I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I am going to be on vacation through August 10th. I have prepared my daily Bible Studies for each day throughout that time in advance since I will have limited access to the Internet during this time. The timing on when I publish these blogs may be erratic during this time.
Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 57-59.
The prophet tells us, almost as an aside, that when the good die before what we would consider “their time”, God is protecting them from coming evil. Those of us who survive them should be more concerned about what God is leaving us to face than about grieving over those who will face no more suffering.
The rest of the passage contains messages about our sin and what true worship of God looks like. Attending Church every Sunday, singing the good songs, listening to sermons about the Bible do not compose true worship of God. No, true worship involves feeding the hungry, freeing the oppressed, and providing shelter for the homeless. There is nothing wrong with that first set of actions, but they will not bring us into a relationship with God unless we are doing the second set. Our sins cut us off from God.
OK, changing direction here a bit. Isaiah was explaining to the people of Jerusalem why bad things were happening to them, even during King Hezekiah’s reign. When people are more concerned with what is in it for them than in what is fair and honest, bad things will happen. As I read Isaiah’s condemnation of the people to whom I speaks, I see parallels to our society today. They worship idols, constantly seeking out new and different idols to satisfy their cravings. They sacrifice their children and demand the right to call on others to sacrifice theirs. They redefine “good” and call those who call people to righteous behavior evil. People pay lip service to God while refusing to listen to His commands. Yet, for all of our sin and rejection of God, He still offers us healing and salvation.