Isaiah 8:11-14 -- On Fears and Stones

"For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
Isaiah 8:11-14


There are some cool things in here. One of them is the idea that we shouldn't fear what the world fears. A "confederacy" seems like the Old Testament way of saying secret combinations or conspiracy theories... note that the scripture doesn't make a statement about whether they exist or not, but does say that we shouldn't be afraid of them... there were actual secret combinations in the Book of Mormon, so some could be real and some might be imaginary, but it comes down to the same thing--if certain ones don't exist, then there is no point in fearing them, and if they do exist, then the Lord is in charge, no matter who else is trying to manipulate events, so we still don't need to fear them. :)

I don't think the statement about letting God be our dread means that he wants us to obey out of fear or anything, but rather than all that emotion that we are pouring into our fears and anxieties we should instead pour into our relationship with God... and if we need something to fear, let's worry about losing touch with God.

I like the last part where God is a sanctuary, but *also* a stone of stumbling and a snare. In this, God isn't the one doing the changing, but we can either shelter behind the rock of his strength, or we can trip over it or get caught under it, depending on *our* actions.

Today, let's dedicate the mental energy we usually use for fear and anxiety to God, and establish some healthier emotions in that space. Let's also shelter under God's protective stone tablets/commandments rather than shattering ourselves trying to get him to change his mind and agree with us instead.