“In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth,” (Isaiah 10:20 ESV).
You have to read this a few times to get it. At least I did. The first few times I read it, my mind heard, “Eventually I will turn away from the other things I’ve chased and will finally lean on God.” And that’s a great idea. But after reading it a few times in a row, something jumped out at me. It says they “will no more lean on him who struck them…”. So much of the time, the things we run to other than God really hurt us. And yet we continue to run to them. It immediately reminded me of a day I learned about abusive relationships when I was in high school. A young high school couple was screaming at each other in the parking lot after a dance. It was teetering on the edge of becoming physically violent and so I stepped in and took the girl home. She was a friend of my sister, but the two of them didn’t even speak the whole way to her house. Her older brother recognized me when I dropped her off and asked me what was going on. I explained it to him quickly and I think he headed off to enact violence of his own. But a couple of weeks later I saw the couple together again. I couldn’t understand it. Finally a mentor started helping me understand the abused mindset. When you don’t think you deserve any relationship, you’ll stay in anything. The abuse is horrible but it’s better than being alone. It’s better than the unknown.
This passage applies that same concept to the situation between us and our sin. Our mistakes are hurting us. They are damaging our lives. And yet we return to them, because we understand them. Because we don’t think we deserve any better. Our guilt from drinking leads us to drink more. We know porn is destroying how we think and how we look at those around us. We know it’s hardening our heart to true love and yet we return to it just trying to feel something. The pain of past mistakes leads to new mistakes trying to cover or escape the old ones. But God says that one day we will not lean on these things that have hurt us and let us down anymore. We will finally lean on Him. I hope that day comes sooner than later.
Your thoughts?
Todd
So true about the mindset of abuse. We have the hope of redemption that through every tragedy and foolish mistake God is teaching us again and again to lean on Him for all we need. Some of us are slow learners, but for all of us He is patient and faithful.
We become comfortable with our demons, don’t we. We’re so afraid of the unknown, that even if what we know is bad, it’s easier than what we don’t know. And you’re also right about people not believing they’re worthy of anything better. The enemy is a liar! And the world can be so harsh, but God is good! May He be praised.
It’s also true that people who have walked the difficult road of abuse are the most effective at reaching those currently living with abuse. Maybe the same holds true for those who’ve wandered from God (and are willing to admit it) maybe these are the best equipped to reach those who have wandered. Maybe the redemption evident in the lives of the first is what it takes to show the lost what God’s love looks like.
I had one more thought on this one while I was at work. Something striking is that the scripture refers to the remnant of Israel, and the survivors of the house of Jacob. That’s a small few out of the many, what happened to the rest? Well, Isaiah talks about that too, and it’s not good. Does this hold any relevance for today? Although, it is reassuring and comforting that God always reserves a remnant for His plan.
*Do I sound negative these days? That’s not my intent. I’m just seeking truth. What you write, say, and sing always makes me think; I appreciate that.*