Articles
Isaiah 33:5-6 (part 1)
Isaiah 33:5-6
Part 1
5 The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the Lord is His treasure
In the days of Isaiah (ca. 700 B.C.), the kingdom of Judah was facing perilous times. Assyria was advancing from the north, conquering kingdom after kingdom, and the northern kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity. As Assyria drew near to Jerusalem, the people were undecided where to turn.
Some advocated they give themselves up to the Assyrians, while others looked to the south, believing an alliance with Egypt would save them. Into this scenario Isaiah was sent by God to warn the people to do neither.
The key to their salvation was to trust in the Lord, not men. The Lord would provide the stability they needed when all seemed lost. In Isa 33:5-6 we find one such exhortation to put their trust in the Lord. The NKJV speaks of wisdom and knowledge as "the stability of your times" and, of course, it is the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord spoken of here.
Note other translations: "He shall be the stability of your times." (NASB) "He shall be the sure foundation of your times." (NIV)
Though removed from the days of Isaiah by thousands of years, the counsel given by him still rings true. In troubled times, the Lord provides the only true source of stability we might have.
The instability of our times, in particular, are not so different: political tension, social strife, moral decline, disease, pandemic or plague, economic and financial uncertainty, natural disaster, war, collapse of governments or entire civilizations….. These things have always been, and most who have lived in the past have faced even more persistent and intense forms of such things.
Such things have always been a pervasive source of anxiety and fear, depression, and other negative emotional states. Christians are not immune, and some will struggle regardless of their confidence that God is in control. There are others, however, who seem to find joy, peace, and stability regardless of the chaos and upheaval of this world.
Why the different reaction? Is there some source of strength that some have found that others have not? I believe there is; it is the LORD who provides stability for troubled times!
In Is 33:6, the means of this apparent stability is described. “Wisdom And Knowledge,” but not generic wisdom or knowledge of whatever we choose to pursue. There are forms of wisdom and knowledge that can instead remove our peace and stability. It is the wisdom from above and the knowledge that God desires for us. When God is the source of our wisdom and the things we “know” have been shared with us by God, the result is peace and stability regardless of circumstance. Written by Dan Starr
