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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Isaiah 5:20
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Woe to the evildoers. That’s the message from God’s word today and you can add this woes to the ones that will befall the greedy, the abusers of alcohol, and unrepenting sinners as we have seen in the three prior devotions in this series drawn from Isaiah, Chapter 5.
But before we dive into the examination of this word of the Lord, we need to consider the question, “Who is an evildoer?”, for a moment. I say this because I believe many people have a skewed understanding of the question and who qualifies.
So who is an evildoer? Perhaps we should start by looking at the definition of evil:
Evil = something morally reprehensible, something sinful and wicked. It arises from actual or imputed bad character or conduct.
This definition reveals something profoundly convicting for all people. For at its root meaning, evil is something sinful, something coming from bad conduct or character. We know murder is evil. Ditto for other heinous crimes against humanity. But when we consider that simple sinful behavior is evil then we have a game changer on our hands because that means everyone commits evil. It shows us that we all have the potential to be evildoers with sin being the catalyst for evil to take root within our hearts and minds.
Now let’s look to our scripture for today as it will take on a whole new dimension than if we had not had the preliminary discussion first.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20
You see, back in the days of Israel, the people had made their own definition of evil, fashioning it in such a way that excused their sinful behavior. They believed they were good when the truth was that they were evil because of their conscientious sinfulness, primarily manifested in the wicked worship practices they adopted while giving their praise and prayers to idols and false gods. God’s chosen people believed they were in the light of the Lord when the truth of the matter was that they were on the dark path to wrath and judgment and destruction. And as a result, God imparted heavy punishment upon them, sending a message that He will not stand for anyone who willingly chooses sin over righteousness in life.
Today, I believe there are many people who live like those Israelites did more than 2,000 years ago. Many people, including those who claim to be believers, live in consistent sinfulness and yet profess that they are good when in fact, they are evil. They walk in darkness but think they are walking in the light. Many are completely lost and fully standing on the wide road of destruction when they think they are on the narrow path to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14).
None of us want to confess to another that we are evil. In fact, many people would take offense to be called that, even if it were true because they had chosen a life of sin over righteousness. It’s little wonder that John wrote these words in the first of three letters found in the New Testament:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8
So how do we escape the inevitability of being evil through sin? How do we find ourselves as people of truth before the Lord?
We can only do it through partnering with the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). We can only do it by being like Jesus.
When we do, then the follow on words from 1 John, Chapter 1 come alive:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Today and every day, we need to come to Jesus and allow Him to guide how we live. After all, He was the greatest role model who ever lived and if you want to be like Him, the Bible shows you how to do that through any of the four gospels, the four books of good news, at the start of the New Testament. Commit yourself to Christ who is faithful and committed to you out of a deeply profound love and you will find yourself purified from unrighteousness as He guides you to a life that will always be pleasing before God the Father who was well pleased with His Son (Matthew 3:17) and will be pleased with us as well when we live in and through Him.
Trust me when I say that life in Christ is much better than facing the woes of an evildoer. Please make the right choice.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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