Let us take heed to what Isaiah had to say about why the Lord brought judgement on his people, whom he loved, and examine how these warnings might apply to us today, a people who’s heart is far fom God.
Isaiah 1:15-16
“When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
no matter how much you pray,
I won’t be listening;
because your hands are covered with blood.
“Wash yourselves clean!
Get your evil deeds out of my sight!
Stop doing evil, learn to do good!
Seek justice, relieve the oppressed,
defend orphans, plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:21-23
How the faithful city has become a whore!
Once she was filled with justice,
righteousness lodged in her;
but now murderers!
Your silver is no longer pure,
your wine is watered down.
Your leaders are rebels, friends of thieves.
They all love bribes and run after gifts.
They give no justice to orphans,
the widow’s complaint doesn’t catch their attention.
Isaiah 3:12-15
My people — children oppress them,
and women are ruling over them.
My people! Your guides lead you astray
and obliterate the paths you should follow.
Adonai rises to accuse,
he stands to judge the peoples.
Adonai presents the indictment
against the leaders and officers of his people:
“It is you who devour the vineyard;
in your houses is plunder taken from the poor.
What do you mean by crushing my people
and grinding down the faces of the poor?”
says Adonai Elohim-Tzva’ot.
Isaiah 5:8-10
Woe to those who add house to house
and join field to field,
until there’s no room for anyone else,
and you live in splendor alone on your land.
Adonai-Tzva’ot said in my ears,
“Many houses will be brought to ruin,
large, magnificent ones left empty;
for a ten-acre vineyard will produce
only five gallons of wine,
and seed from five bushels of grain
will yield but half a bushel.”
Isaiah 5:18-24
Woe to those who begin by pulling
at transgression with a thread,
but end by dragging sin along
as if with a cart rope.
They say, “We want God to speed up his work,
to hurry it along, so we can see it!
We want the Holy One of Isra’el’s plan
to come true right now, so we can be sure of it!”
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who change darkness into light
and light into darkness,
who change bitter into sweet
and sweet into bitter!
Woe to those seeing themselves as wise,
esteeming themselves as clever.
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
men whose power goes to mixing strong drinks,
who acquit the guilty for bribes
but deny justice to the righteous!
Therefore, as fire licks up the stubble,
and the chaff is consumed in the flame;
so their root will rot,
and their flowers scatter like dust;
because they have rejected the Torah
of Adonai-Tzva’ot,
they have despised the word
of the Holy One of Isra’el.
Isaiah 10:1-4
Woe to those who enact unjust decrees
and draft oppressive legislation
to deprive the impoverished of justice
and rob my people’s poor of their rights,
looting widows and preying on orphans!
What will you do on the day of punishment,
when calamity comes from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
Where will you leave your wealth,
so as not to squat among the prisoners
or fall among the slain?
I try to avoid being political in my posts, but we may want to pay attention when we vote for our leaders. Our two party system is leading us straight down a path of destruction. Remember we are the ones who are responsible for voting these oppressive leaders into power, and only we have the power to wrest controle out of thier hands. Choose wisely.