"For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isa. 30.15 NRSV).

Only those who have committed themselves in trust to God realise the truth of this statement, "Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure" (TEV). In confidence is strength, in returning and rest is salvation. It is upon this and similar promises that the Lord's people rely in these days of stress and turmoil.

Strength today is measured in a very different manner. Calm, quiet confidence and rest in God is not considered as strength and finds no place in unregenerate hearts. It was ever thus, for in Isaiah the next verse has the reply Israel of old made to this wise counsel from God, "But you refused, and said, No, we will flee upon horses". They preferred their own way to the way of God, and God's answer to them was, "therefore you shall flee".

The horse in Old Testament usage is a counterpart of modern aircraft, missiles, mortars and armoured vehicles. It meant confidence and strength. Egypt was distinguished for producing fine horses and the Egyptians used them much in war. God had forbidden the kings of Israel to multiply horses (Deut.17.16) and in prohibiting them He designed to distinguish his people from the Egyptians. It was not his purpose for them to rely upon horses for strength and deliverance but to rely solely upon their God, who had promised them victory over their enemies on conditions of faithfulness to him. Psalm 20.7 says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God".

In spite of God's warning through Moses in Deut.17.16 to those who would afterward become the kings of Israel, we find Solomon violated this instruction, for 1 Kings 10.26 says, "Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen". He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and verse 28 says that Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt. This course finally led to Solomon's downfall and the downfall of his kingdom, as shown in the next chapter (1 Kings 11. 9-12).

Among heathen nations the horse was dedicated to the sun and driven in processions at festivals of sun worship. The ancient Persians, who were sun worshippers, dedicated white horses and chariots to the sun. The sun was supposed to be drawn daily in a chariot by four wondrous coursers. That even Israel had become contaminated by this particular type of idolatry is shown by 2 Kings 23. 11, for Josiah, in instituting his reformation, took away the horses that the Kings of Judah had given to the sun and burned the chariots of the sun with fire. In view of this we can well understand the fitting rebuke of Isa.2.7. "Their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols, they bow down to the work of their own hands, to what their own fingers have made."

Isa.30.16 continues, "We will ride upon swift steeds— therefore your pursuers shall be swift." Alas that men should rely upon what is 'swift', as Israel in Isaiah's day. Their pursuers have access to the same 'swift', whatever it be, whether the horses of the ancients or their modern counterparts, and it is still necessary for the Lord (as in verse 18) to "wait to be gracious".

Yet as we continue reading this passage our hearts rejoice. In verse 19 and 20, "Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.". We can apply this to ourselves in our day, the word behind us says "This is the way, walk in it." Soon, when God says with authority, "Stand still, and know that I am God", mankind will no longer need to trust in 'horses', but will in "quietness and confidence" wait for the word of God.

TH