Where Do We Run When We’re Afraid? Isaiah 14:28-32
This short passage is all about temptation in a moment of vulnerability.
Ahaz is dead. The political future is uncertain. The old threat is gone, but a new one may be rising. The enemies who once trembled are now smiling. Isaiah steps into this moment and says: Don’t celebrate too soon. Don’t panic too quickly. And above all, don’t place your trust anywhere but in the Lord.
It’s a strange little oracle about Philistia, but it speaks directly to us.
We live in a time when everything feels fragile. Institutions wobble. Leaders fail. Threats loom from every direction: economic, political, cultural. In those moments, we are tempted to run toward whatever promises us protection or control. We start forming our own alliances: emotional, political, even theological. We look for the strong voices, the sharp strategies, the clever escape plans.
But Isaiah reminds us: real refuge is not found in the next alliance. It's found in the Lord who founded Zion.
This oracle ends with a single, unshakable truth:
“The LORD has founded Zion,
and in her the afflicted of his people will find refuge.” (v. 32)
That line cuts through the fear and pride in all of us. The world says, “Make a plan. Choose a side. Take control.” But God says, “Come to Me. Rest in My promises. I will keep you safe.”
The contrast is stark: the proud nations melt in fear, while the poor and afflicted quietly find pasture. Philistia boasts and schemes, but their root is doomed. The remnant, though weak, is held fast in the hand of God.
So, the question becomes painfully personal:
Where do I run when I’m afraid?
To the powerful? To people who promise safety? To party? To the tribe?
Or do I run to Zion… to the presence of God, the place of real refuge?
This passage doesn’t call us to know all the answers. It calls us to faith in a God who hasn’t moved. When the world trembles, Zion still stands, not because of its strength, but because God Himself has laid its foundation.
And that’s enough.
Ahaz is dead. The political future is uncertain. The old threat is gone, but a new one may be rising. The enemies who once trembled are now smiling. Isaiah steps into this moment and says: Don’t celebrate too soon. Don’t panic too quickly. And above all, don’t place your trust anywhere but in the Lord.
It’s a strange little oracle about Philistia, but it speaks directly to us.
We live in a time when everything feels fragile. Institutions wobble. Leaders fail. Threats loom from every direction: economic, political, cultural. In those moments, we are tempted to run toward whatever promises us protection or control. We start forming our own alliances: emotional, political, even theological. We look for the strong voices, the sharp strategies, the clever escape plans.
But Isaiah reminds us: real refuge is not found in the next alliance. It's found in the Lord who founded Zion.
This oracle ends with a single, unshakable truth:
“The LORD has founded Zion,
and in her the afflicted of his people will find refuge.” (v. 32)
That line cuts through the fear and pride in all of us. The world says, “Make a plan. Choose a side. Take control.” But God says, “Come to Me. Rest in My promises. I will keep you safe.”
The contrast is stark: the proud nations melt in fear, while the poor and afflicted quietly find pasture. Philistia boasts and schemes, but their root is doomed. The remnant, though weak, is held fast in the hand of God.
So, the question becomes painfully personal:
Where do I run when I’m afraid?
To the powerful? To people who promise safety? To party? To the tribe?
Or do I run to Zion… to the presence of God, the place of real refuge?
This passage doesn’t call us to know all the answers. It calls us to faith in a God who hasn’t moved. When the world trembles, Zion still stands, not because of its strength, but because God Himself has laid its foundation.
And that’s enough.
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