Put on a news broadcast any evening, and you are likely to see a news clip, or at least hear about a proud and arrogant person, probably a politician, world leader, or perhaps some big business person. They believe that they have all the answers to the many difficulties and troubles in your country, with the economy, the social issues, international problems, etc. They think that they are always right, that their position, their power, their money can rule the day. People believe in them and follow them, giving them more power, and more arrogance as they put their hope in them. The prophet Isaiah had a message from Yahweh for these proud ones, and for the people who trust and rely on them to save the day.
With the moral and economic conditions in this world going rapidly downhill in this day, we might be wondering if the end will soon be upon us. People are afraid, genuinely afraid, and they are searching for answers, for someone or something to turn to for help. The Bible speaks frequently about the end times, often calling it the Day of the Lord. On that day, just like we see today, there will be many proud people who think they have all the answers. They look to the populace to follow after their every word. The Lord God, and His Word are not in their thoughts at all.
Isaiah, in his day, and godly Biblical preachers today ask who are you going to put your trust in? With life so insecure, and the economy and social order ready to collapse, who are we turning to? When the proud and boastful politicians stand in front of the cameras telling us to follow them and everything will be fine, when the financial wizards tell us to invest in their plans, when sociologists and the medical field are saying things that just seem so crazy and wrong, do we really think they are invincible?
The Day of the Lord is a day of judgment (vs. 12). God will judge both good and evil. That day is quickly coming. Everything human and man-made that we have relied on will collapse. The proud and lofty shall be brought low. We need to be trusting only in God. It is important that we have a proper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ before that day. God, and He alone, must be exalted.
Isaiah speaks of mighty and powerful things in nature, such as the great and study trees, like cedars and oaks, and the majestic mountains (vs. 13-14). These symbolize the mighty and powerful people that hold great power, either politically or in the business world, that think they will stand forever. They hold power now over their country, over the economy, over making godless and wicked decisions in the social order, but the Lord God will bring them down.
In the days of Isaiah major cities would build large, fortified walls to surround them, and attempt to keep them safe from enemy attack (vs. 15-16). They also had strongly built towers that would also be a source of safety that the people would run to in case of attacks. Lofty towers and strong walls were part of the city’s defenses. We don’t rely on them today, but we do look to our country and the military to keep us safe from enemy attacks. The trading ships going to and from Tarshish that Isaiah speaks of indicate the economy of the day, and how people looked to that for their financial security. When times and the economy look precarious, we frantically look at where the safest and most stable place is to put whatever finances we have.
What are we putting our confidence in? Are we trusting in political, social, or business leaders who think that they have all the answers, and who haughtily turn aside from what the Lord says in His Word? These folks are trusting in nothing but false pride. We may think that these man-made and human powers have all the answers, and that they can never let us down, but God will bring them down (vs. 17). He will bring down anything other than Himself that we rely on. There is a day coming when human pride and arrogance will be smashed forever, and the entire world will acknowledge that God, alone, rules.
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