Thought for the Week

As I said last week, "Isaiah is a good prophet and he uses a combination of warnings to alert the people and promises of blessings to entice them to get into a right relationship with God and to obey God's commands. But Isaiah speaks to more than just Israel. He shares God's word with at least eight other nations as well. To be fair, a prophet may not fully understand the words he speaks on behalf of God. I recall passing on driving instructions to a place I had never visited. My dad gave the directions to me but I had never been there. I remember telling the other driver there would be a long open stretch with no buildings, then an old, unpainted barn on the right, take the next road right. That's all I could tell him for that's all I knew. Isaiah speaks of God's dealing with other nations in history. Isaiah speaks about the judgment of Babylon. A judgment had already occurred just after God had judged the whole earth with the flood. People devised a plan to prevent God's future judgment by flood waters. This even though God had issued a promise that He would never again flood the whole world. They planned to construct a tower high enough to escape any flood. God brought judgment on them. It was not a terribly destructive judgment. God simply tangled their tongues and confused their language so they could not work together. A second judgment would come some 100+ years after Isaiah issued a judgment prophecy against Babylon. It would come at the hands of a new coalition of the nations of Media and Persia. A third judgment is coming. Jesus speaks about this one (see Isaiah 13:9-10, Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-14). Granted, these prophetic words are not a 200 page book giving intimate details. So, you might ask, "What good are they?" I would propose that a simple prayer of Solomon can help us here: "Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart ... that I may discern between good and bad..." (I Ki. 3:9) Solomon prayed that prayer asking God to help him as he undertook the leadership of Israel at the death of his father, King David. But, hopefully, you can see the value of such a prayer. Had the people of Babel prayed it, they might not have begun to build the Tower of Babel but rather to humbly worship God. Had King Belshazzar prayed it he might have learned from his ancestor Nebuchadnezzar that humbly obeying God was far better than all the lustful pleasures he indulged in. Two judgments could have been avoided. If people in the present and future would pray this prayer, humbly worship God, and treat their fellow-man with respect and dignity, perhaps even future judgments could be avoided. There is no 200 page book here but simply this (Revelation 6:9-10). God is hearing the cries of those who have been murdered for their faith in and testimony for God. I have asked myself multiple times why it is that people hate Christians so much. The only answer I can find is that Satan hates God, all He is, does, and stands for. Satan has convinced people he is right and God is wrong and they should follow his lies and leadership. The result is that when Christians proclaim there is only one way to Heaven, through the shed blood of Christ, it raises violent opposition to the Plan of God. Rejecting this truth results in destruction.

Scriptures to Read

Isaiah 13:1-5

Isaiah 13:6-12

Isaiah 13:13-17

Isaiah 13:18-22

St. Matthew 24:4-13

Revelation 18:1-11

St. John 14:1-11