Isaiah 13:6-16: a reflection

6Wail, for the LORD’s day is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7Therefore all hands will be feeble, and everyone’s heart will melt. 8They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame. 9Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it. 10For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. 11I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the arrogance of the terrible. 12I will make people more rare than fine gold, even a person than the pure gold of Ophir. 13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in the LORD of Armies’ wrath, and in the day of his fierce anger. 14It will happen that like a hunted gazelle and like sheep that no one gathers, they will each turn to their own people, and will each flee to their own land. 15Everyone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. 16Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.

This is a passage about the day of the LORD, a day of reckoning coming upon a proud and evil world. And at its heart is a purpose God names plainly: I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the arrogance of the terrible. The day of the LORD would bring down human pride and arrogance; the proud who had exalted themselves would be humbled, their arrogance brought to nothing. God would humble the pride of the world.

Notice what God purposes in his day: to humble human pride and arrogance. The proud had exalted themselves, arrogant in their power and evil; but God purposed to bring their arrogance to an end, to humble the proud, to bring low those who had lifted themselves up. Human pride does not stand forever; God brings it down. The arrogance that exalts itself against God and over others will be humbled; the proud will be brought low. God opposes and humbles human pride, and will bring it to nothing in his day.

That is worth taking to heart, for it warns against pride, which God opposes and will humble. We can grow proud, exalting ourselves, arrogant in whatever we have; but God humbles human pride, bringing the arrogant low. The pride that exalts itself does not stand before God, who opposes it and will bring it down. Do not grow proud and arrogant, exalting yourself; God humbles human pride, and the arrogance that lifts itself up will be brought low. Cultivate humility rather than the pride God opposes and will humble, mindful that God brings low the arrogant and exalts the humble, as he purposed in his day to humble the arrogance of the proud; for pride does not stand before God, who humbles the proud and brings the arrogant to nothing, while the humble he lifts up.

Lord, this is a passage about the day of the LORD, a day of reckoning coming upon a proud and evil world. And at its heart is a purpose you name plainly: I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the arrogance of the terrible. The day of the LORD would bring down human pride and arrogance; the proud who had exalted themselves would be humbled. You would humble the pride of the world. Show me what you purpose in your day: to humble human pride and arrogance. The proud had exalted themselves; but you purposed to bring their arrogance to an end, to bring low those who had lifted themselves up. Human pride does not stand forever; you bring it down. The arrogance that exalts itself against you and over others will be humbled. You oppose and humble human pride. Take that to my heart, for it warns against pride, which you oppose and will humble. I can grow proud, exalting myself, arrogant in whatever I have; but you humble human pride, bringing the arrogant low. The pride that exalts itself does not stand before you. Keep me from growing proud and arrogant, exalting myself; you humble human pride, Lord. Help me cultivate humility rather than the pride you oppose and will humble, mindful that you bring low the arrogant and exalt the humble.