CHOOSING THE GREATER POWER

This is what the LORD says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey—and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor—so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.” —Isaiah 31:4

By the length of their protest, we can understand something of the outrage of God and His prophet at the suggestion that the people of Judah would make an alliance with Egypt. As Isaiah—and God—continued to rail against this plan, they made the case that relying on human strength was foolishness compared to trusting in God.

As powerful as their armies might seem, “the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit” (Isaiah 31:3). In contrast, God describes Himself as a great lion. As a powerful and eternal Being, He is unafraid of whatever the surrounding nations—any or all of them—might threaten against Him or His people.

If the people would choose Him, He would “do battle” on their behalf, taking up a defensive position on the heights of Mount Zion. Their growling God would be fierce in their defense but gentle in their protection. In phrasing that would be echoed by Jesus as He lamented over the city of Jerusalem, its history, and its people (see Matthew 23:37), God describes His care for the people of the city in Isaiah’s day using the image of a mother bird. “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies will hover over Jerusalem and protect it like a bird protecting its nest. He will defend and save the city; he will pass over it and rescue it” (Isaiah 31:5, NLT).

Isaiah urged the people to return to the God they had rebelled against.

Their fearless God would be the One to defeat their enemies, and He would again be the God of Jerusalem.