I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 5-8.

    The first thing which struck me in this passage was a series of “What sorrow for…” statements it contains. The first one addresses those who buy up land and make it inaccessible to anyone else. This reads to me as a condemnation of those who use their wealth to put up barriers to keep others from acquiring wealth. The second one addresses those who fill their time completely with entertainment and parties, people who are too busy having a good time to have time to care for others. The third one addresses those who “drag their sins behind them.” I am not quite sure what the prophet is getting at here. Perhaps he is referring to those who brag about their sins and wickedness. Or perhaps he is talking about those who use their past to justify their present failure to care for others. The fourth one, and the final one I will pull out specifically, addresses those who say that doing evil is doing good and that doing good is doing evil. For me this ties all of them together and gives me an idea about how they apply. I see this all around us, people who say that certain self-indulgent behaviors that since time immemorial have been seen as wrong and harmful are good and that those who warn against those behaviors are evil. If I warn that such behaviors will have negative consequences for those who practice them I am “intolerant” and a “hatemonger”.

    Into that world, God called Isaiah to prophesy. Perhaps he is calling another Isaiah today into a very similar world. Or perhaps God is calling a whole series of prophets. After all, Isaiah was not the only prophet in Israel when he prophesied. It is worth looking at Isaiah’s calling. When Isaiah saw God, he was horrified because he knew that he was too impure, too sinful, to be in the presence of our Holy God. In response God sent to him an angel to purify him of his sins. In the same way, God sent Jesus to purify us of our sins. The symbolism of how Isaiah was purified is significant. A hot coal was pressed against his lips, burning the sinful words which he had spoken from his mouth. Once Isaiah was purified he heard God asking whom He could send as a messenger to His people. Isaiah did not hesitate. Immediately he responded, “Here I am. Send me.” I have often wondered if Isaiah said that in a quiet, slightly reluctant whisper, “Here I am. Send me.” Or did he shout, “Here I am. Send me!“ 

    In either case, God is once more asking for people who are willing to take His message to the people. Make no mistake, this is a thankless task, because the message is not one that will be welcome. The message is that people will listen, but not understand. They will see what God is doing, but not learn what He wants them to do. They will refuse to turn to God for healing. We see a little further down that people will contradict God’s teaching and then blame God and those who do obey Him when the inevitable disaster strikes.