Isaiah 8:10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.
Talk to any evangelist and he will tell you all about the people he has talked to. I am an evangelist and I meet a lot of fascinating people. I have heard the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I have heard a large number of conspiracies in my day. I’ve heard conspiracies about Egypt, the Illuminati, Abraham Lincoln, about the fact that Jimmy Hoffa, Elvis, and Amelia Earhart are all living on an island somewhere.
I have heard all the conspiracies, and maybe you have as well. Maybe you have an Uncle Merv who every Thanksgiving gives you the new conspiracies. Maybe you tend to be that way, as if you need to make up a story when truth is stranger than fiction as it is. To be sure, when we talk about conspiracy in America, usually we are kind of impugning the idea to begin with, as if saying, “Well, that is just a conspiracy.” The fact is that there are conspiracies.
We talked the other day from Isaiah 7 about how important allies can be and the fact that an ally is not necessarily a friend. God’s focus has not changed. It is still upon this combination of countries. One half of Israel and Syria were trying to conquer Judah, the other part of Israel. It was a conspiracy, mischief secretly hatched by allies. The truth is that it was not totally secret, and not every conspiracy is as secret as you might think. The response of God through Isaiah is in verse 10, “Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.” I love that! I think it is in the psalms where is says, “For God is for us.”
Then, in verse 11 it says, “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.” In other words, don’t run around like a chicken with its head cut off. Verse 12 says, “Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy: neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.” Don’t fear the conspiracy; fear God.
Verse 13 says, “Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself.” The “LORD of hosts” is a reference to God as the leader of a fearful army. It continues, “And let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” The point is that you need not fear conspiracies when you fear God. If you are fearing the highest thing, what else is there to fear? Conspiracies can be global or even in your office or classroom. In your home there could be whispering, plotting, and conspiring. Conspiracy means “breathing together.” It is symbiotic; you are living, breathing, thinking, and plotting together for some ill end.
Now, you need not fear conspiracies when you fear God for two reasons. First, nothing is a mystery to God. He knows the beginning from the end. Oftentimes in the book of Isaiah something is expressed in present tense that had not yet happened. In other words, it is something so certain that it is just as certain as if it were already history. Friend, half of what makes a conspiracy nerve-wracking is that you don’t know the truth or the facts. But, there is nothing that is a mystery to God. The future is a mystery to me, but nothing is a mystery to God.
Second, God is greater. He is greater than my problems, my people, and the conspiracies of those against me. Verse 14 says, “And he [God] shall be for a sanctuary.” He goes on to say God can also be a stone of stumbling. God can either be your protection or a millstone that can grind you to powder. God is fearful and fearsome. This God knows us, loves us, and is with us.
Verse 10 says, “For God is with us.” Verse 8 it makes reference to Immanuel as it does in Isaiah 7:14. This was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, God in a body, God the Son. Jesus may not be physically with you today, but He is literally with you in the person of the Holy Spirit.
So, let conspiracies come and wars go. When you fear God, you need not fear conspiracy in the macro or micro, on the world stage or in your own house. God knows and loves you. He knows the beginning from the end and is greater than all.