Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Good afternoon, dear people.
Things became too congested earlier today to allow sending this. Perhaps I should have sent it back when I just had the first half…because now it’s twice as long (simple math). But it is longer than normal. I couldn’t figure out how to edit it down. Neither could Becki. Oh well.
The little boys were here this weekend. After taking them to church this morning, Becki ran them back to their place this afternoon and was back in time for our Gospel Sing thing at Pheasant Pointe.
Have a good evening.
Love, Dad/Ray.
The larger portion of this reading is the announcement of God’s judgment against Babylon. Shorter sections announce similar doom and destruction to Assyria, Philistia, and Moab. Of course there are many who will view a passage like this as support for rejecting the God of the Bible—that He’s just mad all the time and loves to find reason to condemn humans, punish them, and ultimately send them to hell. Those who hold this view love to condemn God for condemning them. They argue that the whole idea that God would condemn me is just not nice, it’s unfair, and it hurts. “Why would I even want to get close to a God like that? Don’t talk to me about this God and Bible stuff. If I ever want to have a god, I’ll go find one that is more to my liking.” Normally, they do go out and find a god more to their liking—and the one they select plays out to be themselves! And so goes human history.
Rather than try to figure out exactly what Isaiah is meaning at every point and how this passage is applied and/or fulfilled, I’m choosing to give some attention to some bigger and more general questions—like: Why are the lost lost? Why are the saved saved? What is the core factor that makes the difference? Why does God get so irritated with His human creatures? What basic irresponsibility in humans does God identify to justify His anger?
Romans 1 offers profound answers to these questions that resonate in my own mind. Verses 18-32 has this heading: “God’s Wrath Against Mankind.” Here’s the first portion: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).
While the NATURAL SIN NATURE definitely creates a magnetic attraction to sin, God has provided humans with a gifting that is strong enough to override that pull in sufficient measure to allow a change in course—it’s objective reasoning—the ability to examine data, draw conclusions according to the evidence, and make choices. (The evidence leads me to exclaim again: THERE CANNOT NOT BE A GOD!) Humans, unlike animals, are not bound by instinctive thinking and behavior. But when they totally yield to the pull of self and sin, they become like animals—they violate God’s investment of His image and likeness—and it makes Him mad (See 2 Peter 2).
Looking again at the three verses I quoted from Romans 1, I’ll list the main points that legitimize God’s anger:
- “Suppress the truth”—when they don’t have to—when they should be seeking truth and suppressing their arrogance.
- “God has made it plain to them”—if they will only pay attention to the presentation.
- “They are without excuse”—let this one ring in your ears—no filing of complaints or listing of clever excuses will stand. Therefore, if I’m getting this right, mankind stands condemned before a Holy God, not just because of their internal sickness, but because they actually misuse their divine gifting and choose sickness over the healing He offers.
So listen up, Babylon, Assyria, Philistia, and Moab—the “LORD Almighty” (a common title Isaiah assigns to Sovereign God) judges that you guys—you yourselves—have actually brought on His severe judgment against you. You were not forced to reject what God has made plain. You could have followed the evidence.
I’m seeing more clearly than ever that a HEART AFTER GOD is not only the essential beginning of the right course, it’s also the essential maintainence of that course—and our only hope for the right outcome and destination.