Beyond Belief ~ Isaiah 31

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!” Isaiah 31:1

The most interesting aspects of the human being cannot be perceived by the naked eye.  And as a result, the most complex and profound characteristics of our race cannot be defined by science, explained by logic, or interpreted by philosophy.  These aspects and characteristics of which I speak belong to the invisible family tree of what truly drives a human being to manifest what lies silently within them.  I speak of one branch within that unseen tree that contains human emotion.  Emotion which encompasses fear, anger, happiness, sadness, disgust, and surprise.  I speak of another obscured branch that holds the complexities of human love which involves romantic, friendly, familial, and selfless types of love.  I speak of yet another invisible branch where human thought resides, the core internal ideas that generate opinions within us that can change the world around us, for better or worse.  Yes, us humans possess amazingly complex physical bodies, but what drives those physical bodies to emote, love, think, and then do what they do, is where the miracle of the human being occurs.

But to home in even closer on these invisible mysteries, we will look at the most complex branch of that tree, human belief.  That is, what we choose to believe in, then allowing that firm belief to drive us to a place of trust in that belief.  And this complex process is a combination of the three branches mentioned above: the emotional, the thought, and love. And to further delve into human belief, we must specifically ask what makes us not just believe what we do, but what truly creates a level of belief and trust that drives us to say what we say, do what we do, and even sacrifice for what we believe and trust in? 

As we attempt to follow this belief trail, it moves from merely believing in some thing or person, to then graduating to trusting in that thing or person, to then something far, far more profound.  And this penultimate level of human belief and trust is called faith.  Faith is well defined as, “firm belief in something for which there is no proof.”  So to elicit, why do you believe in the love that you feel for your spouse, parent, or yes, even your beloved little puppy dog?  You can’t see that love, touch that love, or mathematically define that love, yet when it bubbles up within you, it is the most real thing to you ever.  And you believe and even trust in that love knowing that you are not going to simply lose the love you feel.  You can believe in love, therefore you can trust in love.  But can you have faith in love itself?  Or another example, why do you believe in gravity?  You cannot see it under a microscope, hold it in your hands, or package it up and put a bow on it, yet you can believe that when you wake up tomorrow you will not float away into the stratosphere.  But can your belief in gravity move from trust to faith?  Would you sacrifice something you dearly love because of your faith in gravity?  Where does belief really cross the line from simple reliable trust to faith?

As Isaiah continues delivering his Godly prophetic message in chapter 31 of the Biblical book that bears his name, he comes to yet another warning for the Israelites.  This time, as you probably guessed, it concerns in which direction their invisible branch of faith chooses to manifest.  You see, as 185,000 blood-thirsty Assyrian soldiers are approaching Jerusalem to sack, plunder, and destroy it, that branch of faith is tested to its limits.  Yes, their branch of faith in Almighty God, His provision, His protection, and His guidance was tested beyond stress point as their very lives were in dire jeopardy.  And that testing drove the Israelite leaders to do what most of us would do, reach out for help they could see.  Help they could touch, help they could guarantee, help that satisfied their human belief.  So they reached out to the next biggest superpower behind Assyria, Egypt.  With its horses, infantry, and iron chariots, Egypt looked like a force that could conquer the Israelite’s Assyrian enemy.  Yes, the trials and tribulations of this life drove the Israelites to forgo their faith and revert back to their lesser belief.

Yet are we any different that the Israelites mentioned some 2700 years ago in this passage?  Do we not look to the things in our life that promise us the greatest chance of logical human success?  Do we not embrace the things that most easily scratch our internal itch for satisfaction of what we desire?  You see, a truth about the human condition that you cannot ignore, one that truly defines this seeking of faith, is sin.  Every single person that has been born upon this planet since Adam, has inherited a sin nature.  A nature that automatically places self above all else.  The selfishness, pride, and ego that promotes self-preservation.  And beyond just mere self-preservation, our sin nature drives us to satisfy what we truly desire.  We desire to have the person we lust for, we strive to acquire what we covet in another’s driveway, we work hard to earn the right to be considered better than others, and we feel we have the right to revenge and retribution as we openly defend our wrath.  But how and where is the capability to escape these inborn sinful attributes and move into the realm of having faith in something other than ourselves, something bigger than ourselves that has a plan much better than just our endless self-satisfaction?

Well, it is not possible.  Not humanly anyway.  To move to this pinnacle of believing and trusting, real and genuine faith, we need a helper to get us there.  And Jesus Christ promised us just that as He was preparing to return to His home in heaven.  He promised us in His Word that as He left, He would not leave those that had faith in Him without a helper to continue to drive and foster that faith.  And today, those that call Jesus Christ their personal Lord and Savior, can have faith in Him through the power of His Holy Spirit.  A Spirit that just as our invisible human traits, cannot be seen or touched, yet is as real to believers in Christ as the sun that touches their skin.

What do you believe and trust in today to the point that you can place faith in it to never leave you, fail you, or disappoint you?  Faith in yourself?  Well, if your “self” is anything like my “self” he is a liar, a cheat, and never ceases to steer me wrong.  Faith in the world?  Well, I think it is beyond proven that if you attempt to place faith in the things of this world you will be sorely disappointed time after time.  Faith in others?  Well, just as your “self” will disappoint you, the “self” of others will just as readily fail you.  Folks, as our study verse above clearly states, there is only one place you can allow your belief to sprout into trust which can then grow into a tree of faith…and that faith can only be satisfied in Jesus Christ.  For He never lies, never changes, never moves, and will never leave those that call upon Him for eternal salvation from sin.  You cannot place the greatest level of human belief, faith, in anything that moves or changes.  Just as you would not dare anchor your boat to another moving boat, why would you place your faith in anything other than the immoveable creator God that daily delivers on His promises?

Today, I challenge you to be honest in the analyzation of where your belief and trust lie.  In what are you truly trusting today?  And as you come to that honest realization, if it is in the horses and chariots of self, world, money, things, or others…they will always disappoint you.  Only in Jesus Christ can the faith of humans be satisfied.

Blessings to you ~ Dan 

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

"new growth", Magdalena Mixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico