SUMMARY
God called the people to return and rest in the certainty of God’s promise of salvationSalvation can mean saved from something (deliverance) or for something (redemption). Paul preached that salvation comes through the death of Christ on the cross which redeemed sinners from death and for a grace-filled life., but they refused, which results in their destruction.
ANALYSIS
A common theme in the Old Testament is that Israel’s safety and salvation rest in God, not in military power or foreign alliances. God does not delight in the strength of horses, but in those who hope in God’s steadfast loveThe steadfast love (hesed) of God is the assurance of God's loving kindness, faithfulness, and mercy. This assurance rings throughout the Old Testament, and is affirmed more than 120 times in the Psalms. In some hymns of praise the response of the people was likely... (PsalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. 147:10-11); similarly, faithful Israel takes pride in God, not in horses and chariots (Psalm 20:7).
But Israel frequently forgets or refuses to rely on God’s promise. When they do, they bring judgment upon themselves, as in this text. The horses they wanted for war will now serve only for their retreat before the enemy (see IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. 31:1-3; Psalm 33:17).
In Isaiah’s time, the prophet warned against an alliance with Assyria, observing that it would only bring disaster–and Isaiah’s word proved correct.
Throughout the Bible, true strength is found in weakness rather than in human power (1 Corinthians 1:25; 2 Corinthians 12:9)–and this has always been a difficult lesson for God’s people to accept. The biblical promise of strength in weakness may or may not have anything to do with the foreign policy of a particular nation once God’s people no longer live as a defined nation-state as they did in the Old Testament. Still, the recognition that God calls for faithful reliance on God’s promises rather than self-help salvation will always be a significant message for believers to keep alive in all human affairs.
