AP

Isaiah 23:9 The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendour and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.

The faithful prophet is affirming here a basic principle that runs through the whole of Scripture.  Our very first parents, Adam and Eve, established a way of thinking that has infected all of mankind ever since: a mind-set that puts man’s way above God’s way; an attitude that glories in the achievements of men and is blind to the power and authority of God; a stance that inverts God’s eternal Plan and ends up “call[ing] evil good and good evil, … put[ting] darkness for light and light for darkness, … put[ting] bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).

It is this way of thinking that led the prophet to declare:  “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight” (Isaiah 5:21).  The region of Tyre and Sidon had become very successful as a result of their location on the sea and their merchant shipping.  Their wealth and self-sufficiency had become their pride and glory, all centred on man’s skill and achievement.  They had no place, or even need, for an Almighty Creator in their economy!

But the LORD was about to turn their world upside down – or rather, the right way up.  Eugene Petersen, in ‘The Message’, translates this section of Isaiah, “Tyre’s merchants were the business tycoons.  Tyre’s traders called all the  shots.  God-of-the-Angel-Armies ordered the crash to show the sordid backside of pride and puncture the inflated reputations.”

What an important lesson this is for us in our present world.  The basic principle of Scripture has not changed.  As Hannah prayed when Samuel was born: “There is no-one holy like the LORD; there is no-one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.  Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. …  The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.  He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honour.  For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; upon them he has set the world” (1 Samuel 2:2-3, 7-8), including Sodom and Gomorrah, Tyre and Sidon, Sydney and Melbourne …???

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).  Man proposes, but God disposes.  Let us keep this firmly in mind as we read the daily newspaper and watch the news, and let us not expend our energy on being anxious about an unknown and uncertain future, but let us be much in prayer for our country and our world.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6).

– Bruce Christian