Isaiah 3:8-11 (MSG) “Jerusalem’s on its last legs. Judah is soon down for the count. Everything people say and do is at cross-purposes with God, a slap in my face. Brazen in their depravity, they flaunt their sins like degenerate Sodom. Doom to their eternal souls! They’ve made their bed; now they’ll sleep in it. Reassure the righteous that their good living will pay off. But doom to the wicked! Disaster! Everything they did will be done to them.”
Observation
Apparently, Isaiah thinks things have gotten entirely out of hand. In chapter 2, Isaiah describes the situation as a world “full of hokey religion, Philistine witchcraft, and pagan hocus-pocus, a world rolling in wealth, stuffed with things, no end to its machines and gadgets and gods—gods of all sorts and sizes.” Those standing up for God in his day seem to be fewer and fewer, and their admonitions and protestations are drowned out by the noise of those rushing to fulfill their own desires, pleasures and prideful pursuits.
Isaiah says that all these pursuits that lead away from God will end in destruction not only for themselves but also the society in which they live. The devil knew then and knows now how to break God’s heart, how to hurt Him by luring His creation into self-destruction and eternal life separate from God. Some of the Enemy’s great weapons are distraction, misdirection and deception. Our Enemy says again to the rest of mankind as he did to Eve, “Surely God has not said…- surely He does not want to deny you what you know you deserve, desire or believe you have a right to have – surely He is withholding this from you so that you will not become equal to Him.” This was an outright lie, a vicious attack on God’s character and an invitation to become our own judge of what is right and wrong.
Impact on Me
So, this sounds eerily like the present with our scandalous and greedy leaders, so much division both on the street and in political arenas, upside down morality, the rights of the guilty outweighing the rights of the innocent, the dilution of Christianity by mixing in compromise in the name of mercy, defining “our own truth”, and wealth and time squandered on endless fruitless pursuits and devices. Any voice raised for righteousness, to speak for Biblical values, seems to be ridiculed and dismissed by the great majority who have been swept up in “doing what seems right in their own eyes”.
Nonetheless, our hope must rest in God’s encouragement – “Reassure the righteous that their good living will pay off”. Our day is certainly not the first time God has dealt with a faithless and Godless society and world. He knows how to shine His light in every dark circumstance. Even if we feel that our light is only a pinprick, He can use it to become a beacon of rescue for someone in that darkness. I am convinced that, as we are faithful to let His light shine in and through who we are and what we do, His light will continue to shine through us to rescue those wandering in the dark. He will amaze us with those who will emerge from the darkness into His glorious light.
Prayer
Lord of All, Father of Mercy, Light, Life and Redemption, the One Who Never Fails, never let me lose heart in Your power, anointing, and plan. Remind me that You are with me when dark circumstances arise, or people oppose me. Keep my eyes on You in the difficult situations in which I find myself, or when the Enemy whispers that these hurdles are just too high to overcome. Let me never give up on You, Your Word, Your power and ability to do all things to bring about Your will and purpose in my own life and in the world. Fill me with boldness and courage to shine Your light into the blackest darkness. In Jesus’ Name, I pray.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 