Read
22And you are great at drinking and mixing drinks. But you are in for trouble. 23You accept bribes to let the guilty go free, and you cheat the innocent out of a fair trial.
24You will go up in flames like straw and hay! You have rejected the teaching of the holy Lord God All-Powerful of Israel. Now your roots will rot, and your blossoms will turn to dust.
25You are the Lord's people, but you made him terribly angry, and he struck you with his mighty arm. Mountains shook, and dead bodies covered the streets like garbage. The Lord is still angry, and he is ready to strike you again.
Foreign Nations Will Attack
26The Lord has signaled for the foreign nations to come and attack you. He has already whistled, and they are coming as fast as they can. 27None of them are tired. They don't sleep or get drowsy, and they run without stumbling. Their belts don't come loose; their sandal straps don't break. 28Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are ready. The hoofs of their horses are hard as flint; the wheels of their war chariots turn as fast as a whirlwind.
29They roar and growl like fierce young lions as they grab their victims and drag them off where no one can rescue them. 30On the day they attack, they will roar like the ocean. And across the land you will see nothing but darkness and trouble, because the light of day will be covered by thick clouds.
Reflect
Sometimes the Bible seems too relevant – almost frighteningly so.
Last evening on our local news channel I learned that an Ottawa-based business had been awarded financing on CBC’s Dragon’s Den for their flavored drink mix. This morning the opening line of our scripture reading warns, “And you are great at drinking and mixing drinks. But you are in for trouble” (Isaiah 5:22).
Let me be clear. I wish no harm to our local drink mix company, but like Isaiah, I question where we as a society place our priorities. Have we abandoned issues of justice and replaced them with frivolity and entertainment?
Is something wrong with our society, when a change in a celebrity’s hairstyle tops the news, while the absence of potable water in a hundred First Nations communities receives no mention?
I find Isaiah’s words troubling. You have rejected the teaching of the holy LORD God All-Powerful of Israel. Now your roots will rot, and your blossoms will turn to dust (Isaiah 5:24b).
Terrible judgment fell on Israel as the invading Babylonian armies swept over the land. There were consequences for Israel’s rejection of the holy LORD God All-Powerful. Can we expect a different outcome, if we reject the LORD?
I do not wish national calamity on any people, least of all our own nation. But do we bring calamity on ourselves when we disregard the will of God? On the other side of God’s judgment are righteousness, peace and joy. The Jewish people turned back to God after their captivity in Babylon. In the same way the Lord is waiting for us to turn back to him.
Respond
LORD God, I turn to you. I want to receive the teaching of the holy LORD God All-Powerful. Amen.
David Kitz
David Kitz is an actor, an award-winning author, and teacher. For more than thirty years, he has served as an ordained pastor. His love for drama is evident to all who have seen his Bible-based performances. He has toured across Canada and United States with a variety of one man plays for children and adults. Raised in Saskatchewan, David now lives in Ottawa with his wife Karen. Books in print: The Soldier Who Killed a King, Little Froggy Explores the BIG World, Psalms Alive!, Tunks on Tongues