Day 4 - Wednesday, December 06
Title: THE FEAR OF GOD
Scripture: Isaiah 8:13–22 (NKJV)

“The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken.” Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him. Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion. And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

Poetry & Poet:
“Be Not Afraid, God”
by Rainer Maria Rilke

Be not afraid, God. They say: mine,
of all things that permit it patiently.
They are like wind, that strokes the skyey boughs
and says: my tree.

They hardly see
how all you touch, your hand with glow endows,—
so that to grasp the mere extremity
of things with such a burning radiance fringed, is to be singed.

They will say: mine, as one might say,
in speech with peasants, the prince is his friend,
the prince being great—and very far away.
They call their strange walls: mine, nor comprehend
who is their dwelling's lord, whom they gainsay.
They still say: mine,—possessive, every one,
though all things close as they draw near to them,
as a dull clown in a paste diadem
claims that he owns the lightnings and the sun.
And thus they say: my life, my property,
my wife, my child, but know with certainty
that all things: wife and child and life and lands
are alien forms, against which, with blind hands,
groping, they knock, where none can penetrate.
Yet those who have this surety are the great
who long for eyes. The rest, incredulous,
will not believe their wandering is thus
a walking in the void, to naught attached,
that, from their putative possessions snatched,
unrecognized by all that they named: ours,
they can own wives no more than they own flowers,
whose life is alien and apart from man.

God, do not fall from your poised, perfect place.
Even he who loves you and who knows your face
in darkness, when he trembles like a light
before your breath,—he does not own you quite.
And if at night one holds you, closely pressed,
so that you are his prayer's denizen:
You are the guest
who soon goes on again.

Who can retain you, God? You are your own,
disturbed by no possessor, rash or rude,
like the unripened wine, untouched, unknown,
and growing sweeter in its solitude.

GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY
 
A year ago, I was invited to participate in an art exhibition with the theme, Freedom/Slavery. I pulled together the piece that has been chosen for today’s devotional. My intention was to create an image that would provoke the observer into contemplating this duality––a polarity that has motivated humanity since the beginning of history. There are clues throughout the piece that hint at these two contrasting concepts. The young man staring back at the viewer, with his life before him, seems to be confidently, even arrogantly standing at the crossroads.
Maybe he exudes a rugged individualism that demands unrestrained freedom and an obstacle free future. Or perhaps he, in a more thoughtful and somber way, is earnestly seeking discernment and direction. Not knowing what to title the piece, an out-of-town artist friend took one look at it and said, “It’s obvious, the title should be ‘Gotta Serve Somebody.” 
 
American folk/rock singer Bob Dylan’s hit,“Gotta Serve Somebody,” was composed right around the time of his conversion to Christianity in 1976. Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson says, “I think that’s what made Dylan convert. He realized that that statement was fundamentally true. Real freedom is to be found in the proper order of things and the proper subservience to things.” According to Dylan, all of us give our allegiance to either “the Devil or  to the Lord.” In Isaiah chapter 8, the prophet warns the disgruntled yet terrified children of Israel from both houses, of impending violence and destruction at the hands of the Assyrians. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Holy One of Israel who faithfully led his chosen people from one miraculous victory to the next, here has been usurped by a disbelieving people. “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man” (Romans 1:31-23).
 
Someone recently suggested that there are just two types of people—those who trust in God and those who think they are god. Billionaire philanthropist and globalist, George Soros, emphatically states, “I fancied myself as some kind of god. If truth be known, I carried some rather potent messianic fantasies with me from childhood. It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god—the creator of everything. But I feel comfortable about it now, since I began to live it out.” Many of the world’s elite who generically characterize themselves as atheists are eagerly seeking advanced technologies that would both extend their earthly lives and exert ever more control over others. Their lust for power and influence has led them to mediums, witches, wizards, and satanists who cast spells for them and conspire in all kinds of unspeakable demonic activities to make them greater than they already are. These desperate attempts to play at being god, according to Isaiah, instead of pushing them toward the light, drive them further into darkness and eventually, into the depths of pure evil (Isaiah 8:22).
 
There isn’t a single person on earth who doesn’t have a belief system. To those who walk in darkness, Christ is a “stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (Isaiah 8:14-15). But to those who fear and serve the Lord, the narrative is different. In the paradox of Romans 6, the Apostle Paul (Bob Dylan’s inspiration?) bluntly suggests that everyone is bound to serve someone bigger than themselves. “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (Romans 6: 20-22).
 
For those who humbly fear, hallow, and dread the Lord of hosts, there is safety from the enemy within the sanctuary, under the shelter of the Almighty. For those who treasure the testimony of Christ and have secured God’s commandments, there is bedrock confidence and eternal hope. For the faithful remnant who patiently wait in the midst of a world on fire, there is a “burning radiance.” For those who seek the living and life instead of death, there is excessive abundance. For those who have found freedom, true and lasting freedom in Christ, there is victory. For those who love and long to see his face, there is a promise. “We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion” (Isaiah 8:18).
 
Prayer
Make me a captive, Lord,
And then I shall be free.
Force me to render up my sword
And I shall conqueror be.
I sink in life's alarms
When by myself I stand;
Imprison me within thine arms,
And strong shall be my hand.
Amen.
   –––attributed to George Matheson

Barry Krammes
Professor Emeritus, Art Department 
Biola University

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.