Today in God’s Word

Today in God's Word—September 2023

East Tallassee Church of Christ

September 10, Isaiah 3

For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.” - Isaiah 3:8

We sometimes talk about future events in terms of what we think will happen or what we hope will happen or fear will happen. But we realize that we are future blind and do not know for sure what is going to happen. We proclaim our intentions and announce our plans, but we have learned from experience that circumstances and events beyond our control may keep us from doing what we planned to do.

God’s prophets often spoke of future events as if they had already occurred, using verbs in a present perfect tense. Their words looked forward to a coming event or time, but they spoke of them as if they had already happened, because God’s word is just that sure.

Isaiah not only predicted Israel and Judah’s fall. He also explained why it was going to happen. He said their speech and their deeds were against the LORD. They were defiant in their sin, and had no regard for God’s laws or for God seeing their bold disobedience.

Isaiah paints an ugly picture of the chosen people’s callous disobedience and haughty attitudes. They oppress one another. They are insolent and disrespectful. Their leaders had mistreated the poor and devoured the prosperity the land had enjoyed. The Israelites had no shame over their brazen defiance of God. They are prideful and shallow. They followed the fashions of the pagan world around them and abandoned the holiness to which God had called them.

Isaiah also describes the severe punishment God would bring to these rebellious people. He would cut off all support and supply of the necessities of life, bread and water. They would be led by weak, inexperienced leaders after God took away their soldiers, corrupt spiritual leaders and even the practitioners of dark arts

they had followed. The haughty women symbolized the whole nation. Stripped of their gaudy finery, they would be humbled, carried away to a foreign land as the property of their captors.

The world has divided the human family into two groups. One group has money, and the others are poor. One group has power, and the others do not. God divides the human family into two groups as well. There are righteous ones who love and obey God, and there are wicked ones, who defy God and disobey his laws. The righteous will enjoy God’s favor, and will be rewarded for their good deeds. But the wicked will suffer for their wrongdoing, and experience the same misery they had inflicted on others. It’s the immutable law of sowing and reaping.

All this was coming upon Israel as the direct result of their wicked disobedience. The prophets warned God’s people that time was running out, and that their disregard for God was going to bring all this destruction down on them. But most of the leaders and people of the nation mocked and rejected the prophet’s warnings and calls to repentance.

The history of Israel and Judah unfolded, just as God told them through the prophets that it would. But we should not read these sad words and dismiss them as the unfortunate fate of an ancient people. The very same principles apply to us today. We sow seeds of righteousness or wickedness by our thoughts, words and deeds. The fruit of those seeds will come back to us as pleasant blessings or bitter retribution. Some of those consequences come to us in this life. But the most serious and final consequence of doing either right or wrong will come at the judgment. We would all be hopelessly ruined because of our sin if not for Jesus coming to take our sins upon himself and make us partakers of his righteousness. It’s true that all have sinned. But the gospel gives us hope. It offers us forgiveness for our past and strength to do better. It promises us a rich harvest of blessing and glory if we will humble ourselves,

turn from sin and come back to God through Christ. Israel refused to listen until it was too late for them. Will we listen to the warnings and trust the promises God has given us?

Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.