Isaiah 17 Devotional

Forgetting the God Who Saves

“For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge. Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out cuttings from exotic vines—”Isaiah 17:10 (BSB)

Damascus becomes a heap of ruins, and Israel's northern kingdom fades like a field after harvest, with only a few olives left at the top of a beaten tree (17:1-6). The reason is stated directly. The people forgot the God who saved them and lost sight of their protector, so their careful planting ends in a failed harvest (17:10-11).

Yet even here there is a turn. In that day people will turn to their Maker, the Holy One of Israel, no longer trusting altars made with their own hands (17:7-8). The gleanings show God is not finished with his people. The chapter closes with the nations roaring like crashing waters against God's people. He rebukes them, and they are blown away like chaff and tumbleweeds, gone by morning (17:12-14). The forces that sound loudest are not the strongest. Forgetting God is easiest when life is busy and fruitful, so remembering him as your refuge matters on ordinary days, not only in a crisis.

To think about: In the busy, productive parts of your life, what helps you remember the God who saves you?