No, it’s not that I just recently watched “Ghost Busters”, it the saying just seemed to go along with the context and sense of Isaiah 31. This and other things that we read about in today’s Bible reading have very familiar trains of thought — emphasizing again how it is that there is “nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9).

Who Ya Gonna Call?

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!…Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall, And all of them will come to an end together.” Isaiah 31:1-3 — This is the crux of a constant dilemma for mankind, “Who will I trust?” What will save me from my pain, from disaster, from harm, from death, from poverty, or something else? Will it be money, who I know, fame, politics & diplomacy, my wits, my friends, my job, my good looks, my athleticism, my I.Q., my guns, my strength, my computer, my inside knowledge, my drink/drugs, or my skills? Or the LORD? Our preferred “gods” only put bandaids of help on our gaping wounds and offer temporary relief at best — while we bleed out to our death. Like the Israel’s reliance on Egypt rather than the LORD, they are too temporary and impotent to really help us.

They needed a regime change

“Behold, a king will reign righteously And princes will rule justly. Each will be like a refuge from the wind And a shelter from the storm, Like streams of water in a dry country, Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.” Isaiah 32:1, 2 — This year has included what has been called “The Arab Spring” — a political upheaval of historical proportions, which has upset a number of monarchies and dictatorships in the Arab world. The outcomes are still unfolding, but most folks are in agreement that regime changes in most of these places were necessary. This passage talks about a regime change that needed to happen in Israel — and needs to happen in the hearts of every man. No, the text wasn’t talking about worldly politics — although the kings of Israel and Judah were pretty uniformly spiritually weak. The text is talking about the Messiah of God reigning in the hearts of a greater Israel — letting Jesus rule in the heart of every man rather the corrupt dictators who might be variously called sensuality, greed, materialism, pride, laziness, lust, selfishness, darkness, etc. Everyone needs a regime change to Jesus. He rules righteously and justly.

The Great Kingdom of God

“For the LORD is our judge, The LORD is our lawgiver, The LORD is our king; He will save us–” Isaiah 33:22 — And this regime change (of the heart) I spoke of earlier includes — if I may use the political world as a metaphor — the judicial, legislative, and executive branches. I won’t do to choose Jesus for one but not the others. I’ve heard people say, “Jesus is Lord of my life,” but then make up their own “laws”. Or take judgment right out of the Lord’s hands: “Oh, I don’t think the Lord will condemn men for something like that!” You get the idea, don’t you? Jesus must be judge, lawgiver, and king — all of them — or He is nothing. Now that’s a regime change!

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.