Isaiah 20:5
5 And they shall be afraid [chathath] and ashamed [buwsh] of
Ethiopia [Kuwsh] their expectation [mabbat], and of Egypt [Mitsrayim]
their glory [tiph'arah]. KJV-Interlinear
5 "Then they shall be
dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their boast. NASB
Unrealistic
expectations and unrealistic celebrations are the hope of any and all who
disregard Gods design for the spiritual life.
If you do not follow the mandates spelled out in the Bible, then you obviously
have a better plan for your own life. The
result of your plan is guaranteed disaster and you will never know the benefits
of Gods plan.
Isaiah wrote these
words a very long time ago, and yet people then and now and throughout all of
those years in between, have disregarded the warning. The result has been many historical disasters
that we can easily read about, but there are far more personal disasters that
only those who lived their lives will know about.
You, or anyone who
reads these words, have the opportunity to have the greatest life ever, even
beyond your imagination. But you also
run the risk of imitating the Egyptians and the Ethiopians of old, as well as
the Jewish people to whom this warning was originally given.
We are given this
warning through them and we have the opportunity to learn by their
mistakes. But unfortunately most people do
not learn from history.
And that failure is due
to two things given herein. They are
unrealistic expectations, the both of them.
Ethiopia, was a vast
region beyond Egypt, out of which came gold and diamonds and many phenomenal
things that would turn anyone's head and eye.
The riches and glory of the world was out there for the taking.
Egypt was the power to drool
over. If Egypt was on your side, then
who could stand against you?
Wasn’t that something that
was at some point ascribed to God?
And yet, the people
turned not to God for their support and the strength of His arm, but they
turned to Egypt, just a country in the sand, who by the way, was drowned in
seconds way back in the exodus days of Moses.
You can look to the Bible
which is just a compilation of words and promises and use faith to lean on for
your security and destiny.
Or, you can look to the
things of this world for your pleasures and comforts and securities, things
that you can smell and touch and hold. And then which is the better?
Well, the one day that you
have to consider, is your last day of life here in this world, something that
you cannot avoid. What then? Where are your things and status then?
What you will be left
with is fear and shame.
Fear, ‘chathath,’ means
to break down, to prostrate, to surrender in confusion, discouragement.
Ashamed, ‘buwsh,’ means
confounded, disappointed, pale, embarrassment.
Your hope and dream,
all of which are based on your own stubborn views of life and never reinforced
by any objective learning, will result in your confusion, which will be short
lived, and then embarrassment.
This embarrassment is
from the sudden realization that everyone around you is looking at you, knowing what you have
done, and then you realize that what you have done was absolutely stupid, and
everyone knows it. You seem to be
finding it out last.
You could have pursued
a different life, but did not. Why is
that?
You can pursue a
different life. Will you?
