“Only a few of its people will be left, like stray olives left on a tree after the harvest. Only two or three remain in the highest branches, four or five scattered here and there on the limbs, declares the Lord, the God of Israel. Then at last the people will look to their Creator and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will no longer look to their idols for help or worship what their own hands have made. They will never again bow down to their Asherah poles or worship at the pagan shrines they have built.
Isaiah 17:6-8 NLT
The people in Israel will have nothing left, according to Isaiah’s prophecy. Their society will have been destroyed, with most of the inhabitants either killed or deported into exile. The few people left will look around them and feel the loss of their neighbours, the busy markets, the chatter in the taverns, but it will all have gone, swept away by the Assyrian tide. But they will be unable to relax, because they will have to eat. There will be fields to tend, flocks to look after, friends and relatives to mourn, probably wounds to heal, and bodies to bury. Perhaps their houses will require repair or rebuilding. There will be much to do by the “few of its people” who will be left.
Imagine today looking out of our windows, if we had any after the devastation, at a town or village, devastated by war, with buildings partially or totally destroyed. The aggressors had gone, pillaging and plundering over. The shops that had not been flattened by shelling and bombing were devoid of any contents. All gone. All destroyed. Bodies everywhere needing to be buried. The people are left starving and despairing, but so few remain. Perhaps a modern-day image of what Damascus of old will be like. Apocalyptic visions of what life will be like after wars have wrought devastation.
But there is hope, because “then at last the people will look to their Creator and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel”. The idols were of no help. The “gods”, sculpted lumps of metal or wood on the shelf in the living room, will not rush to their aid. Bowing to the Asherah poles or to the pagan shrines will not achieve anything. A brutal lesson will have been learnt by the remnant of people left in the land. Dim memories of Deuteronomy 28 might have re-emerged in their miserable thoughts, as they ticked off one by one all the curses Moses had warned about. They will finally “get it”, that there is no God other than their Creator, the “Holy One of Israel”.
Back to the same scenario today. There may not be Asherah poles or pagan shrines. No idols in the corner of the room, but there are other “gods”. Perhaps the golf clubs in the corner. Or the expensive car, or what is left of it, parked on the drive, useless and just an inanimate lump of metal, plastic and glass. An idol is anything that has taken the place of God, anything that diverts our attention away from our Creator, the “Holy One of Israel”.
Regardless of the age we live in, God is always there. He is the “same yesterday, today and forever”. God created us, when He “… made all the delicate, inner parts of [our bodies] and knit [each one of us] together in our mothers’ wombs” (Psalm 139:13). How arrogant mankind has been when they have forgotten this very truth, that we are only here on this planet through the grace of God and through His miraculous design in creation. And we have the extreme offence of God’s creation being brutalised and corrupted, perhaps on the altar of abortion, a modern-day Asherah pole or pagan shrine, worshipped in the name of selfish pleasure.
But in times of trouble, what do people do? We can turn to Psalm 121 to find the remedy. “I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” That’s the bottom line for mankind, regardless of belief or religion. There is only one Source for the few people left. Psalm 46:1, 6, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. … The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts!” Further on in the Psalm, we read, “Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honoured by every nation. I will be honoured throughout the world” (Psalm 46:8-10). Ultimately, God will prevail over all evil, and it is a hard lesson for people everywhere to learn that they have lost out by worshipping the wrong god.
God’s love is there for everyone to embrace, a love so profound and complete that He did not even spare His own Son, Jesus. And all we have to do is believe in Him. Of course, that means we must turn from our sins and live our lives God’s way. But the alternative for all those who refuse to believe in Him is that they will perish. When we read John 3:16 slowly and carefully, we find the two choices before us: perishing or eternal life. I know which option I have chosen.
Dear Father God. Once again on my knees before You today, I can do nothing other than worship You. Only You have the words of eternal life, spoken through the lips of Your Son, Jesus. I pray for the strength to complete the journey into Your presence, the place where You live, despite all the trials and temptations that come my way. And I pray for my family, that they, too, will make the right choice at Calvary. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 