Living in Light of Truth {DWITW 365}
The book of Isaiah leads us through chapter upon chapter about God’s righteousness. This week, we continue to read many chapters about God as a righteous Judge, as well as His comfort and His promises fulfilled. In Isaiah chapters 28-34 we hear Isaiah proclaiming the judgment that will be coming - both for God’s enemies and His people (Isaiah 33:22). The language is harsh, and our first instinct can be to recoil and deny that this is the same God of love who gave us His Son, Jesus. We think, along with Isaiah, ‘Who is perfectly righteous? Surely no one is!’ However, as we continue to read, we begin to see a new message that Isaiah is proclaiming: a message of hope. A message about God’s comfort and how His promises are and will be fulfilled (Isaiah 43-48).
Israel is trying to follow their own paths and desires, and are not measuring up to God’s vision for their lives or to His standard for their holiness. In fact, they are not even attempting to live toward God’s vision for their lives or His standards! And then right in the middle of the book, we find the story of a king and his men who do choose to live up to God’s standards.
How were the Israelites able to decipher who indeed was speaking the truth?
Let’s take a closer look at Hezekiah’s story in Isaiah ch. 35-39. These chapters tell us about an incident that happened among the Israelites, and their enemy the Assyrians. The Assyrians had just captured the fortified cities of Judah. It seemed that evil was winning and that those who were not following God were having just as much or more success than God’s people. After conquering much of Judah, the Assyrians sent a message to the Israelites, stirring up doubts and raising questions about the truths of God (Is. 36:1-10; Is. 37:8-13). The Assyrians claimed to have a knowledge and power from God, and they claimed that the Israelites heard the wrong message! The Israelites had been told that following God would result in His blessings, and that not following God would result in His judgement. However, the Assyrians taunted: How were the Israelites able to decipher who indeed was speaking the truth? Was it Hezekiah or was it the Assyrian leaders? Which side was speaking the truth that came from God? How could they know which plan of action to follow? Let’s take a look at how King Hezekiah handled the chaos brewing amongst his people:
1. He did not immediately answer (Is. 36:21-37:1) - More than likely, he was able to immediately think of answers to give, of ways to defend himself, of mighty warriors to call on to prove his name, but instead he kept silent.
2. He consulted Isaiah, God’s prophet and spokesman (Is 37:1-4) - He knew he needed help to understand what to do, beyond himself; so, he sought wise counsel. He did not seek out all the other prophets and seers and people that he knew, but instead he turned to the wise man of God, whose advice he trusted.
3. He prayed (Is 37:14-20) - Hezekiah went by himself and prayed to the Lord, asking for wisdom, power and that the glory would ultimately go back to God.
4. He spoke truth to himself and his people (Is 37:18-20) - He declared who he was, who the enemy was, and who his God was - that his God, Yahweh, was powerful able to save!
We, too, live in a time where it is not easy to determine which voices we are hearing are speaking the truth. So many voices come at us throughout the day - many from people we trust, and many from powerful, successful people whom the world deems “right.” We hear messages that contain morsels of truth, but the message itself may be blasphemous to the God we follow. In these cases, we can take the simple yet profound approach that King Hezekiah took.
First, like Hezekiah, we can step back and take some time to be in silence before the Lord (Prov 29:20; Prov 18:2; James 1:19). We don’t need to have an answer immediately, even if we feel that we need to prove ourselves. This does not mean that we don’t ever do anything, but instead we are exercising wisdom by taking the time to step back and process.
We, too, live in a time where it is not easy to determine which voices we are hearing are speaking the truth.
Then, let us pursue wisdom from those who are more knowledgeable than us (Prov 19:20-21). This may be a husband or wife, a pastor, or a trusted friend who has proven themselves to be a servant of God. Remember, this is not seeking the opinions of anyone, but instead finding godly counsel from those who are seekers of God themselves. They may have insight into the situation that we do not have, and may be able to guide us to places in Scripture that bring God’s voice of truth and ultimately God’s glory to the situation.
Next, we must pray (1 John 5:14-15; Eph 6:18). We must set aside time to ask God for His answer to the question. We must take the time to explore the Scripture that He has given us in order to determine what His voice is telling us to do.
Finally, we must not forget to speak the truth to ourselves (Zechariah 8:16; Eph 4:25). The truth may be that someone is powerful and successful, but does that make their words right when compared to the Word of our God? It is true that someone may have some good points, but do they stand up to the truth that we have in Scripture?
We can keep all these things in mind as we seek to find the truth in our worlds, and seek to know that when we aim to live as God desires we represent Him well in those realms.
Suzanne Hines wants to live in a world where sunflowers bloom in eternal summer, where her children play instead of argue and where her family has an endless budget for travel. When she's not loving her husband, training and teaching her three children, and spreading education on the foster care system, you can find her writing, reading or running outside!
Her favorite Scripture is Romans 12:12 "...be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer..." (NIV)