"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 Lord is the sure foundation in every time. We can quote this verse for our own lives today. Since the world was created, there has been no other sure foundation except the Lord. The Lord is the Solid Rock and, as the saying goes: "On Christ the Solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand".
The Lord is the One in whom the people should trust as the Assyrian army advances toward their gates. He will deliver them from the enemy. He will continue to deliver all who call upon His name in every age. He will dispense salvation and wisdom and knowledge. No one else can do this for us! And the key to receiving this salvation and wisdom and knowledge is to fear (reverently respect, submit ourselves to, obey) the Lord.
This treasure belongs to the children of God. But what belongs to those who place their hopes and trust and faith in other things and other people instead of in the Lord? "Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads. The treaty is broken, its witnesses are despised, no one is respected. The land dries up and wastes away, Lebanon is ashamed and withers; Sharon is like the Arabah, and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves." (Isaiah 33:7-9)
Alliances with heathen nations were forbidden to the people of God; anyone who trusts in those alliances will be ashamed because their pagan neighbors won't be of any help to them. The Assyrian army has already defeated many other tribes and nations whose people called out to false gods. How then can the worshipers of false gods be of any help to the nation of Judah? There is no god except the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is to Him alone the people are to look for help.
This is true in every generation, not just in Isaiah's generation. As I said earlier in our study of this chapter, it's not that the Lord doesn't sometimes use other people to bring us help---He does. But we aren't to look to other people for help first and we aren't to look to other people instead of God. For example, if we get a scary diagnosis from the doctor, the first place we should go is to the Great Physician and cry out to Him for help. But that doesn't mean He expects us to eschew the medical science with which He has gifted mankind. We are to acknowledge Him as the source of all healing, whether that healing comes miraculously or whether it comes through the ingredients for medicine that He has placed in this world for our benefit. We are to allow Him to guide us when seeking treatment so we will know which course to take as we navigate this troubling circumstance.
In that same way, Isaiah's people were to bring their fear of Assyria to the Lord, recognizing Him as their defender. If the Lord is on their side, no enemy can defeat them. In some cases in the Bible we find the Lord supernaturally defending His people and in other cases we find Him allowing them to fight the battles while He supplies the weaponry and the strength they need for the battles. The Lord uses various methods according to His purpose in each situation. But ultimately He is the source of every victory and we are to look to Him first for guidance and help. He will direct us. Sometimes that means sitting still and waiting to see what He will do on our behalf. Other times that means wading right into the thick of battle while He strengthens our arms for the fight. But every victory is due to Him and Him alone. The key to this awesome treasure is fearing Him, for if we fear Him we need not fear anyone else.
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