“This is what the Sovereign lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.” (Isa 30:15 NLT).
Those to whom God originally addressed the words above, were Israelites who had abandoned Him for help from Egypt. They fully, but misguidedly, hoped in the swiftness of Egyptian horses for safety from their enemies (Isa 30:16). God’s response to their obstinate attitude is instructive: “You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle. ’But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.”” (Isa 30:16-17 NLT). Their hope in Pharaoh’s might was misplaced, and would cost them dearly.
Like those Israelites, we are often tempted to run to Egypt for help, especially when God’s expected or promised intervention seems too slow in coming. Egypt in this context is a metaphor for the world and its godless system. However, the Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” (Prov 14:12). It is not everything that catches our fancy or that promises us safety that is good for us. For this reason, we need to be careful about what we choose to give our attention. The devil wants to render us ineffective in our witness to Jesus, therefore he tempts us with the things that the world offers. You can be sure that his aim is to shortchange us, by deceiving us to trade our eternal inheritance for the fleeting pleasures of life.
Neither our salvation nor our strength is in striving—a fact we all too often forget. We should always remember that, “…The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But [that] time and chance happen to them all.” (Eccles 9:11), or as the NLT renders the latter part of the scriptural text above, “… It is all decided by chance, by BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.” (Eccles 9:11) (emphasis mine). Being in the right place at the right time, “… is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” (Rom 9:16).
We cannot enjoy the salvation which God has purchased for us at the cost of His son, if we do not return to Him in repentance and rest in Him. Similarly, we will not experience the supernatural strength He has provided for us, if we do not have the attitude of quietness and confidence in Him. Your salvation is not in your self effort, neither is your strength in your struggling. Egypt (which is a type of the world) does not have the answer for us. Therefore, when God speaks to us, we should prayerfully let His word produce enough conviction in us to lead us to Him in repentance. Then, we should rest in Him, while letting the quiet, but deep assurance of His word to us, become our strength. Shalom.
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