Isaiah 33:5-6 NIV
[5] “The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness. [6] 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.”

What a promise in the environment of the chaos and confusion of 9ut times!

The prophet had a message for his people. Their waywardness, their stubborn refusal to turn from their idols to serve their God, was costing them dearly. This promise, this hope, was given to them in the context of betrayal and destruction, the inevitable price of disobedience.

The prophet uttered a prayer to the Lord in his distress…

Isaiah 33:2 NIV
[2] “Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.”

…and God answered!

God had an abundant supply of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge for all. Their suffering was unnecessary if they only met His condition for receiving His provision. God was still, and would always be their God, ruling in Zion, the seat of His government on earth. His resources for a peaceful life were available to everyone who would fulfil one condition.

Are we not, also, in our day, caught up in betrayal and disaster? Look at our situation.

Three decades ago, our nation rejoiced at the turn of the tide. The promise of freedom drew millions of previously disenfranchised people to vote for a new government and a new dispensation. The hope of “a better life for all” brought great rejoicing and new energy to the nation.

What has happened since that momentous event? The gradual implementation of a sinister ideology, not reflected in the initial changes in our land, has turned the tide again. The beginnings of a new regime were promising. The icon leader at the helm steered the nation towards forgiveness for past evils and a new philosophy of hard work and prosperity for all the people.

However, the promised beginning began to erode with the passing of time, with new leaders and, with them a new, undeclared philosophy…the enrichment of the few at the expense of the many. This madness has driven the cream of our people to seek prosperity elsewhere, losing what little is left of our taxpayer base and bringing our land to near bunkruptcy.

Absolute power and, with it, absolute corruption, has become the norm. Power, without a benevolent purpose, has dragged our nation into poverty, distress, and hopelessness.

Where can we go from here? To whom can we turn for relief from the monster that rules over us? The threads of corruption have become so entangled that they are a strangling network over the whole of society, releasing a tsunami of criminals on the rest of us. Our wealthy rulers sit safely in their ivory towers, pour scorn on the faceless poor, and devise new ways of squeezing what is left of our meagre resources out of our pockets to top up their “feeding troughs”.

The same message that came to Isaiah in his distress, comes to us in the moment of our crisis. There is hope for us in our times as there was for God’s people if we turn from our persistent trust in dumb idols to faith in the living God.

What can confidence in sangomas, witchdoctors, and dead ancestors do to restore hope and prosperity to a dying nation? Can rituals, incantations, and animal (or even human) sacrifices make an iota of difference to the situation except to drag us deeper into the clutches of demonic powers? Can the murder of innocent people of another skin colour bring back hope and prosperity? Can the redistribution of land correct past wrongs or fill the bellies of hungry people? Can idealistic ideologies, with no shred of evidence that they have ever worked in practice, make any difference for the better of this “rainbow” nation?

There is only one glimmer of hope in our darkness… no, more than a glimmer, a beam of light to guide us away from destruction and towards restoration…

… the Lord God Himself…

“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.”

One promise, one solution, one condition! As with Israel of old, God holds out the olive branch to everyone who meets His condition. “The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”

There is a treasure store of promises, an “Aladdin’s cave” of solutions to our plight in the mouth of God. As the centurion requested of Jesus, “Just say the word…”, so, locked up in the heart of God are the words that can turn our situation right about face.

Only one huge obstacle stands between the people of our land and a new dispensation of peace and prosperity…their stubborn hearts of unbelief! Among us are some who trust in God but many who have no use for Him and His holy standards. They prefer to despise or ignore Him on favour of dead ancestors or human traffickers with the devil.

Paul’s diagnosis of the cause of the evils in our land is as relevant now as it was in his day.

Romans 3:10-18 NIV
[10] “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; [11] there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. [12] All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” [13] “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” [14] “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” [15] “Their feet are swift to shed blood; [16] ruin and misery mark their ways, [17] and the way of peace they do not know.” [18] “There is NO FEAR OF GOD before their eyes.”

“The fear of God”…what is it? In very simple terms, to fear the Lord is to take Him and His Word seriously. This means that we ragard Him with awe, honour, and respect for His person and we live in obedience to His Word.

Is this too much to ask for a solution to a country in crisis?

God’s mercy to those who fear Him is as immeasurable as the heavens above.

Psalms 103:10-12 NIV
[10]… “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. [11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; [12] as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

His forgiveness is secured in the death of His Son, the only human sacrifice that can take away sin.

Is it too much to ask that the people of this nation turn from their dumb idols, take the only true God seriously, believe His promise, and tap into His treasures? The results will be out of this world…

Salvation…a divine intervention, a supernatural rescue from the mess we have made, a turnaround from ruin to restoration. Transformation, yes, but not to fulfil the dreams of the greedy, from functional to dysfunction at the hands of unscrupulous people, as the human plan appears to be.

Wisdom…not human foolishness masquerading as wisdom.

James 3:13-16 NIV
[13] “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. [14] But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. [15] Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. [16] For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”

Real, godly wisdom that bears its own fruit.

James 3:17-18 NIV
[17] “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. [18] Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Understanding…the end result of wisdom. Aah! The ability to “see”, to recognise the outcome of divine versus human wisdom.

All these promises are freely available to all of us, individually and as a nation, if we would only fulfil the one condition that opens the door to the superabundant supply of God’s wisdom. “The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”