Delusions God Would Choose in Isaiah 66:4 Exegesis
As we delve into the rich tapestry of Isaiah 66:4, we find ourselves in the midst of a poignant conversation between the Lord and His people. The verse speaks of a people who have chosen to follow after their own desires, rather than the gentle whispers of their Heavenly Father. The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, declares that He will choose their delusions, allowing them to pursue the very things that will ultimately lead to their downfall. This is a stark reminder that our choices have consequences, and when we refuse to heed the counsel of the Lord, we open ourselves up to the snares of our own making, as the apostle Paul so eloquently puts it in Romans 1:24-25, where God gives us over to the desires of our hearts.
In this context, the delusions God would choose for them are the very things they have set their hearts on, the idols and false gods they have elevated above the one true God. As the Lord says in Isaiah 66:4, "I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them." This is not a cruel act on God's part, but rather a sovereign and just one, for as the Psalmist writes in Psalm 81:12, "So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices." When we stubbornly refuse to listen to the Lord's gentle voice, He may indeed give us over to our own desires, allowing us to reap the whirlwind of our own making, as the prophet Hosea so graphically illustrates in Hosea 8:7.
And yet, even in the midst of such judgment, there is a glimmer of hope, for as the Lord says in Isaiah 66:2, "But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word." Here we see the heart of our gracious God, who looks upon the humble and contrite, those who tremble at His word, and who promises to bring them comfort and restoration, as He so beautifully promises in Isaiah 66:13, "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you." May we, as the people of God, learn to tremble at His word, and to seek His face with humble and contrite hearts, that we might avoid the delusions of our own making, and instead, find solace in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father.