Thought on Isaiah 33:6

"Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times." (Isa.33:6)

Stability is an ingredient sadly lacking in world affairs today, one that is desperately sought by the world’s leaders but not found. The Hebrew word combines the factors of firmness and reliability, something which stands upon a sure foundation and can thereafter be relied upon to remain without failure. The policies of the nations are disintegrating and falling to pieces almost before they are put into practice and this because they lack stability. This in turn is because one of the vital factors is missing. Wisdom and knowledge are necessary to stability, said the prophet to his own generation. Men have the knowledge—plenty of it—today but they lack the wisdom. That is not God’s fault. He implanted wisdom in man at the beginning, the wisdom necessary to administer man’s environment, wisdom to order his own life aright and to live in peace and harmony with his fellows, but men have allowed greed and self‑interest to dictate their actions and through the generations that innate wisdom has been obscured and become lost. The consequence is that this marvellous knowledge men have acquired is running amok and uncontrolled and the fruit of that knowledge is driving the world to destruction.

Isaiah preached his message at a time not unlike the recent past. His own nation, Israel, was the unwilling victim of the contending political interests of two super‑powers. Assyria and Egypt, the two principal empires of the day, were at each other’s throats and the land of Israel lay between. The prevailing political opinion in Israel was to conclude treaties of mutual help with Egypt in the hope that safety from Assyrian aggression would thereby be assured. Isaiah told them in effect that they were leaning upon a broken reed and would certainly fall victim to Assyria if they persisted in their course of action. The sequel proved the accuracy of his diagnosis; Israel was eventually carried captive into Assyria. But Isaiah saw beyond the immediate prospect. He also told them that in a day yet future, when they would at last have learned the lesson of their reliance upon human knowledge without the heavenly wisdom which could have been theirs for the asking, the Lord himself will come into the picture and establish a social order in which wisdom and knowledge will indeed conspire together to bring about stability.

Therein lies our hope, the hope for all humankind. It is quite beyond the power of man, Christian or non‑Christian, to extricate this world from the calamity it has brought upon itself. Only God can do it now, and God will. The old proverb "Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity" will prove to be wonderfully true. It has been the Divine intention all along to allow men full reign to govern themselves in their own way by their own standards and only when they have lamentably failed, and can see for themselves that they have lamentably failed, will He step in to show men the right way. The Biblical presentation of the Divine purpose is crystal clear that the majority of men will hail the new order of things with relief and enthusiasm. Of the reign of Christ over the nations during that coming Age it is said they shall say "in that day, Lo! this is our God...and He will save us...We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isa.25:9)

AOH 1981