God’s people in the Old Testament had seasons of faithfulness, but it seems most of the time they were not. God sent many prophets to exhort and warn them. One, Isaiah, lived during the decline of Israel. He spoke the Word of God to a people who were “deaf and blind” and refused to listen. He warned that their sin would bring God’s judgment. Here is a portion of what he told them . . .
“'Ah,
stubborn children,’ declares the Lord,
‘who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my
Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without
asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to
seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh
turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.’” (Isaiah 30:1–3)
God had been good to them for decades,
but they were bent on making their own plans and ignoring God’s direction, not
even asking for it. This is so common today that I am amazed God does not
strike us with lightning.
Yet a radio pastor included a true story
in his message yesterday. He also spoke to God’s people about going ahead with
sinful plans and thinking God would let them get away with it. These are people
who should know better, people who have access to God and can ask and receive
His guidance.
The story was about a Christian couple
whose children were adults and the two of them were ready to find a retirement
home. They looked and finally found the place they wanted. They talked with the
owner, also a Christian, and expressed their interest. However, within a few
weeks, the wife suddenly asked for a divorce. Her husband was completely
bewildered as she told him she had found another man, actually the man who
owned the house they planned to buy!
She left and moved in with this new
lover. However, God was not looking the other way. Within a short time (only a
week or two as I remember), the new lover had a heart attack and died. As the Bible
says, “But if you will not do so (obey God),
behold, you have sinned against the Lord,
and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23)
God doesn’t always deal with sin so
suddenly. Otherwise, no one would live. But He can. Isaiah kept warning the
people and told them . . .
“Therefore
thus says the Holy One of Israel, ‘Because you despise this word and trust in
oppression and perverseness and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be
to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose
breaking comes suddenly, in an instant; and its breaking is like that of a
potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a
shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out
of the cistern.’ For thus said the Lord God,
the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness
and in trust shall be your strength.’ But you were unwilling, and you said, ‘No!
. . .’” (Isaiah 30:12–16)
Sin is a serious matter. Strong “I wants”
do something to our ability to see clearly, even when they are legitimate wants.
Escalate them to sin and think our holy God is not looking and does not care? I
don’t think so. I know that deliberate sin has the potential to be deadly. It
is by grace I am saved. God has brought me into His unshakable kingdom. My
response to this is supposed to be gratitude, remembering that He is Almighty God
and it is by His mercy that I live and breathe. Instead, as the writer of Hebrews 12 says, “Let us offer to God acceptable worship,
with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
No comments:
Post a Comment