WHAT SHOULD I DO NOT TO BE ARROGANT ?

Text: Isaiah 9:8-21

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8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,

10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

11 Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;

12 The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

13 For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.

14 Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

15 The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

17 Therefore the LORD shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

18 For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

20 And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:

21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 

Key Verse: “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” (Isaiah 9:10)

Message

The sin of arrogance and pride s tragic with fatal consequences. It brought down Lucifer and some other angels. Pride also destroyed Korah and his gang, as well as Ahithophel. It is the height of transgression because it attempts to place those ensnared by it on the same pedestal with God. Thus, the proud seek to play the Creator of heaven and earth.

The same was the case with the nation of Israel. The land had become prosperous, with the leaders and their people feeling self-sufficient. They believed this material satisfaction positioned them independent of God. In a theocratic society like Israel, this was a dangerous national outlook. It was arrogance that plunged the whole society into sin. This, needless to say, brought swift judgment on the land and its leaders.

But as it has been with the sin of pride, the people’s response to God’s chastisement was dismal. It pushed them into more acts of rebellion. They felt they did not need God and could stand on their own. When the Lord chastened them, they said: “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” The Bible says they acted “in the pride and stoutness of heart”.

God has great love for His children; thus, He continues to warn the haughty who shun the “quiet and meek spirit” that should characterise them. It is a broad path that leads to perdition. When punishment comes from God to whip us into line, we must accept it thankfully as the gentle rebuke of a caring Father.

Thought For The Day: Only negligent parents ignore their erring children.

The Bible In One Year: Jeremiah 28-30

Meditation

Beware of the battle no man can win

1. Preamble

a. Israel defiantly rejected the word and warning of God on the danger of decisions and seeking help outside God, v13.

b. Judgements were coming in progressive severity so as to bring them into repentance and fellowship with Him as lost beloved firstborn of the Father, 9:8,11,12,14,15,17,19,21.

c. Instead of humble repentance,  they made covenant with disobedience and deceived themselves that whatever tragedy that befell them was an opportunity to prove they could achieve their goals without God, v10.

d. It was a process of hardness of heart that resulted in self destruction and eternal loss, v21.

The battle you can never win is to subtly or secretly reject the word of will of God in some areas of your life deceiving yourself that nothing will happen. You will always be the loser either in the short run, long run or in eternity.

Reflection

Check vv8, 11-21 and see that strategic divine destructions and how the severity of the judgements increased as their hardness of heart turns into foolish  covenant of disobedience. Note that the punishments affected their leaders, young men, fatherless and widows, economy etc.

Question: What does the repeated phrase, "but His hand is stretched out still" in vv12, 16,21 mean?

2. Practical application

Is there an area of the will or word of God in your life that you have made a covenant of disobedience and you are determined to damn the consequences? It is a battle that will lead to multidimensional losses in time and eternity.

Prayer points

God, I yield my heart and will to you never to engage in a covenant of disobedience in any area of my life🙏

Lord, help me that the evil heart and attitude of pride towards your word will not have a place in my life🙏

Lord, I pray that you break the heart of brethren involved in selective obedience and give them  grace to surrender all🙏

Lord, help us that none of your word will be taken lightly as a church🙏

Hymn: Have you counted the cost?

1 There's a line that is drawn by rejecting our Lord,

Where the call of His Spirit is lost,

And you hurry along with the pleasure-mad throng - 

Have you counted, have you counted the cost?

Chorus: 

Have you counted the cost, if your soul should be lost

Tho' you gain the whole world for your own?

Even now it may be that the line you have crossed,

Have you counted, have you counted the cost?

2 You may barter your hope of eternity's morn,

For a moment of joy at the most,

For the glitter of sin and the things it will win - 

Have you counted, have you counted the cost? 

3 While the door of His mercy is open to you,

Ere the depth of His love you exhaust,

Won't you come and be healed, won't you whisper, I yield - 

I have counted, I have counted the cost.