Security

Surely Isaiah is addressing rich women with time to lounge around in opulent comfort, isn't he? Yes, but the complacent women Isaiah describes are nevertheless some of God's chosen and beloved people. Instead of staying true to their covenant with God, they grew accustomed to their easy, luxurious lives and content with empty, religious rituals. Instead of finding their security in God, the strength and resources of their circumstances had sidetracked their loyalty. As a result, Isaiah used them as an example of how the people of Jerusalem had let their values become skewed, and now he had to warn them of an impending disaster.
   "In little more than a year you who feel secure will tremble" (Isaiah 32:10). Why? Because the Assyrians, the most brutal army on the planet, would soon invade their land. Their fields would be trampled, their children viciously slaughtered and the rest of the people taken into captivity. Every ounce of smugness would be shattered;every stain of security, obliterated.
   Who has the luxury to be complacent? We've got careers, kids and cleaning to manage. But Isaiah could just as easily be addressing many of us today. External things and relationships so easily distract us from finding our security outside of God. Some of us try to find security in our looks, while others are affirmation junkies-always looking for one more accolade. Some look for security in a savings account or stock portfolio, having their kids in the "best" schools or living in a safe neighborhood. They have a job, insurance, a healthy body and a healthy checking account. They vacation twice a year and drive a new car. What more could they need?
While some of us may allow these things to lull us into a false sense of security, any one of them could be gone in a moment. Beauty fades, stocks stumble, houses deteriorate and people disappoint us. Hurricanes hit, terrorists strike and cancer can be only a few multiplying cells away. The fast is there is no real security while we live on this earth. It's a frightening face, but true. God does not want us to live in fear because he promises to be with his people. But only he can provide "secure homes," "peaceful dwelling places," "fertile fields," "quietness and confidence" and "undisturbed places of rest" (Isaiah 32:15-18).
-Women's Devotional Bible

-Isaiah 31:1-3
1 What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help,
trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers
and depending on the strength of human armies
instead of looking to the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
2 In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster;
he will not change his mind.
He will rise against the wicked
and against their helpers.
3 For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God!
Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits!
When the Lord raises his fist against them,
those who help will stumble,
and those being helped will fall.
They will all fall down and die together.

-Isaiah 65:17-25
17 “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth,
and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
18 Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!
And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness.
Her people will be a source of joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and delight in my people.
And the sound of weeping and crying
will be heard in it no more.
20 “No longer will babies die when only a few days old.
No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life.
No longer will people be considered old at one hundred!
Only the cursed will die that young!
21 In those days people will live in the houses they build
and eat the fruit of their own vineyards.
22 Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses
and confiscate their vineyards.
For my people will live as long as trees,
and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains.
23 They will not work in vain,
and their children will not be doomed to misfortune.
For they are people blessed by the Lord,
and their children, too, will be blessed.
24 I will answer them before they even call to me.
While they are still talking about their needs,
I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
But the snakes will eat dust.
In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”

-Jeremiah 9:23-24
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
or the powerful boast in their power,
or the rich boast in their riches.
24 But those who wish to boast
should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
who demonstrates unfailing love
and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

-Haggai 1:3-11
3 Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai:
4 “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?
5 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!
6 You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!
7 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! 8 Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.
9 You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses.
10 It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops.
11 I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”

-Revelation 21:1-5
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”