SIGNS GOD IS MAD (PART 4)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

See, I will stir up against them the Medes, who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants, nor will they look with compassion on children. Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks. But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.

Isaiah 13:17-22

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:8-10

These words of the psalmist proved to be ominous, reminders of what was and precursors for what was yet to come. They framed the power of God and His willingness to wield it against anyone who chose to make Him mad through disrespect and disregard. For any person, city, or nation that chose to slight God, desolation and destruction would be in their future.

In the end translation, God and God alone would be exalted among the nations and the earth.

Before the words of the psalmist, this truth was played out in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Looking at Genesis 18, we find these words from God as He speaks to Abraham about these two cities:

Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will know.” vv. 20-21

This led to an interesting exchange between Abraham and God centered on Abraham’s concern for any people who might have been righteous in the city. In Abraham’s view, the righteous, if any, should be spared and not annihilated with the wicked. God assured Abraham that even if He found as few as ten righteous people amongst the wicked population of the cities, He would hold back His wrath and not bring destruction.

Well, as we know, destruction did come upon Sodom and Gomorrah, an indicator of just how wicked the people were there. The cities were laid to waste as documented in Genesis, Chapter 19:

Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. vv. 24-25

Two cities that chose sin over righteousness, wickedness over holiness, and ultimately death over life. Sadly, history repeated itself and as we see in today’s scripture and God’s words to the empire of Babylon:

“See, I will stir up against them the Medes, who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants, nor will they look with compassion on children. Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks. But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.” Isaiah 13:17-22

The Babylonians ignored the failures of Sodom and Gomorrah. They turned from God and allowed wickedness to dominate their society, seeking their own pride and glory and power. As a result, they lost everything and were overthrown by the very God they chose to pay no attention to, the God who had to send marauding armies of doom and annihilation to get their attention. Where the people once lived in magnificent opulence, common animals would now abide. The Babylonians would be no more.

In the end translation with Babylon, God ended up exalted among the nations and the earth. No entity who sought their own glory and honor apart from God would ever stand as God would show them that He is Master and Ruler of all things and will not be challenged. The only appropriate response by all people before God is submission and humble obedience to His word, will, and way. When we fail to do that, God will get mad and the signs of that anger will come in the form of destruction and death.

We can either choose to stand with God or we won’t stand at all. It’s really that simple and we had better get a grip on this truth today or history once again will repeat itself and we’ll see yet another Sodom, Gomorrah, or Babylon scenario play out in present times.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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