Isaiah on Following Leaders Who Don't Follow Christ
Trusting Their Own Unfaithful Leaders
The people even trusted, in the wrong way, the good gifts that God gave them - their own leaders, for instance. When the leaders' plans differed from God's plans, the people should have demonstrated whom they truly trusted by refusing to follow their leaders into disobedience (see Isaiah 3:1-3, 14). But they didn't; they followed their leaders.
Admittedly, such opportunities to prove where our ultimate allegiance lies come subtly & surprisingly. Yet, these occasions do help us discern whether we are rightly trusting or wrongly trusting the leader God has provided. Whenever God's appointed leaders takes the people of God away from God's ways, we must not follow him. Our primary allegiance must remain with God.
Ahaz was one king in a line of kings installed by God. Yet he forsook God. And the people followed him. How could they have known better? They should have known better by hearing the Word of God. Had their hearts & hopes been trained on what God had revealed about himself in his Word, had they trusted in God & hoped in him as their protection, they would not have been led astray.
- Dr. Mark Dever, Promises Kept: The Message of the Old Testament, pp 574 (from the chapter The Message of Isaiah: Messiah)
The people even trusted, in the wrong way, the good gifts that God gave them - their own leaders, for instance. When the leaders' plans differed from God's plans, the people should have demonstrated whom they truly trusted by refusing to follow their leaders into disobedience (see Isaiah 3:1-3, 14). But they didn't; they followed their leaders.
Admittedly, such opportunities to prove where our ultimate allegiance lies come subtly & surprisingly. Yet, these occasions do help us discern whether we are rightly trusting or wrongly trusting the leader God has provided. Whenever God's appointed leaders takes the people of God away from God's ways, we must not follow him. Our primary allegiance must remain with God.
Ahaz was one king in a line of kings installed by God. Yet he forsook God. And the people followed him. How could they have known better? They should have known better by hearing the Word of God. Had their hearts & hopes been trained on what God had revealed about himself in his Word, had they trusted in God & hoped in him as their protection, they would not have been led astray.
- Dr. Mark Dever, Promises Kept: The Message of the Old Testament, pp 574 (from the chapter The Message of Isaiah: Messiah)
