King Ahaz caused Judah to trust in the Assyrians to save them. The alliance they created with that kingdom proved to be a deadly one. The king even gave away treasures from the temple, in order to have Assyria’s protection (2 Chronicles 28:21). This open disregard for God’s house should have been a wake-up call for the people of Judah, but the majority continued to trust their king for their safety.
The prophet Isaiah repeatedly warned and instructed his people to trust in God. How many times have we mouthed the words, “He is my refuge and my fortress” (Psalm 91:2), but then continued to trust in our own efforts and wisdom to feel and be safe?
We also have a tendency to trust in our leaders who promise to change our circumstances, just like they did in Isaiah’s time, seven hundred years before Christ. Even though we know in Psalm 118:9 that “it is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in princes”, we become overly confident of our choice of political leaders. We take our eyes off God far too often and allow ourselves to be charmed and swayed by humans, who are just as fallible as we are.
The words of Isaiah, chapter 8, should jump out at all of us. The Lord tells us there, ” ‘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). In other words, we should not focus our attention on human conspiracies, whether true or false, but rather on the power of God.
Many see conspiracies everywhere in the world today. How easy it is to become embroiled in the supposed theories of man, rather than keeping our minds and hearts in God’s word. Misinformation and fake news sources are a constant attraction for many of God’s people today.
No matter which side of the political spectrum we are on, we are in danger of being diverted from the only protection we need. And that, of course, is God’s protection.
To find out more about Isaiah’s story, study him with us in our Sabbath School lessons:
