Readings for today: Isaiah 23-26
“Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish. The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.” (Isaiah 24:1-6)
Yesterday, we traveled down through the wilderness of Judea to the region of the Dead Sea. From 2500 feet above sea level in Jerusalem to 1500 feet below sea level at the seashore. I have never seen such a wasteland. The cliffs were barren and desolate. The dunes were rocky and void of life. The heat was oppressive. Water is scarce. Nothing can grow on its own as a result. I imagine this is what Isaiah had in mind when he prophesied judgment over God’s people. They could look down from Mount Zion and literally see the desolation of the Lord. They had traveled those lands. They had tasted the salty sea. They knew firsthand the hardship and suffering that accompanied those who tried to scratch out a life in a land full of death.
Look at the picture again for today’s devotional. This is what the land looks like under the curse of sin. The land languishes, unable to produce any fruit. The earth is scorched under the blazing hot sun. The wastelands are empty and endless and seemingly stretch in every direction. Now consider the deeper meaning behind Isaiah’s words. The soul of his people is a similar wasteland. Their hearts are far from God and living under a curse. Devoured by sin, they produce little fruit. They perish for lack of access to the living waters of their God. The result is pain and hardship and suffering and death. None shall be spared. People, priest, slave, master, maid, mistress, buyer, seller…all will come under the judgment of God.
The same is true in our day as well. Violence and strife. Rage and hate. Injustice and oppression. Greed and selfishness. These are all the hallmarks of a people rushing headlong into destruction. A nation given over by God to the curse of sin. And before we look outward to blame those around us, we must first look inward and ask ourselves about the state of our own souls. How have we “transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant?” Where have we sinned and fallen short of God’s glory? How have we personally contributed to the mess we are in by paying lip service to God while remaining far from Him in our hearts? Are our lives a spiritual wasteland or a fruitful garden for the Lord? Are we spiritually desolate with seemingly no life of God within us? Do we languish under the curse of sin, refusing to surrender and humble ourselves before the Lord?
You see, friends, what happens on a macro level in our country is simply a reflection of what is taking place on a micro level in each of our lives. The only thing that’s different is the scale. And if we truly want to make a change, it must begin with us. It must begin with each of us committing ourselves to seek the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It must begin with the people of God gathering to worship God in Spirit and in truth. This is the only way to stave off the judgment to come.
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-31, Psalms 48