An Act of God vs. Human Agency
In modern legal terminology, there are events that are considered an “Act of God.” According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the definition of “Act of God” is as follows:
“An extraordinary interruption by a natural cause (such as a flood or earthquake) of the usual course of events that experience, prescience, or care cannot reasonably foresee or prevent.” – Merriam-Webster dictionary
While this definition is meant for legal purposes, it also reflects the way most people think about which events are God’s responsibility, rather than the result of decisions of people. We know that God granted human beings freedom of choice. He allows us to choose good or evil behaviors. If God stood in the way of our free-will choices, there would hardly be a basis for reward and punishment. Only because we have the freedom to choose what we do are we responsible for our actions.
Because we are aware that we have the freedom to make choices, good or evil, most people tend to see only those events that are outside the purview of human agency as governed by God. As suggested by the legal definition of “Act of God,” i.e., natural disasters that have no source in human decision.
Uniquely human weapons
For many people, even those who profess faith in God, the idea that God directly intervenes in human affairs is more difficult to accept. And this is precisely the point of our verse. Let’s read the verse carefully, paying attention to the necessity of every word. The verse begins:
No weapon formed against you shall succeed,
If the point of this phrase is to state that no attack against Israel shall succeed, the verse could have said:
No weapon against you shall succeed,
Why the addition of the word “formed”?
The second phrase in the verse is:
Every tongue that contends with you at law, you shall defeat.
Law and language are both unique to humans. By mentioning the weapons of “tongue” and “law”, this phrase describes the use of the human intellect in the context of legal argumentation as a weapon against Israel. By referring to the crafting of weapons in the first phrase, the verse calls attention to the element of human ingenuity and technology to attack Israel. Similarly, in the second phrase, the tool of attack is language, specifically legal argumentation.
God’s intervention in human affairs
The point of this verse is not merely to state that God will protect Israel from enemies. Isaiah is teaching us that God will intervene on Israel’s behalf even in those areas that appear to be fully governed by human agency. First, the verse states that even if the enemies of Israel develop the most advanced weaponry based on the most reliable human technology, their efforts will fail. Then Isaiah takes this idea a step further. Even the arguments made against Israel based solely on human intellect will not succeed. God will intervene to see to it that such arguments are not accepted and not implemented.
The relevance of this verse to our times is chilling. On one hand, Israel’s enemies are hard at work developing the most advanced weapons, designed to destroy the Jewish nation. As I write these words, Iran presses forward in their efforts to attain the nuclear ability to destroy Israel, a goal they have openly stated on many occasions. On the other hand, the enemies of Israel continue their never-ending attacks on Israel, claiming that Israel’s actions and existence are illegitimate and illegal. UN resolutions condemning Israel are a regular occurrence, and Israel is constantly under attack by those who make spurious legal arguments against us.
The State of Israel’s situation is as dangerous as ever. But our verse has the solution. God will continue to defend Israel against all weapons and attacks, whether they are attacks with the most advanced military technology, or attacks in the courts of the United Nations and the court of popular public opinion. But this doesn’t mean that we don’t need to do our part.
We must serve God
The verse concludes:
Such is the lot of the Lord’s servants, and their triumph through Me, says the Lord.
Notice that Isaiah refers to “the Lord’s servants.” He doesn’t say, “the Lord’s children,” “the Lord’s people,” or simply, “Israel.” All these options would have been standard ways for Isaiah to refer to the nation of Israel in this context. By calling Israel, “the Lord’s servants,” Isaiah makes a powerful closing point.
God will override the human agency and free will of the enemies of Israel. But the people of Israel must submit their will to God. So long as we think that we are in charge and that we control the affairs of history, we are not worthy of God’s intervention in human affairs. To be a “servant” means that one’s free will is totally submitted to his master’s. When we act as God’s servants, when we submit our will to His, we send a message to God. We say to Him, in effect, “God, it is Your will, not human will, that governs our lives.” By submitting to God in this way, we justify God’s intervention on our behalf.
God will intervene to thwart the plans of the enemies of His people, so long as His people submit to His will and serve Him.
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