This short chapter describes a sign against Cush (Ethiopia) and Egypt – God commands Isaiah to walk around naked for three years. This symbolizes the future shame of those great nations and those who follow them.
“Then the Lord said… ‘Then they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and of Egypt their boast. And the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day, “Behold, this is what has happened to those in whom we hoped and to whom we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria! And we, how shall we escape?” ‘ ” (v5-6)
Where does our hope lie? If we’re like the people in this chapter, our hope may lie in those who have great power or influence. Perhaps our hope lies in technology or medical advancement. Perhaps we place our hope in our own abilities and achievements. The options are limitless.
Why does it matter where our hope lies? People of influence come and go, technology and medical advancements are not flawless, and we don’t need to look very hard to find situations where our own wisdom / strength is insufficient. Inevitably, if our hope is misplaced, we will end up being ashamed like those of Egypt and Cush.
God’s desire is that we primarily place our hope and faith in Him. He will never fail us, or forsake us, and He cannot be destroyed or shamed by another force. When our hope is in Him our Rock and Fortress, we can rest assured that He will be the same tomorrow as He is today. Yes, placing our faith in God requires self-sacrifice and “losing out” on some of the temporary things of this world, but the eternal rewards dwarf anything this world can offer. The choice is ours: gamble on what this world can offer (we’re guaranteed to lose that bet eventually), or take the guaranteed win by investing our hope in God. We can then by extension trust those who also place their hope in God, knowing that they have a lower chance of hurting us in the long run (though they are still human after all, which is why God needs to be our primary anchor).
Father God, our Glorious Rock and Shelter, You alone are worthy of our whole-hearted faith. It’s so easy to misplace our faith in the people / things / securities of this world. Please help guard our minds against evil lies which seek to mislead us. Please help us to remain rooted in (or return to) You, the one truly Safe Place. May we fully trust You with every fiber of our being, having no other gods before, from this day forward, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training