In Isaiah 17, continuing a series of condemning prophecies, Isaiah is foretelling the destruction of Damascus (fulfilled by Assyria in 732 B.C.). In the midst of the prophesied destruction, a remnant from Israel returns to God, repenting of their waywardness and idolatry. Speaking of this remnant, Isaiah states:
“In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense.”
While we all face daily difficulties and trials that require those whom God calls to draw near to Himself in increasing ways, there will come a day when not merely the foundations of our lives, but the foundations of the world itself are shaken by God’s doing. In that day, to whom will we turn? The remnant of Israel were utterly desperate. They knew in Whom their hope was fixed. They could not rely on military might nor strong political leaders. No religious articles of their day – the Asherim – could save them! Not even the Old Covenant elements established by God as a means of engaging with Him – the altars and altars of incense – could save them when the sky started to fall on them.
Some day the sky is going to fall again. While opinions and preferences and styles vary within God’s church, those who know their God will know where to fix their eyes when the ground begins to shake. The earthly elements that populate our spiritual practices – the church buildings, sound systems, and stage lights; the books, journals, apps, and audio sermons – may all aid us in our journey, so long as they serve as a true and untainting window to the God beyond them, not a mosaic to merely entertain us or make us feel self-righteous. In that day, fix your eyes on your Maker, the Holy One of Israel, in whose hands you are safe and loved, no matter what gives way around you.