Isaiah 23:17-18 hooks me. I’m intrigued by how God purposes to redeem the “merchandise and wages” of a prostitute and make them “holy to the LORD.” And so, I hover over Isaiah 23 for a bit this morning. I quickly skim through a couple of commentaries. And then as I re-read the chapter, a verse pops that sends a chill down my spine.

Isaiah 23 is “An Oracle Concerning Tyre and Sidon.” Do a bit of background reading and these two cities represented economic power that beat all other economic powers of their day. Sounds like they were the Amazon of their time with widespread trade agreements throughout the ancient world and a fleet of mercantile ships able to move goods and cash in on those agreements. But though once a friend of God’s people (2Sam. 5:11, 1Ki. 5:1), eventually they showed themselves an enemy (Ezek. 26:2-3). Thus, Isaiah’s oracle. Isaiah’s oracle but God’s judgment. And it’s the “why” of God’s determination that caused me to shudder.

Who has purposed this
      against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes,
      whose traders were the honored of the earth?
The LORD of hosts has purposed it,
      to defile the pompous pride of all glory,
      to dishonor all the honored of the earth.

(Isaiah 23:8-9 ESV)

The pompous pride of all glory . . . that’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

I truly have no desire to “go political”, but the thought that flashed through my mind as I read and re-read this was, “O, the folly of MAGA.” Whatever short-term gain there might be in the pursuit of greatness and prosperity, of being at the top of the food chain when it comes to wealth and power, redemptive history shows it doesn’t end well. When pursuit of the gifts supersedes passion for the Giver of all good gifts (James 1:17) then, eventually, there’s a reckoning and God will defile the pompous pride of all glory. Literally, He will “pollute the excellency of all beauty” and “make light all the honored of earth” (YLT). Understandably, He will “bring low the pride of all glory” and “humble all who are renowned on the earth” (NIV).

Hover over Isaiah 23 and it’s clear that our God is not a catalyst for the spirit of “great again”, though He can choose to redeem it for His purposes (Isa. 23:17-18). Instead, God is a humbler of the haughty, opposed to the pompous pride of all glory.

And that’s not just an Old Testament thing.

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

(James 4:6, 1Peter 5:5 ESV)

Let us beware the platform and pursuit of greatness. Let us reject the pompous pride of all glory.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.

(1Peter 5:6 ESV)

Only by God’s grace. Only for God’s glory.