Theological Commentary: Click Here
Today is
another signature passage from a major prophet.
No, this one isn’t signature because it is a classic or because it is
familiar and oft-quoted. This one is
classic because it is a passage on wrath and destruction. Today Isaiah proclaims destruction on
Babylon.
Reading too
much of the prophets – especially the major prophets – can lead to a case of
thinking that God is a hateful and vengeful God. Centuries of Christian history was spent
under this kind of thinking. Millions of
Christians have conceived of a God who sat upon His holy mountain looking down
upon the earth just looking for someone to do something worthy of being smote. After all, this chapter tells us that the Lord
is mustering an army for war, that we should wail for the cruel nature of the
coming day of the Lord, terror and pain will seize the people caught in His
coming wrath, that the land will be made desolate, that people will be scarcer
than gold, and that the cities will be obliterated to the only things that will
live there will be wild animals. The
truth is that even in this list, I am sure that I missed something.
There are
two – probably more, in reality – major points that need to be used to put
context around these passages. The first
one is the big one. Remember that this
is the same God who created us and who sent His Messiah to redeem and restore
us. God’s bigger picture is that of
love, caring, and compassion. Yes, God
is powerful enough to smite the whole world and bring it to its utter
destruction. God can – and will – do
away with he universe in its entirety.
But that isn’t God’s final say or His final play. God’s ultimate voice will be that of love,
grace, and compassion.
The second
thing to remember is the bridge to these two diametrically opposed
concepts. How can a God whose bigger
picture is one of grace and love be the same God who threatens complete and
utter destruction? The answer is easy,
and most of us should have experienced the answer in our own life. How can a parent, who is commanded by God to
love their children, punish a child when they do wrong? How can a teacher, who is hired to teach
children for the purpose of growing them into well rounded citizens of life,
ever fail a student? The answer is that
true love contains joy when things go well, mentoring when small issues arise,
and consequences when things go too badly.
What is love
if there is no subtle guiding and mentoring?
What is love if there are no consequences and judgment? If you remove those things, all you really
have is a recipe for creating entitled self-centered people. In order to have true love, you must have the
joy of celebration and the sorrow of consequence. You must have the positive reflection as well
as the concerned critique. Love is not
always comfortable, but love is always directing people away from evil and
towards good.
That’s why
God is so intent to get the message of impending punishment judgment out. He is not so much interested in making sure
people get what they deserve as He is interested in correcting the culture that
He sees happening. The Hebrew culture has
been spiraling away from righteousness for decades – if not centuries. The Assyrians had come to bring God’s
judgment and took it too far. The same
thing is true for the Babylonians. As
God Himself says, it is time to humble the proud the hard way, because they
won’t listen to the other.
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