Isolated and Alone… and Comfortable?

Sept. 30

Read: 18:27-31

Isolated and Alone… and Comfortable?

“And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone.” (v.28)

The people of Laish were a unique bunch. In some ways, its sounds pretty amazing the way they existed: “the people who were there, they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.” (v.18:7) I don’t know about you, but there have been plenty of times that I have dreamed of “moving off the grid” (far from others) and just living in a close knit community with my family … or “having no dealings with others.” I am sure there are ways where this would be fruitful and a blessing. Life may be easier in some ways if we simply withdrew, moved far away, and didn’t have to deal with anyone! I mean come on, see how it was described as “they lived in security…lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth.” I really do think there are ways where life would be easier and you could preserve resources and wealth if you just moved away and checked out. But there is a shadow side even to this idyllic existence.

The people of Laish, despite their riches and ease of life, were tremendously vulnerable. In the end, they were destroyed… devoured… overtaken. When trouble came, they were ALONE and “without a deliverer”. (v.28) The attributes that contributed to their ease of life also left them vulnerable and without the tools to fend off attack. This is a picture of our Christian life in so many ways. It may be tempting for us to think of withdrawing from the world… from “others”, circling the wagons in a far off place, and dealing only with those in our little “bubble”. But to be ALONE means that when trials and tribulations come we are easily overtaken without a deliverer. When we begin to withdraw from community and “have no dealings” with other people we are setting ourselves up to be ransacked and destroyed by the enemy. The other truth we see here is implied - it is that a “deliverer” comes from proximity to others and a willingness to have dealings with others as well.

As much as the people of God are called together into community, we are also called to be willing to live in proximity to others (the proverbial “Sidonians”) and be open to have “dealings” with them. This is precisely because the Lord is calling a people to himself. The Lord is drawing the outsider in. The Lord is one who moves TOWARDS… who PURSUES… not withdraws and hides. We are to be the same.

If you have found yourself physically or emotionally drawn away, living “isolated” without “dealings with” others - I want to invite you to come back! It may not always be easy… and it comes with costs… but the people of God love you and need you, and in the end it is where the “deliverer” will come from when the enemy attacks. And for the rest of us - as God’s people - we must be on the lookout for those who are withdrawn… for those who ARE under attack… for those who are alone. God will work to bring “deliverers” from the midst of us to come for those who are in the middle of being overrun and ransacked. This is how far Dan had drifted… they saw these isolated people as an easy target to run over! Satan feels the same way - he is on the hunt for the “quiet and unsuspecting” who are “far away” and “have no dealings with others”… he sees them as ripe for destruction. Even though those in Laish may have been comfortable in their isolation, they had no idea how vulnerable and dangerous they had made their existence. Sooner or later, the proverbial raiders will show up and in that moment you will wish you were CLOSER to others and had made the time and effort to engage them! Love you guys. - JDP