Read
Read Isaiah 18-20
Verse chosen
for meditation: Isaiah 20:5 ESV:
Then they shall
be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and of Egypt their boast.
Reflect
In this
competitive, dog - eat - dog world where top rank equates dominance, large
following means popularity, greatness is defined by power, and money is the all-round
king, what do we put our hope in?
To put it
another way, what will our boast be? What would we very much like to boast
about if we have the slightest chance?
And in the
matter of what we put our hope in and make our boast in, what does Scripture
remind us? How should it affect us?
Relate
According to
today’s scripture reading, Cush and Egypt, both countries bounded by the Red
Sea on the northern part of Africa, were powerhouses in their day. Israel would
not hesitate to form an alliance with either of them to help fight her battles
against the Assyrians.
As a result,
these people were feared. They were aggressive, probably even arrogant. After
all, to the then world, they were the powerful nations. Their cities would rank
high on the list of most advanced, and their people would also take pride in every
of their achievements, including their reputable standing.
Not to forget
that they even had Israel ingratiating herself with them such that one would become
her hope and the other her boast.
Where then is
God in all of this, the one who had brought Israel out of Egypt? What about us
today? Where is God in all of our life plans, the one who had brought us out of
darkness?
But before we
could answer, there’s another more urgent question that begs a response: Is it
even relevant these days to put our hope in God? Can God really help us, say in
our exams? Can he really land us the course or job that we want? Can he really
help with our finances? Can he also hook us up with the right people? Can
he...can he...can he...? The answer is not terribly convincing.
To the extent
that the reality of God has never been further removed and the relevance of God
has never been more questioned, with both reality and relevance posing equally
challenging notions to non - believers and believers alike.
It is,
therefore, not surprising that the hope of this present generation lies in things
material like grades, connections, looks, positions, fame, power, money, and
even luck. Anything but God.
God is sought
only in times of desperation. He is not worshipped. He is debated about and put
on trial every second. He is paid at most lip service by those who worship him.
We are told
that true worship is when we make God our hope as well as our boast. This is
clearly stated in Jeremiah 9:23, 24: Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast
in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man
boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he
understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast
love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I
delight, declares the Lord.”
It is
disheartening to learn that God has to bring us back to our senses. For we have
allowed ourselves and all the other things to usurp his place. We have become
self - centred, not God - centric. For such, no outward display of worship or
piety would do.
It follows that
the two cardinal questions that we need to ask ourselves every now and again,
especially during prayer and worship are:
What is our
hope? Who is our boast?
Rest
Lord, may our
hope be in you, and not the things of this world. For such hope disappoints.
May you also be our boast, and not the things of this world. For such boast
does not exalt. But when our hope is in you and our boast is in
you, there is worship.
Naville Chia
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