False Confidence

Isaiah 47:10
“For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.”

It is said twice in Isaiah 47 that the Babylonians said, “I am, and none else beside me.” These people had become so confident in themselves that they placed themselves above God. They thought that nobody could ever remove them from their status; however, they found out that their confidence was misplaced. Their false confidence led to their demise. There were three things in which they placed their confidence.

Benefits of Serving the LORD

Isaiah 58:14
“Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

God always gives motivation for His people to get right with Him. You would think when a Christian learns of the LORD’s blessings that every Christian would want to serve Him, but sadly, many continue in the way of sin and reap the heartache it causes. In Isaiah 58, God shows several benefits you receive when you choose to serve Him.

The Strength of Zebulun

1 Chronicles 12:33
“Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart.”

Not much is said about Zebulun in the Scriptures, but the verse above speaks volumes about this little-known tribe. One thing we do know about the tribe of Zebulun is that they were with Barak when he fought against Sisera, they were with Gideon when he fought the Midianites, and they stood with David when he was made king of Israel.

Keepers of the Entry

1 Chronicles 9:19
“And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the LORD, were keepers of the entry.”

In a world when feminists push the woman-led agenda for the home and society, the Scriptures still dictate for the man to be the leader in the home. It is no wonder that our society is dysfunctional because we have left God’s order of how the home and society should be led. God has always shown through the Scriptures that the men are to be the leaders.

Hide and Seek

Psalm 78:4
“We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”

When you were a child, you probably played the game, “Hide and Seek.” Someone was chosen to be “it,” they would cover their eyes and count to a certain number while the other children went to hide, and once they counted to that certain number, they would go and seek to find the children who were hiding. The children hiding provoked the one person to seek.

No God Like Our God

2 Chronicles 6:14
“And said, O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts:”

I love what Solomon said about God when he dedicated the temple. He said, “…O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth…” Solomon must have been overwhelmed with all that the LORD had done for him that he couldn’t help but proclaim that God is better than all the gods.

It’s Not the Mirror

2 Chronicles 16:10
“Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.”

Asa had a problem in that he didn’t like what the seer said about him to his face. He was angry with the seer because he told him that he was wrong in relying on the king of Syria instead of on God.

Don’t Forget to Decorate

2 Chronicles 20:21
“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.”

There is nothing that sets the usefulness and beauty of a house apart from others like a house that is magnificently decorated. The same house can have little decorations, and it won’t seem as beautiful and desirable to a person buying a house as it would if it was beautifully decorated. The decoration is what sets it apart from the rest in the eyes of an outsider.

It’s a Choice

2 Chronicles 28:27
“And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.”

One of the greatest revivals in Judah’s history was under the reign of Hezekiah. Every Christian who has a heart for God who reads about the moving of God among His people reacts with delight and hunger for God to do the same in their day.

Stop Throwing Things

1 Samuel 20:33
“And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.”

Saul seemed to have the same problem that many people have when they get angry, and that was that he wasn’t able to control his emotions. When he got angry with David, he reacted by throwing a javelin at him, and it nearly killed him. Saul did more damage by throwing the javelin than if the javelin had struck David. Yes, if the javelin had struck David it would have killed him, but Saul deeply hurt a relationship with a friend, confidant, and a family member by throwing that javelin.