The key to life

I love verses 5-6 in this chapter.

The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. 

He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. (Isaiah 33:5-6)

The Israelites were in trouble.  Their treaties with Egypt and with other nations had failed.  Assyria was coming, and everything was falling apart. 

But in the midst of this, the Lord says, “I am above all things.  I am above all the powers of the earth.  And I will be a sure foundation for you.  I provide salvation, wisdom and knowledge for your life.  Not only that, I’m a rich store of all these things.”

What unlocks the box that holds this treasure?  One key:  the fear of the Lord.  To honor and respect him above all things. 

To know that compared to him, we are nothing, and that he has the power to wipe us all out with a single word. 

But though we always keep that in mind ,we also remember that he is a God of love and mercy to those who humble themselves before him.

And so God says,

You who are far away, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my power!  (Isaiah 33:13)

For many people, to come face to face with God is a frightening thing.  In verse 14, it says,

The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless.

As a result, they cry out,

“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”

But God answers, “Anyone can do so.”

[Anyone] who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil.  (15)

To these, God says,

This is the man who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. 

His bread will be supplied, and water will not fail him.   Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar.  (16-17)

And as we do that, we’ll look back at all we feared and see that all of them have been swept away.  And our lives will be

a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. (20)

And,

the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.  (24)

What do you fear?  There are many things that people fear in life.  But the truth is, if we fear God, we need not fear anything else in life. 

As Isaiah said,

The Lord will be our Mighty One…the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.  (21-22)

Let us take the key to life God has given us, and fear him. 
As we do, we’ll have everything we need to not only survive, but to prosper in life.