Isaiah - Verse By Verse

Scripture:  Isaiah 8:13 (NIV):  "The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread,"

Thought:  To me, remembering that God is holy is an extremely worthwhile activity.

Question:  Do I fear and dread my enemy too much?

The calling, assignment, task and great undertaking of all of God's people, no matter where or who they are, is well stated in this verse!  By implication we are not to regard anyone or anything else as more holy than God, we are not to fear anyone or anything else as much as we fear God, and we are not to dread anyone or anything else as much as we dread God.

Let us examine each of these three statements:

1) "The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy":  taken with the context of Isaiah chapter 8 we see that "the nations" are the competing interest here.  Just because a power, or enemy, has overcome you does not mean it, or they, are "holy" (pure and thoroughly good and virtuous in nature).  As Assyria comes down upon Judah with fierceness and battle skill, the people are not to bend into submission to the pressure to believe that they are holy because they have been victorious.  As Judah may be outwardly conquered the LORD is saying they should remain inwardly true only to God.  No other entity is to considered "holy"--only Jehovah, their Creator/Father.  The Assyrian gods are not holy, even if their nation becomes victorious in battle.  

2) "he is the one you are to fear":  it would be almost automatic to hold the Assyrians in respect--the kind of respect that trembles at the presence of the conqueror, but God commands otherwise.  He insists that they reserve their awesome, reverential respect only for Him--that they tremble only at the mention of His name.  How and why?  Because God is over all nations, even the Assyrians.  He is the One with Whom they (and we) have to do!

3) "he is the one you are to dread":  Webster defines "dread" as "anticipating with great fear or anxiety, being in awe of.  Having unconquerable fright, shrinking horror, terrifying anticipation, deep veneration."  We are to "fear" God; but to "dread" God, one could say, is another notch higher in intensity.  To me, the word "dread" also carries the idea of impending gloom:  we do not necessarly want to be in the presence of the one we dread.  Why not?  Because we are so much less than the dreaded One--so vile and full of fault when compared to the great One's power, purity and capability.

Through the prophet Isaiah God is instructing His children to remain in right relationship to Him, and to do so even while under the heaviest enemy attack.  That is a good principle for all Christians to remember!

Prayer:  Holy, fearful and dreadful God, I bow before You.  I ask that You help me to remain faithful in my devotion to You.  I ask that You help me to put respect and regard for the world in its proper place, that is, way underneath my respect and regard for You, oh God!  May I not at all fear or dread my enemy, but instead, look up to You as being the totally sovereign God that You are.  Amen.   

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