No Weapon

www.bible.com/1713/isa.54.17.csb

Well, here is God’s answer to gun control. Or even weapons control in general. (Ever wonder why there’s always an uproar over guns, but not daggers, or poison, or any number of other means to take a life?) God says that no weapon formed against His people shall prosper. So let’s take a moment to examine this in context.

This was given to Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet to the old kingdom of Judah after the separation of Israel from her. Judah was traveling the same path as Israel, falling into the deception of idolatry. In the time of Isaiah, Assyria came south on a conquering path, taking Israel before them. Israel was gone, deported, and would never rise again. Judah was next on the hit list.

Now this prophecy was given before that happened, but Assyria was a genuine threat. And this prophecy would surely be repeated in the face of that implacable enemy. “God promised! He said we would not be defeated!” But the prophecy wasn’t for all Israel, or even all of Judah, but for the Lord’s servants. Now consider who fell into that category. Was it the idolatrous Israelites? Or even those in Judah caught serving other gods? Or was it the faithful remnant, that despite all evidence to the contrary, still believed in the words of God, still believed that God would preserve them?

There are many Christians today in the same predicament. There are many who claim to be Christian, but hold to the values of the world. They consider social standing better than standing with Christ. They consider their own lusts and pleasures more important that sacrifice and self-control. They pursue happiness, but not the will of God. These too will claim the promise of this verse, and will be disappointed when the day of strife comes. Why? Because they had proved, when times were easy, that they were not the Lord’s servants. Now when times are hard, their faithlessness becomes their burden. God is under no obligation.

While God protected Judah from the Assyrian invasion, they were not protected from Babylon some years later. They forgot the lessons of their fathers and hardship again became their teacher. We live in a similar age. The lessons of our fathers and grandfathers are being lost, and once again hardship steps in to instruct. Don’t wait to learn faith from difficult times, but learn now from the words of God. God is our very best teacher, and those who are faithful will serve Him. And those will receive the promises.

Remember you are loved today. God is a strict parent, but He loves us so. He has seen the extremity of hardship and wants to protect us from it. He gives us hardship to prevent much worse. Don’t ignore His lessons, but embrace them as instruction from a loving Father. God loves you, and so do I. May He bless you today.