Tag Archives: 22.7.21 Bible Study

July 22, 2021 Bible Study –Do Not Listen To Those Who Call Evil Good

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

Usually when I read this passage I am struck by God’s call to Isaiah, and Isaiah’s response.  I feel called and I feel the need to encourage others to feel called.  However, today the message which God gave Isaiah to deliver had more impact on me.  When Isaiah accepted God’s call to deliver God’s message, God gave him this message to deliver:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

While this was worded as a command being given, it is really more of a prophecy.  The targets of this message are those about whom Isaiah said this in the previous chapter:

Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
    and clever in their own sight.

Once people start calling evil good and good evil they will not understand what God is saying to them, nor perceive what He shows them.  Look around, you will see that our society has become full of people who do this, people who think they are both wise and clever.  They identify a group which people trust to provide information honest information on a subject, then find ways to get that group to start presenting only the information on that subject which supports their goals.  They then don’t understand why people no longer trust the information which comes from that group.

I am not quite sure how to tie this last piece in to what I have written above, but it does tie in.  Isaiah said that God told him, and by inference all those who wish to be faithful to God:

“Do not call conspiracy
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
    and do not dread it.

Instead, we should fear God, and put our trust in Him.  Rather than listening to those who distort the facts in order to advance their political power, consult God’s instruction.  As the prophet tells us, those who refuse to listen to God’s instruction see only distress, darkness, and fearful gloom.  Do not listen to them, look instead to the light of God.

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