Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

¹ See now, the Lord,
the LORD Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
both supply and support:
all supplies of food and all supplies of water,

² the hero and warrior,
the judge and prophet,
the soothsayer and elder,

³ the captain of fifty and man of rank,
the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.

⁴ I will make boys their officials;
mere children will govern them.

⁵ People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbor against neighbor.
The young will rise up against the old,
the base against the honorable.

⁶ A man will seize one of his brothers
at his father’s home, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
take charge of this heap of ruins!”

⁷ But in that day he will cry out,
“I have no remedy.
I have no food or clothing in my house;
do not make me the leader of the people.”

Topsy Turvy

We are still looking at the judgment upon Israel for their sins – get used to it, because Isaiah is a book of rebuke, and contains quite a bit of judgment!

Here, we see that God’s judgment includes a kind of reversing of orders, that those who naturally have authority will lose it, and instead, the young will rule over them.  Now, in our modern culture of youth empowerment (and idolatry), this sounds like a good thing: taking the power from these rich old farts and putting it into the hands of the young!  Like something you would see in a Pepsi ad… most people would wonder what the problem is!

But this is NOT a positive thing, and not meant as a good development.  Older people are supposed to be in authority because their experience has taught them lessons that mere exuberance and idealism cannot impart.  It is the way that God has intended things to be.  But because our world scoffs at this wisdom, the young rarely respect the old, and the old rarely understand their responsibility to train the young, and both are the worse for it.

The world has a way of doing this, reversing God’s wisdom and replacing it with its latest fashionable (and changable) morality.  And it has a way of making it sound so plausible so that we feel foolish for feeling any other way.  Be wary of this, and resist it.  Trust what God has said, what he has taught, and remember that the reason we don’t trust the wisdom of the world, no matter how plausible, is because “the world” is made up of a bunch of sinful and foolish people who are so short-lived, and have no idea what they’re doing while they’re here.

Questions

1. What is one issue or situation where you see a conflict between what the world feels is right, and what God feels is right?

2. What makes the world’s position on this issue so convincing to you?

3. What wisdom do you see in the way that God views that situation or issue?

4. Living out our biblical convictions gracefully is very hard – what helps us balance these in our lives?

The Day of the Lord

⁶ You have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination like the Philistines
and clasp hands with pagans.

⁷ Their land is full of silver and gold;
there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
there is no end to their chariots.

⁸ Their land is full of idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their fingers have made.

⁹ So man will be brought low
and mankind humbled—
do not forgive them.

¹⁰ Go into the rocks,
hide in the ground
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty!

¹¹ The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled
and the pride of men brought low;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

¹² The LORD Almighty has a day in store
for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled),

¹³ for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,
and all the oaks of Bashan,

¹⁴ for all the towering mountains
and all the high hills,

¹⁵ for every lofty tower
and every fortified wall,

¹⁶ for every trading ship
and every stately vessel.

¹⁷ The arrogance of man will be brought low
and the pride of men humbled;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

¹⁸ and the idols will totally disappear.

¹⁹ Men will flee to caves in the rocks
and to holes in the ground
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

²⁰ In that day men will throw away
to the rodents and bats
their idols of silver and idols of gold,
which they made to worship.

²¹ They will flee to caverns in the rocks
and to the overhanging crags
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

²² Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?

The Splendor of His Majesty

Just one more note about this passage before we move on.  We read here how calamity and retribution will fall on the arrogant and the proud.  But as stereotypically common as this appears, there is one very notable aspect to this retribution: it says that men will run to caves and holes in the ground “from dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty.”

This highlights a very simple fact, that God is awesome and terribly holy.  I don’t use that word “terribly” in a negative way, but instead to underscore how fearful his presence would be.  You read this over and over again in Scripture, with Moses meeting God, later in Isaiah’s encounter with God, some of the disciples’ reactions when they catch a glimpse of the fullness of Christ.  God’s presence, in its unadulterated and revealed form, would make us fall down in fear, even ask for death.

But it doesn’t.

Intead, many of us conceive of God’s presence as a warm, safe place that we are invited to, like the Jesus we see in the gospels, wrapping his arms around the shoulders of children, and dining with those considered sinners.  What happened here?  Which conception is correct, the holy and terrible God, or the warm arms of our Father God?

They both are.  I know that sounds crazy, but it’s not.  And the reason it is possible, why it is not a logical impossibility, is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  When Christ died and took our sins, our state changed – when the eyes of God look over us, He no longer sees a sinner, but someone washed clean by incredibly precious blood.  He sees people who have paid their debt (or had their debt paid by another), and so…he sees his children.

So this passage serves as a dual revelation: yes, the incredible holiness of the presence of God, something that we overlook all too often.  But also the fundamental transformation that occurred with Jesus’ ministry on the cross, that wrath was turned into acceptance.  So much changed after those three days.

Questions

1. Why is it important to still remember God’s terrible holiness and splendor?  What positive effects could that have?

2. When you think about God, and how he views you, which do you tend to focus on more, his holiness or his acceptance?  Why?

3. It is good to strive for a type of balance in our conception of God, his holy character, and his divine mercy.  How can we balance these two understandings?

The Day of the Lord

⁶ You have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination like the Philistines
and clasp hands with pagans.

⁷ Their land is full of silver and gold;
there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
there is no end to their chariots.

⁸ Their land is full of idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their fingers have made.

⁹ So man will be brought low
and mankind humbled—
do not forgive them.

¹⁰ Go into the rocks,
hide in the ground
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty!

¹¹ The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled
and the pride of men brought low;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

¹² The LORD Almighty has a day in store
for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled),

¹³ for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,
and all the oaks of Bashan,

¹⁴ for all the towering mountains
and all the high hills,

¹⁵ for every lofty tower
and every fortified wall,

¹⁶ for every trading ship
and every stately vessel.

¹⁷ The arrogance of man will be brought low
and the pride of men humbled;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

¹⁸ and the idols will totally disappear.

¹⁹ Men will flee to caves in the rocks
and to holes in the ground
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

²⁰ In that day men will throw away
to the rodents and bats
their idols of silver and idols of gold,
which they made to worship.

²¹ They will flee to caverns in the rocks
and to the overhanging crags
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

²² Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?

Are You Talking To Me?

Again, we are confronted with a harsh prophecy given by Isaiah.  And as before, we have to be careful when we read about prophecy and its meaning.  There is the immediate meaning to the Israelites at that time, that they would be completely overrun and placed into captivity, and Isaiah could be alluding to that event.  But at the same time, this prophecy also seems to about the end of times, as many of the circumstances are similar to what John describes in Revelation.  So Isaiah seems to be talking about the immediate future, and the distant future at the same time.

But again, it would be a disservice if we just thought this passage applied to these two context, because it also applies to us.  We are not so different from Israel – it’s just that our idols are more modern, and we need to take some time to contextualize what Isaiah talks about.  Take some time to reflect on these symbols in your own context and life:

1. Superstitions, Divinations – are there things that you believe about luck, or fate?  Wisdom or habits that we pick up from our culture (like movies or TV) rather than from Scripture?  The power of romantic True Love?

2. Silver, Gold, and Treasures – what makes you “rich”?  Your money, or possessions?

3. Horses and Chariots – horses and chariots were machines of war for that time, symbols of military power – what makes you feel powerful and dominant?  Your position?  Your degree?

4. Work of their Hands – what do you take pride in?  Who gets glory out of that task or job, you or God?

When we take some time to look at these symbols, we realize that we are not much different, that we have these exact same idols in our midst.And if this is true, that we are living in idolatry, we should be very careful of the consequences, that it will be a day of catastrophe…

The Mountain of the Lord

¹ This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

² In the last days
the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.

³ Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

⁴ He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

⁵ Come, O house of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Bible Peace

The book of Isaiah is a book of prophecy, which can be very confusing.  Most of us think about prophecy in the sense of predicting the future, and there is that aspect to it.  But it is also descriptive, as prophets also revealed the true state of the nation of Israel to its people.  So when you read prophecy, it is important to keep two time scales in mind: the future, but the present as well.

And this is helpful as we read this passage.  Isaiah clearly states that this is a prophecy about the future, that in the “last days”, God will establish his authority and his peace.  This is a good reminder that eternal and final peace is a work of God alone, something that will only be fully completed at Jesus’ return.  And this is reinforced by the fact that so much of the future prophecy of the book of Revelation, which deals with Jesus’ return, runs along the same lines.

But, we do have to read it with an eye for our present as well.  What is striking to me is that peace seems to be the result not only of the establishment of God’s authority (mountain), but also…his word.  As his word is established, people use it to know how to live, and to judge fairly between themselves, and have peace.

This seems very strange, because most modern people assume that peace is had through diplomacy and summits and treaties, those kinds of tools.  While they are steps in the right direction, they are not solutions – after all, diplomacy has existed for centuries and has not turned the tide of man against war.  Instead, peace is a fruit that comes from the Bible.

Really?  The Bible is the key to world peace?  That seems like a stretch…but is it?  It teaches about throwing away the principles of “eye for an eye”, and instead, giving your cloak to your enemy.  It teaches that there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free.  It reveals the concepts of grace and forgiveness not through internal strength, but through the forgiveness that we have through Jesus.

If a people, or a nation, really understood and embraced these concepts, would peace be very far behind?

Questions

1. What part of your faith gives you the most peace in your life?

2. Have you ever had an experience where you followed God’s commandments to forgive, and experienced peace you didn’t have before?

3. Is there a situation in your life, or in the life of others where there is a lot of conflict and division?  How can you bring peace to that situation?

²⁹ “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks
in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens
that you have chosen.

³⁰ You will be like an oak with fading leaves,
like a garden without water.

³¹ The mighty man will become tinder
and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
with no one to quench the fire.”

Become What You Hate

Like I have mentioned before, idolatry becomes a major theme throughout Isaiah.  But it is not just Isaiah that focuses on this sin, but really all of Scripture.  All sin has its root in some form of idolatry, whether of self or wealth or sex, which explains why it takes such precedence in both the Old Testament and Jesus’ great commandments.

But this metaphor that Isaiah gives exposes one of the most dangerous aspects of idolatry, which is its power to change us.  In the passage, we find people putting their trust and delight in sacred oaks and gardens, symbols of idolatry and wealth.  But the twist is that ultimately, they become like those oaks and gardens, temporary, easily sparked and set ablaze and destroyed.

Idolatry is very dangerous because it actually transforms us, rather than the other way around.  We often think that we have control and influence over the foci of our lives, our jobs, our wealth, our relationships.  But in reality… they are the ones that control and influence us.  Take for example if you buy a really expensive phone – yes, you use it.  But it uses you too, it changes how you treat it and care for it and the time you spend guarding it.  It has mastery over YOU, over your behavior, over your money – it has transformed you into its slave.  It can be your phone, or any other possession (cars?  shoes?).  It can be getting ahead in your career.  It can even be a person, maybe someone you’re infatuated with – they change you.

Or in the words of Tyler Durden, “The things that you own, end up owning you.”  And of course, that is not compatible with the Lordship of Christ in our lives.

Questions

1. Is there anything in your life that you feel really influences your behavior or consumes your energy and thought?

2. In what ways has it changed you?  What don’t you like about the person you’ve become?

3. Why do you think that particular issue or part of your life is so difficult to submit to God?

²⁴ Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah, I will get relief from my foes
and avenge myself on my enemies.

²⁵ I will turn my hand against you;
I will thoroughly purge away your dross
and remove all your impurities.

Cross Purposes

There is something cool happening in these two verses.  It seems like God is angry in verse 24, is going to punish and avenge himself on those who have done wrong.  Now if we look at this verse all by itself, it seems like a typical Old Testament passage, where God is going to smite this and that, and that’s the end of it.

But in verse 25, we get a glimpse into what that vengence is actually like, that God will purge away dross and impurities, which is actually something beneficial and good!  Now this is strange, very strange – what is God planning to do?  Is he going to punish those who do wrong, or help them?

The answer is…he’s going to do both.

For us, we think that punishment (or bad stuff happening to us) is always, categorically bad.  No good can come out of bad circumstances, it’s just God’s way of punishing us.  But that is not why God punishes, and that is not the limit of what God wants to accomplish when he at times drops the hammer on us.  He does so ultimately to do a better work in us, to do something that is difficult to do in any other way.  You could rephrase it in this way: “I’m going to punish you!… So you can be even better off than you were before.”

This may seem like wishful thinking, or just me being really creative…but think of the cross.  Out of a moment of brutality and torment and death, we get new and eternal life!  Obviously, God is able to transform some bad situations into good blessings for us.

Questions

1. Have you ever felt like God was punishing you for something you did?  Did any good come out of that tough time?

2. What is one situation where you think no good could ever come out of it?

3. What are the “dross” and “impurities” in your life, the sins that are really entrenched?  What would it take for you to stop doing those things?

²¹ See how the faithful city
has become a harlot!
She once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!

²² Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.

²³ Your rulers are rebels,
companions of thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them.

The Truth of Sin

Throughout Isaiah, you will find incredible metaphors and descriptions, some of the most beautiful found in all of Scripture.  We will come in contact with more of them with time, but we first deal with a not-so-pretty metaphor, equating Israel with a whore.  Although this is a harsh description, it is not an uncommon one – the entire book of Hosea uses a similar idea, where Hosea takes an unfaithful woman as his wife, an analogy of how Israel is unfaithful to God.  It is also a common image that is used in apocalyptic literature like the book of Revelation.

A few items to think about: first, it is important to understand that God may hate a behavior without hating a person.  Here we see prostitution as an obviously negative metaphor, but God doesn’t despise prostitutes – instead, it seems that Jesus welcomed them and helped them reform their lives.  The same applies to Israel – although they are described in harsh terms, God’s love for them is not diminished.  He despises their behavior, but still loves them as his people.

But at the same time, this description is not an exaggeration.  I often feel this way about Scripture, that some passages must be an exaggeration: “That really didn’t happen, that’s just God trying to make a point, etc.”  But let’s suppose for a moment that the language that is used here is NOT an exaggeration, but an accurate description, that when we follow other idols, and when we refuse to help those in need, it’s like we are whoring ourselves, and nothing less

Again, this doesn’t mean that God loves us any less…but it does mean that our behavior is repulsive and should be dealt with immediately.  The truth of our sin isn’t pretty, but very fortunately, is balanced out by the faithful love of our Father.

Questions:

1. What do you consider the most repulsive, disgusting sins that someone could commit?  Why are these sins more disgusting than average?

2. What is the danger in placing a grade or value on types of sin, as worse or better?

3. The message of this passage is that our sin is terrible, but our God is wonderful – which of these do you have a harder time accepting?

 ¹⁸ ”Come now, let us reason together,” 
       says the LORD. 
       “Though your sins are like scarlet, 
       they shall be as white as snow; 
       though they are red as crimson, 
       they shall be like wool.

 ¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, 
       you will eat the best from the land;

 ²⁰ but if you resist and rebel, 
       you will be devoured by the sword.” 
       For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

An Appeal to Reason

We have taken a lot of time just looking at these opening verses because they provide such a wealth of context, how and why God has taken such a firm tone with the nation of Israel.  This has been a really good reminder even in my own personal life, that I have so many reasons to listen to God, who is my Father, who wants the best for me and from me!

And here is one more reason still!

Here, we see Isaiah turn to an appeal to reason, to a simple logical explanation of the situation: obedience brings good things, disobedience hurts us.  And you’ll note that this logic that Isaiah employs here is so simple, so black and white (or red and white, as it were): that our sins are as scarlet, but can be made white as snow.  It’s not even as if it’s really a hard decision!

I think this is yet another good reminder for us as to the character of God – that he is reasonable.  What a strange word to describe God!  So rarely used, that we serve a reasonable God.  We know we serve a holy God, a powerful, a loving one, even an angry one at times…but reasonable?  But this is what we find in this passage.

And this is infinitely reassuring to me, that God is not a crazy, capricious, do-anything for no apparent reason kind of God.  What he does, he does for a reason.  What he wants, he wants for a purpose.  He has a mind, and our own somewhat logical mind is made in the image of his!  To me, this indicates that this is a God that we can relate to and understand, at least to some extent.

And this should change many things in our lives – how we pray; how we view the circumstances of our lives, no matter how difficult; how we feel towards God, hopefully that we feel a little closer to him than if he were a crazy, incomprehensible God that we might have seen him as previously…

Questions

1. How does knowing that God is reasonable change your perception of Him?

2. Does it change your perception of any of the circumstances you find yourself in?

3. How could it change the way in which you pray?

¹⁷ learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

The “What” of Rebuke, Part IV

(I will be traveling with my family throughout this week, so will not be able to post Wednesday or Friday’s devotional.  Good time to try out other resources!)

So, a quick review of what we’ve seen in Isaiah 1 thus far – that God is our Father who has personally reared us (the Who).  God the Father rebukes us because we are harming ourselves (the Why).  The rebuke initially challenges Israel to end their sinful actions, their incorrect and idolatrous New Moon and Sabbath celebrations (the What, Part I).  And then the rebuke transitions into calling Israel to learn to do right instead, at the same time stopping the wrongs (the What, Part II).

A lot for 17 verses…

Now the “right” that God calls Israel to take up is a life of compassion, including: seeking justice, encouraging the oppressed, defending the cause of the fatherless, and pleading the case of the widow.  A few thoughts on this life God calls Israel, and us, to follow:

Very often, I am very passive about my compassion.  I WILL help…if someone asks me for help.  I help when it somehow affects me.  If a person in need knocks on my door, I’ll lend a hand.  But this kind of compassion can be done sitting on the couch – and it is not the compassion that God calls us to.

All of those elements described in verse 17 are active verbs: seeking, encouraging, defending, pleading.  I think this highlights that a life of compassion is an active one, where we actively look and identify those who need help, and actively think of ways to come alongside of them, in the way that Christ came alongside of us.  After all, Christ did not sit in the comfort of heaven, waiting for people to knock on his door.  He sought them out, incarnated himself as a man into our midst so he could personally address our needs.

One more observation, one that requires us to wade into difficult material.  You’ll notice also that verse 17 is not a plea, or a logical argument or a deduction – it is a command.  DO these things, with no real “because”.  We seek, and encourage, defend and plead because our God, this King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one who ransomed us with his own life, tells us to.  Nothing more.

Why is this important?  Because we so often think we need more justification than this (this will get complicated, but I think it’s important).  A lot of people use their understanding of the book of Revelation (called eschatology), to be their motivation for doing good and being compassionate.  Some believe that Christians should be able to fix things before Christ comes, and THAT is why we are compassionate – because we will succeed (postmillennialists).  But others believe that nothing will be fixed until AFTER Christ comes, and so our compassion can never fully succeed (premillennialists).  This debate has actually shaped how the church has pursued its calling to compassion, sometimes stifling our mercy, and at other times, diluting the saltiness of the gospel.

But this verse in Isaiah reminds us of our true reason as to why we strive to live lives of active compassion – because God commands it of us.  Whether we succeed before Christ comes or not is largely inconsequential, and seems to demand that God justify himself to us for our efforts – “God, I’ll only do this if it’s worth doing.”  But the Lord need not do this.  If he commands us to actively pursue compassion, then we actively pursue compassion.

Since when does the Lord need to further justify or convince us to obey what he commands?

Questions

1. In what ways have you been passively compassionate?

2. What are ways in which you can actively pursue compassion where you live, and where you work?

3. Have you ever found yourself demanding explanation or justification from God for what he is doing?  Although this is completely natural, why might this be harmful?

¹⁷ learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

The What of Rebuke, Part III

Until now, the content of God’s rebuke recorded in Isaiah seems to be focused on getting Israel to stop their misinformed and idolatrous behavior, but here we see that there is yet an additional element to this admonition, that they begin to do what is right instead.

But before we go onto this, it is important to dwell on one point – that we cannot pick and choose when it comes to rebuke.  This rebuke given in Isaiah is two-sided: to stop doing evil and learn to do right.  It is not an either/or situation, but both/and.  There is no choice of doing one and not the other – they are both part and parcel of what it means to be God’s people.

For us, some may put an end to behaviors and mentalities which do not glorify God… but just leave it at that, not taking up our responsibility to be a light unto others.  And likewise, some of us may just want to do good things to balance out the evil that we have done, but allow the evil to remain.  But this is only half the equation as well.

The closest analogy I can think of is when we go to the doctor, and he tells us that in order to prevent a heart attack, we have to stop eating fat and begin to exercise.  BOTH are required in order to effectively safeguard our health, but how often do we choose the easier of the two?  Or neither??

I think what this means is that when we find ourselves in a place of being rebuked by God, we need to not be hasty, but listen or discern the full content of what God may want from or for us, both stopping the sin as well as learning to do right.  And though this would extend the process of rebuke, something that no one wants, we should allow it do so because, remember… it is our Father who is bringing it to our attention, and for our good.

Questions:

1. Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this, where God wanted you to both stop, and start, doing something in your life?

2. Which do you typically find harder to do – stopping the wrongs, or learning the rights?

3. Why do you think both are so vital to address?  Is it better to do one before the other?