The land dries up and wastes away“.
I believe he is saying your efforts to fix yourself will fail
because you cannot overcome a spiritual problem with willpower. “You
conceive chaff, you give birth to straw“.
Isaiah calls to those that battle silently against their past. “You
who are far away, hear what I have done; you who are near,
acknowledge My power!” He
asks the question that must be asked, “Who
of us can dwell with the consuming fire?”
Is it time to admit your need for the merciful hand of God?
2
Corinthians 5:17 exhorts us to call on the Name of Jesus to present
your past, present, and future to Him and receive His healing,
“Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, he is
a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have
become new“. Isaiah describes
the change, “Your eyes will see
the king in His beauty“. In
the holy presence of Christ, everything else fades, “In
your thoughts you will ponder the former terror… Where is the one
who took… You will see those arrogant people no more“.
Our today can become, “a
peaceful abode, a tent that
will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up“.
We do not have to relocate; we only have to invite Him to dwell with
us, “There the LORD will be our
Mighty One“. The elusive
quest for peace is found when we find peace with God, “For
the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our
king; it is he who will save us“.
Isaiah closes with a promise to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all
who humbly receive salvation through the Savior, “the
sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven“.
Are you ready to stop fighting a spiritual battle with flesh and
blood? “For I am convinced
that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the
present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 8:38-39). It is time to destroy the destroyer.