Isaiah 33:2 O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble
About fifteen years ago I was sitting with a friend in a Chick-fil-A in Franklin, Tennessee. On the other side of the wall from where we were sitting, cars were passing to get their food from the drive-thru. All of a sudden, we heard screeching tires and saw smoke from the second car in line that was literally pushing for all it was worth the car in front of it. At first, I thought there was an angry customer, but when the first car peeled away, I realized that was not the case. The second car shot like a rocket across the parking lot, across four lanes of traffic, up an embankment, through a chain link fence, and into a retention pond. By then everyone knew something was afoot, and we all rushed to the retention pond on the other side of the highway. By the time we arrived, there were people already in the water getting the driver out of the car. Apparently, the driver had gone unconscious and thankfully was rescued from danger.
Whenever there is trouble, there are several kinds of people. There are those who wonder, those who are alarmed, those who say they can’t do anything about it, and those who go into water, darkness, and danger to rescue other people. In Isaiah 31-33 the Bible is warning Judah, part of God’s divided kingdom, about an Egyptians alliance. God had sent judgment on His own people because of their sin. Assyria was more than an enemy; it was a tool in God’s hand. Instead of turning back to the God who was chastening them, Judah’s tendency was to turn to Egypt as an ally or to Assyria to make peace instead of making peace with God.
Isaiah 33 illustrates three groups of people from Judah’s time of trouble. First, there are the pagans. Isaiah 33:1 says, “Woe to thee that spoilest.” These are the ones who take captives, steal, and plunder. He is talking about Assyria.
Then it talks about those who dealt treacherously, the traitors within Judah. Later they are called hypocrites, sinners, and ambassadors because instead of turning to God Jehovah, they sent ambassadors to seek help from pagans.
Lastly, there are those who claim the Lord and wait for Him, the remnant. Verse 2 says, “O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.” Later this book famously says, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
The same types of people are around today. There are the pagan, but they are not really the problem because they are just doing what they know. Second, there are the traitors, those who are seeking help from the world instead of seeking to help the world with the power of God. Third, there are those who claim the Lord and wait for Him.
The question is, “Are you making things better or worse?” If you take the long view, then you know that God will win. So, don’t test the wind; trust in God. You will either be part of the problem or you will point people to the answer. I would like to encourage you to be a part of the answer. How do you do that? Let me suggest two ways.
First, consider your testimony. That is a loaded word, but it is a good word. Isaiah 33:14 says, “The sinners in Zion are afraid.” This is talking about God’s own people who rejected their own God. They say, “Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” God is judging. Who is going to be able to stand up to this God? Verse 15 answers, “He that walketh righteously.” So, consider your testimony, realizing the literal presence of God in your life. When you are at school, work, the store, and out and about with real people who do not know the Lord and have real problems and sins, consider your testimony.
Show people hope, that the God who does judge sin does love people. What do other people know about you when they see your life? Do they see the light of Christ? Or do they see someone who claims God but is just like everyone else? The Assyrians who were taking plunder were a problem, but Judah needed to realize that the main problem wasn’t the conquering Assyrians but their own sin.
Second, consider your treasure. Verse 5 says, “The LORD is exalted.” Verse 6 says, “And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.” Do you have stability and strength that comes from God? Proverbs says many times in many ways that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. So, consider your treasure. Are you trusting God or things that cannot help? Are you trusting a world that brings itself to destruction but cannot get itself to salvation?
Isaiah 39 tells of King Hezekiah and his troubles. A prophet told Hezekiah that he would die. Hezekiah prayed and God gave him more life. At roughly the same time, Assyria was sieging the city. Hezekiah had all these problems, yet God delivered him from them all. Now sometimes good times test us just as the bad times do. Isaiah 39 says that after Hezekiah was healed and the threat of the Assyrians had diminished, the King of Babylon sent letters of congratulations. Hezekiah was happy with the King of Babylon and showed him all the treasure of God’s people. God was displeased. Hezekiah thought his financial treasure was something to brag about, but his real treasure was the fear of the Lord, the wisdom and strength that only God can give.
So, you have the answer. Do you show the answer? Every day in this world full of trouble, sin, and despair there are three groups of people: pagans, who don’t know the answer, traitors who belong to God but live for the world, and those who claim the Lord and wait patiently for Him. You will either be part of the problem or you will point to the answer. Be part of the answer because there is hope and an answer and that is found in God.