THURSDAY
This week marks the first of our two conference weeks in the devotional. During these weeks when we have guest speakers scheduled, the devotionals take a different format since I typically write them based on the previous Sunday's sermon. When I'm not preaching, I take a different approach.
For these two weeks, we'll explore some stories and texts that didn't make it into this campaign. Due to conference week preparations, I'll keep my commentary brief.
I think I only mentioned this text in an additional content section of a previous devotional, so I wanted to bring it up again. This is such a beautiful text that reveals the challenge of being still and trusting God to fight for us. Isaiah 30 was written prior to Assyria attacking Judah under king Hezekiah. Hezekiah was tempted to trust in an alliance with Egypt over trusting in God to defend them.
Isaiah 30:15 (NIV)
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
This passage reminds them that God is to be their refuge and strength. The one they trust in when trouble comes. Their salvation in the old covenant depended on their obedience to the Law of the Lord. If they obeyed they could trust him to keep them safe and rest in him. But they were disobedient and sought to secure their own protection in Egypt apart from God. So God brought a foreign army to take them into exile.