We begin here four chapters regarding the final redemption. The starting point is the judgment against sin. At the same time, Isaiah reveals underlying principles of Creation and the Fall. It is critical to keep in mind Isaiah speaks not so much from the Law of Moses, but the Covenant of Noah, and how all things point to the spiritual realities behind them. Thus, seeing this merely as a future point in time misses a wealth of understanding about how God does things, of how He relates to His Creation.
With a word, the Lord created all things. With a word, He dismisses it all. Indeed, were He not actively engaged in holding it all together, it would come apart on its own. When God acts, no living being is exempt. When it comes time to end this earth, no one will escape. There is no favored group.
Such wholesale destruction will come as a relief to the earth. It groans under the load of sinful men. Humanity is the disease on Creation, because mankind have rejected every covenant offered by God. Sin has brought every curse, and Creation is subjected to involuntary suffering. Precious few at any time have turned to the Lord.
There comes a place where the pleasures of the flesh fail to bring even that shallow happiness so many seek. Wine and song, symbols of celebration, have no meaning and bring no pleasure. It's all an act, going through the motions. In the end, it leaves bitterness. The noisy night life and house parties in the city last only so long as the city gates. Mere planks and beams can be so easily broken and burned. The harvest of sin is not simply death, but a dismal, slow passing.
In the middle of such a thing, there are just a few who really understand. When they sing and rejoice, it has meaning, because they celebrate God. From the very first light of dawn, they call upon His name. Scattered abroad in all the earth can be found His grace in human hearts, and it brings glory to the Lord. Yet, in the midst of this abundant spiritual living, Isaiah complains he has been robbed. He gets precious little of this fat harvest of righteousness and glory because he lives among conniving liars and schemers who have defrauded his people spiritually.
There is no escape. No man, regardless how fit, athletic and skillful, will eventually be captured in his sin. There is no place to hide, for God Himself pours out judgment like the rain from Heaven. Should you be alive to see it, you would think the earth itself were a stumbling drunk, unable to maintain its course in space.
Isaiah warns the punishment will begin with those in power. This points to the Covenant of Noah. Hardly to be taken literally, the image of herding rulers into the large pits used in ancient times as impromptu prisons indicates where the responsibility for failing Noah begins. Rulers have the privilege of rank and power, but it comes with a higher degree of accountability. Eventually, God does act as He has promised, and nations, kingdoms and states which transgress Noah will always fail. The Lord revealed His will for the governments of mankind via the Temple in Jerusalem. Since Israel herself rejected the Law of Moses, which was supposed to clarify Noah by example, it's no surprise no nation ever gets it right.
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By Ed Hurst
20 November 2008
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