Fourth Woe: Apostasy

Isaiah 5:20. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

The subversion of moral principals had become rampant in Judah and Jerusalem.  You cannot worship some man-created god and still pretend to practice true godliness.  The two things simply cannot exist in the same space.

I keep going back to something a pastor of ours said many years ago:  Sin will always take you farther than you intended to go. It is like a whirlpool–wide and slow-moving at the top, but once you are caught in, and  it circles downward, it narrows and goes faster and faster  until you are without escape.

Any society can legalize sin if they choose to do so, and maybe that makes people feel better about whatever they are doing that is against God’s truth. However, legalizing sin does not make it acceptable to God. In our pitiful pride and self-confidence, we look at God and say, “But we made a rule that it is okay now to kill babies!” or whatever other heinous act we now accept as normal.  God will not be impressed. He never changes, and we are foolish to believe that we can function against His power and still escape destruction.

Sunday Morning Coffee: A Window

We’ve lived in our house for 22 years.  The house is maybe 60 or 70 years old, and has been well-kept.  The windows, though, weren’t so great.  Terry has replaced all of them over the years, except for the bay window in the dining room and the picture window in the living room.

Early last week, he spotted a perfect window for the dining room that had been reduced by half in price because of a very minor flaw that he can easily repair.  Yesterday, some very kind friends came over to help him with the installation.  He had already removed all the interior trim, and the glass, along with the wooden framing.  When the men showed up, they had some final preparation to do, which took longer than Terry had anticipated.  But they got the job done, and I’m really delighted with it. Not only does it look nice, but it should also help keep heating costs down a little during the cold weather.

It is not unusual for me to think of a song connected to whatever is going on.  This time, it’s  The Windows of Heaven are Open. 

I’m so thankful that God’s windows are always open, waiting to allow His blessings to fall on us.

Depression, Again

Those of us who blog via Word Press have access to several interesting options.  One that I like a lot, and just recently added to my site, lists the ten most-read posts for each day. The one that is almost always on the top of the list is:

https://lindasbiblestudy.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/king-david-and-depression/

The fact that this post is nearly always at the top, every single day, leads me to realize just how many people are struggling with depression.  With that in mind, I want to encourage you to read all the posts that covered the topic of depression. You can start here and read all of the rest of the depression posts by following  the the word “Next” at the bottom  of the post. Maybe you aren’t the one who has depression; maybe it’s a family member or a friend, and you’re looking for ways to help. Maybe you’ll find something in one of my posts that will help.  I hope so.

Third Woe:Iniquities

Isaiah 5:19:”That say, Let Him make speed, and hasten His work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh, and come, that we may know it!”

This iniquity was mentioned in the previous verse:  The people were guilty of daring presumption and defiance against God. They dragged a huge load of iniquity, and they were roped by a load of sin.

In this verse, Isaiah is more specific. One of their biggest iniquities was that they scoffed at God’s Word and belittled His Name. They were sarcastic in their use of the title Holy One of Israel, the title that Isaiah had used previously in  chapter 1. They were saying, in our vernacular, “Bring it on!  Let’s see if God can do what you, Isaiah, are saying He can do!”

The people were so full of themselves that they didn’t even have a clear understanding of what the prophecies Isaiah had uttered were really all about.

It makes me think of  the time I warned one of my children not to touch the burners on the stove. “Hot!  Don’t Touch!”  But the child was curious, and didn’t realize the full danger. He got his fingers burned.  Then, he finally understood.  For a while he went around the whole house, pointing at various things and saying,  “Hot, Mommy?  Hot?” It took him only once to understand that if he touched something hot, it would burn him. The people of Judah and Jerusalem had  defied God over and over, paying for their sin over and over, but never really seeming to “get it.”  They were scoffing at Isaiah’s warnings.

They weren’t scoffing, however, when those prophecies were fulfilled.

Years I Spent in Vanity and Pride

Isaiah 5: “Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope.”

Imagine that you are the one who is pulling.  Imagine that all those chairs were were the load of sin that is lying and seductive teaching.   Imagine that if even one sin were taken out of that pile, then the whole pile will come crashing down. But you are hanging on tightly to your vanity, and pulling the whole load like a burro who is straining to pull a heavy wagon up a steep hill.

The difference, of course, is that the burro can’t be rid of his load unless the owner frees him; the man in the picture could put down his load and walk in freedom if he would forsake his vanity and pride.

Galatians 5:1. “Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free; and be not again entangled with the yoke of the enemy.”

The Second Woe (Final)

Isaiah 5: 15-17.

¹⁵ And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

¹⁶ But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

¹⁷ Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

Sin always takes us farther than we intended  it to. Once we have taken those first steps, it is very hard to turn around and go the other way.  And sin replaces God.  The sin becomes that which we worship.

God, however, does not let Himself be displaced. There always comes a time of confrontation, whether it is personal, church-wide, or nation-wide. If the hearts of believers turn to God, unbelievers will come to Christ, and there can be a revival!

When we persist in our sin, then God brings judgment. When He does, He will be exalted, sinners will be humbled, and others will enjoy the fruits of our labor. It’s called “the spoils of war,”  The winner takes everything, and the loser is brought to nothing.

The Second Woe

Isaiah 5: 13-14. “Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.”

These verses are a continuation of the second woe, the abuse of alcohol, which turns men’s hearts away from the worship of Jehovah. Because of their lack of the knowledge of the truth, there would be famine and death. No one would be spared, from the man of high position to the lowliest beggar.  Hell (Sheol, in this passage) is going to open her mouth wide and many will descend into Sheol because of drunkenness.

If you are interested, I did some googling on Sheol, Hades, Hell, Paradise, etc. This website gives a good, clear view of the differences:

https://gotquestions.org/sheol-hades-hell.html

Sunday Morning Coffee:Beautiful October

I’ve always loved the fall.  The humidity goes away, the heat goes away, and the air is crystal clear. The colors of fall flowers really pop. And the leaves put out their own special version of fireworks. Against an October -blue sky, you almost need sunglasses just to enjoy the display. The October sun is friendly, and the full moon of October?  Well, it’s just hard to describe it. I love watching the full moon rising at this time of year; and there’s a Harvest Moon in September or October that seems as if you could reach out an  spike it over a celestial volleyball net. Here’s what I mean:

What’s hard for me to realize is that we’re in the final week of my favorite month!  I’ve spent the entire month either in bed or sitting in the one chair we have that is fairly comfortable.

I haven’t been outdoors much.  Can’t walk, and lawn chairs are NOT therapeutic! I miss being in church.  There are a few good preachers on TV or radio, but it’s not the same. I’ve been spending more time  in the Word while I wait for my appointment with the surgeon. Asking the Lord for an extra dose of patience . Three more weeks, and the thing I dread most is the possibility of being put off for another month or more for the actual surgical procedure. Pain pills have become  a new food group for me. But—I can still enjoy this season watching my neighbor’s yard cross the street. Lots of color there. And Terry  has taken me for a drive a couple of times so we can enjoy the countryside.

We have a beautiful earth, created by God, Who loves to give us good things.

 

Second Woe: Drunkenness

Isaiah 5:11-12. “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink: that continue until night, till wine inflame them: And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of His hands.

This woe is a picture of self-indulgence and pleasure-seeking.  They would go into captivity without any understanding of what is happening because they’ve spent all their time partying, ignoring God and His works.

Our nation is in this position right now. Even those who claim to be believers are drinking in larger numbers, saying that there’s no harm in a little social drinking. But alcohol dulls our sense of devotion to God, and opens the door of temptation to more and more sinful behaviors.  Sure, it’s possible to drink and not become drunk; it’s possible to drink and never become an alcoholic. It’s also entirely possible to have an enjoyable time of fellowship and relaxation without any alcohol at all.

Six Woes

Isaiah: 5:8-10. “Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!  In mine ears, said the Lord of hosts, of a truth, many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.Yea, ten  acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

(A bath of wine is about 8 1/2 gallons: an homer is about 6.33 bushels,  and an ephah is about 3/5 of a bushel.)

This is the first woe. They have become covetous and greedy. To  combine one house to another, whether through marriage or by purchase, was meant to build up a monopoly and became extremely wealthy.  They were violating the law of property laid down in Numbers 36:7 “So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. .God clearly intended for each new generation to stay within  the physical boundaries of that tribe’s inheritance from God. They were not to cross tribal lines in purchasing houses and lands.To follow this law would have prevented monopolies, but greed begets greed.  Money buys power as well as land.

The only biblical result of their behavior was desolation and scarcity.  The land was God’s, not theirs.