Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
and rely on your God.
Have you ever read Isaiah 50 in its entirety? If not, I encourage you to read it, so you fully understand what the LORD is telling us in this verse.
In verse 10, the LORD is speaking directly to His people. He is laying down a challenge: Fear Him, Obey Him, Trust Him, Rely on Him.
Fear - We've already learned this word, fear, is from a primitive root in Hebrew, יָרֵא yârêʼ, yaw-ray, which means to stand in awe of; fear, reverence, respect, honor.
Obey - שָׁמַע shâma is the Hebrew word for obey. It means to hear intelligently, or to listen with heed.
Trust - in this verse, the Hebrew primitive root, בָּטַח bâṭach is used. It means to have confidence, be bold, be secure.
Rely - שָׁעַן shâʻan, is Hebrew for to lean upon, rest upon. Metaphorically, it means to repose confidently.
Not only are these words a challenge, they are a command. The LORD wants us to revere Him above all else. (Fear) When we do that, we will carefully listen to what He says and take heed. (Obey) Those two commands are the catalysts for the next two challenges. It is only then we can be bold in following the path He has set for us. (TRUST) We will be secure in knowing we can lean upon Him (RELY) when life gets tough; and can rest easy because He is with us every step of the way.
Sounds simple enough, yet we muddle it all up by relying on ourselves or becoming impatient to wait on His timing. That is why He also challenges us to walk in the Light.
HE is the LIGHT.
HIS WORD is the LIGHT.
The time for darkness is past. Today is a fresh start. Now is here. Take that step toward His Light and illuminate your spirit. You will find what you've been seeking.
How will you rely on Him today?
