TREMBLE ONLY BEFORE GOD
«Do not say, ‘A conspiracy, ‘ concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled» (Isaiah 8:12).
Ahaz’s wrong decision to unite with an apostate people to confront his enemies was the worst decision of his reign. God sent Isaiah with the message for him not to be afraid, for him to trust in God and his enemies would be destroyed. But evidently, Ahaz did not believe, and he suffered the consequences. If we ignore the loving care and sure guidance that our God offers to us, we open the door to the enemy.
The coming destruction is presented to Judah and its king through a graphic message: God asks Isaiah to name his second son «Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz» (see Isaiah 8:3), which means «speed the spoil» or «hasten the plunder,» to announce that catastrophe was coming upon them. His name was to cause intimidation and point to the coming defeat. God did everything He was allowed to, in order to rescue a people who were headed toward perdition. Isaiah was seen as a traitor because he wouldn’t join in the stubborn decision of the king, nor support his conspiracy. Rather, he called the faithful people to commit themselves to God and not to fear what the disobedient feared.
«It was a reproach to the God of heaven for His professed people to enter into a ‘confederacy’ with idolaters. God would have His people stand by themselves, distinct from the world. We are to counsel with God and to find our strength in Him. Only thus can we have the presence of the Lord with us. . . . Our strength lies, not in close association with the world, but in a complete separation from it.»—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, pp. 141, 142.
As Franklin Roosevelt said to his country after the Great Depression, «We have nothing to fear but fear itself.» Fear is the most powerful enemy of faith, and the most discouraging weapon against mental peace. That is why Satan seeks to overcome us with fear and anxiety. If we are to tremble before anyone, let it be before the presence of the Most High. A people who fear God will never need to tremble before any person. The fear of people enslaves, paralyzes, and destroys, but the fear of God ennobles us and fills us with courage, confidence, and joy. «All who make Him their dependence rest in perfect security.”-The Desire of Ages, ch. 65, p. 598.
www.meditacionesdiarias.com
https://twitter.com/meditacionesdi1
http://www.instagram.com/meditacionesdiarias7
Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate