“A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be delivered by great strength. The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power.” (Psalm 33:16-17)
This morning as I was reading the Bible, I felt the Lord stir my heart to share from the above verses today.
We are living in very uncertain times with the current Coronavirus becoming a pandemic and spreading to so many countries. Italy, despite having the second-best health care facility in the world has become crippled by this sickness. China, despite being a rapidly growing economic super power, has succumbed to this deadly virus and with its efforts to contain this disease, this country has suffered huge economic loss.
The entire world is coming to the point of realization that their security in their health care system, in their economic prowess, in their wealth, in their number of scientific progress etc comes to nothing!! With just one mighty blow from a sickness spreading like wildfire, the entire world is shaken and scrambling to work together to bring the situation under control.
There are a few things the Bible warns us about that give us a false sense of security. These are the very things the world goes after and takes pride in. Yet in the Bible, God warns us not to go after these.
Now what are these things that the world goes after which only offer a false sense of security?
- Trusting in size: The world puts trust in size. The more power and military strength a nation has, the more it is feared and revered. Not so in God’s eyes! The Bible says that a king is not saved by a large army. Size does not matter. The great army of Pharaoh that followed after the Israelites with the most elite soldiers and the best of horses and chariots were a terrifying sight to the Israelites in the wilderness. But they were no match to the power of God! God miraculously parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could cross over on dry land. But as the Egyptian army followed them into the Red Sea bed, God threw them into confusion and the entire army of Pharaoh drowned in the Red Sea- not one man survived!!
- Trusting in power and position: Those who do not know God trust in power and position. They revere those with power and position. They desire for power and position themselves. The bible, however, states in Psalm 118:9: It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
- Trusting in money and wealth: 1 John 2:16 says, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” Those in the world run after amassing material possessions and after making a name for themselves. The Bible clearly warns us that this attitude is not from God. In Matthew 6:24, God clearly says that we cannot serve both God and money. Either of these can only be our master. We will also hate/ despise one of these and love/ be devoted to the other. Now consider this: if you are devoted to gaining more money, are enthusiastic about it, spend every waking hour hatching up plans to do this, you may very well subconsciously end up making money your idol. You can then fall into the trap of making money such that you end up hating and despising God and the things of God. The Bible uses very strong words here: hate and despise. These are very strong emotions at play.
1 Timothy 6:17 says, “Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited (proud, arrogant) and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.”
- Trusting in human strength: A warrior will not be delivered by great strength. No matter how strong you are, how many weights you have trained with, how many fitness programs you take part in, there will come a time in life when you realize that the strength you now have will not save you. The horse is a symbol of strength and power in the Bible. In fact, the “horse” is symbolic of “trusting in human strength”. In Psalm 147: 10, we read, “He (God) is not impressed by the strength of a horse; He does not value the power of a man.” As believers we ought to acknowledge God’s greatness and our limitedness.
- Trusting in our own strength: I am reminded of the story of David and Goliath. Goliath was a giant of a man, a trained warrior with warrior genes from a family of warriors and giants. He was no match for anyone in the army of Israel. Until David, a small shepherd boy defied him. David was able to challenge this giant not because of the experience he had slaying bears and lions as a shepherd. No, he does not simply state his past experience as reasons to succeed. He challenges Goliath because he knew that it was God who gave him victory over the bears and lions. It was not his own size (for he was much smaller in size!) In 1 Samuel 17:45 we read, “But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
We learn a valuable lesson from the life of David to not allow past victories to dictate our future successes. We need to realize that it is God who brings the victory. Not our own efforts or strength.
- Trusting in our own accomplishments: When we trust our own accomplishments, it leads to pride and pride leads to a downfall. Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God is at work in us and doing the things we accomplish- it does not come from our own strength!! Paul in Philippians 4:8 talks in this manner about his accomplishments: “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ”
- Trusting in human wisdom: Ecclesiastes 2:26 says, “To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.” Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”
All the above things will not save us. They will not deliver us. They provide a false hope of security. They provide no escape. It is during times such as the current coronavirus pandemic or an economic collapse that we realize the weight of this truth.
I’d like for us to reflect on and meditate upon the following scriptures:
Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. …
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.
Nehemiah 8:10 Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Isaiah 40:31 says, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Psalm 147:11 says, “The Lord values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love.”
Psalm 33:18-20 says, “Now the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him- those who depend on His faithful love to deliver them from death and to keep them alive in famine.
Every one of these verses point us to God! He is our refuge and strength. His Name is a strong tower. His joy is our strength. We can be strong in Him. He gives us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. He gives us power when we wait on Him. He values those that fear Him. His faithful love will deliver us from death and keep us alive in times of famine.
God is at the beginning and end of everything in this life. When we focus on Him and show our dependence on Him, we experience deep joy and hope even during turbulent times as now.
When we spend lesser time with God, lesser time seeking Him in prayer and reflecting on His Word, we become more dependent on the information the world offers and like the world, we are then in the danger of having a false sense of security. Today I believe the Lord is calling us back to Him. To become fully reliant and fully devoted to Him. To be on fire to do what He purposes for us. To be hungry and thirsty for His Word.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father you are calling us back to You, our first love. Forgive us that we have drifted away to other things that caught our attention and have unconsciously become our focus now. Help us to draw back to You: body, soul and spirit. Help us to relinquish our false sense of security in the temporary things of this world. Keep our eyes on You Jesus and help us to finish this race in life with our focus solely on You. In Jesus’ Name, amen