Category: Brother Al (Page 20 of 69)

Breakpoint recently featured an article on “radical monogamy.”  Radical monogamy, as described in Vice magazine is “an exclusive relationship commitment that’s chosen, not blindly accepted… Monogamy that is radical is chosen from among the many equally valid relationship options, including polyamory.”   It appears that even some who want to remain sexually open-minded would still prefer and choose a monogamous relationship.  

Proponents of radical monogamy “stress that the decision to remain in an exclusive relationship was made by themselves, and for themselves.”  This proposal reflects the cultural view of seeing freedom “only as freedom from any and all restraint.” The significant moral flaw of radical monogamy “is to suggest it’s only valid if it’s what I want, rather than because it is morally superior.”  It is still “the me first” emphasis found in the sexual revolution. 

Of course, a biblical view of monogamy is built on an exclusive commitment of a man and woman, who  choose before the Lord to make a lifelong commitment to one another (Judy and I are on year 56).  Jesus tells us when a man and woman marry, “the two will become one flesh” (Matt 19:5).  Then he gives this  warning, “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (v. 6).  I would call this “faithful” monogamy, rather than “radical.” 

This was the Creator’s plan from the beginning, in creating “male and female.”  Marriage was his gift to us.  Monogamy has divine origins going back to creation.  Viewed from a cultural perspective, God’s intention for monogamy goes far beyond our cultural norms, making it truly radical.  Jesus clearly states, “So they are no longer two, but one” (v. 6).  

Even more radical is God’s intention for a man and woman becoming one flesh to reflect Jesus’ love for his church.  Paul describes this relationship as a mystery.  “This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:32).  This is beyond radical; it is a mystery.  Men, you will never fully understand your own marriage.  It’s a profound gift. 

Since God’s intention is for our marriage to reflect Jesus’ relationship to his church, He gives men some sober instructions: “Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church – a love marked by giving, not getting.  Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty.” (Eph. 5:25-26 – Message).  That’s radical.

Pope John Paul II gave the church a wonderful study of Eph. 5:31-33 in his “Theology of the Body.”  The Pope’s thesis:  “Only the body is capable of making visible the spiritual and the divine.  It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the mystery hidden from eternity in God and thus to be a sign of it” He maintains that the union of man and woman is meant to proclaim and participate in the “great mystery” of Christ’s union with the church.  

Further, the Pope declares that a faithful marriage of two being one flesh can have a prophetic message in our post-Christian culture.  Imagine such a dimension to your marriage.  I personally embrace the idea that my marriage can be prophetic within the culture. 

This presents a challenge for men:  1) the enemy does not want marriage to reflect Jesus’ love for the church.  It will be a fight.  2) It will take all you have spiritually to love your wife as Jesus loved the church.  You will need a lot of grace.  3) You will truly be countercultural in your lifestyle.  There is a price to pay.  Are you up the challenge?

Cave of the Heart is the title song of a John Michael Talbot album from l999.  I have always been intrigued by the lyrics repeated throughout the song:  “You are seated in freedom in the cave of the heart.”  I am challenged by certain words: “Silence your heart/Silence your soul/stilling your senses/with single-minded devotion.”  I have been troubled by some as well: “How can the troubled mind/understand his ways?/If your thoughts are troubled/You cannot find the wisdom.”  

I can also identify with particular words: “Like a fish out of water/Stranded upon the shore/Thoughts thrash and they quiver/How can you shake off the chains of desire.”  If only I could deal with these deep, mysterious desires that come from deep in the cave of the heart.  “They tremble unsteady/They wander at will/It is good to control them/To master them it will bring you joy.”  

St. John of the Cross talked about the “caverns” of the soul.  He is calling  attention to the deepest places of the soul; to our center where God dwells. “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). The capacity of the soul is infinite. It is beyond consciousness and beneath our understanding and experience. “These caverns are deep because the object of this capacity, namely God, is profound and infinite…their capacity is infinite, their thirst is infinite, their hunger is also deep and infinite…”   

I have a new appreciation for the “capacity” of my soul.  While finding new freedom, I still shy away from the depths of my soul. The caverns remain shrouded in darkness because I can neither comprehend nor manage what is found in these deep places.  It is a space that contains the story of my life, including painful memories and long forgotten vows which still hold a tight grip on my responses to everyday life.

Men, you might not like to be reminded of the “cave of the heart.”  But it is found at your center, dictating more of your conscious life then you would care to admit.  Remember Jesus told us, “It’s what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness – all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution” (Mark 7:20-23 – Message).  

Here is a confession:  It  happened recently – again – with my wife. I had a strong negative response during two separate conversations we had with others.  I shut down emotionally. I became quiet, not wanting to communicate.  I tuned out…   

I also felt confusion, condemnation, and shame. What was happening?  Pollution was coming from the cave of my heart.  By God’s grace, through the circumstances in my life, the pollution was coming to the surface.

Praise God, I am now admitting my struggle to my wife.  I cannot blame her for the way I responded.  I want to be honest in my responses and bring the pollution from the cave into the light.  Confession helps get rid of it.  I still don’t fully understand, but I feel more freedom in my responses.  I’m now more aware of the pollution and its causes. In this case it had to do with my mother. 

My point in this is that confession allows the pollution from the cave of the heart to come more into our consciousness.  It will begin to loosen its grip on the soul, allowing for discernment rather than reaction.  Pray with David (and me), “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts” (Psalm 139:23).  

Two recent surveys show a nation that is trending downward when it comes to optimism. The first is the American Psychological Association’s (APA) annual Stress in America survey.  Lynn Bufka, a clinical psychologist with the APA, called the level of shared stress among Americans “startling.”  ”A full 87% say that the rise of prices on everyday items due to inflation is a significant source of stress.”  Beyond this, 84% of respondents felt the Russian invasion of the Ukraine is “terrifying to watch.”

Further, a Marist College Poll survey showed a majority of Americans are “concerned that America’s moral compass is pointed in the wrong direction.”  “Some 72% of Americans say the nation’s moral compass is pointed in the wrong direction, while only 22% say it’s pointed the right way.” Among Christians, 74% agree that the nation is moving in the wrong direction morally, while 69% of those who don’t practice a religion agree.

The APA believes that “living through historic threats like these often has a lasting, traumatic impact on generations.” They feel it is important to “provide help to everyone who needs it” and suggest “evidence-based treatment.”  However, the Marist Poll also found that “some 79% of Americans reported turning to their family for moral guidance, including 83% of Christians.  The report notes that “Americans actually find themselves looking to family more often than religious teachings when looking for sources of moral guidance.”

My interpretation of these conclusions suggests help comes from two primary sources: “healthcare professionals” and family.  Family points in the direction of trusted relationships and community. My contention is that in the days to come, those committed to Jesus and his kingdom will need strong communities of faith to remain strong in their convictions and witness.

I cannot stress how important it is for any man who is still living a “lone ranger” spirituality to realize how much he needs a believing community.  It is vital for your family as well.  You will need to band together with other believing families to withstand the opposition you will be facing.  It is going to get darker.  We will need to be surrounded by “children of light.” “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light…” (see Eph. 5:8-10). 

I personally sense the stress level rising in our nation.  Anxiety increases as people realize they are being lied to by the dominant cultural narrative.   People are confused by “misinformation.”  “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Is. 5:20).   The Lord is saying, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph. 5:14).

Sleepwalkers avoid the truth, while being swayed by deception.  Jesus said, “whoever lives by the truth comes into the light” (John 3:21).  Those asleep are being influenced by false prophets, who say all the right things to enhance a false narrative of unreality.  Jesus warned us of this danger: “Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity.  Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other.  Don’t be impressed with charisma: look for character” (Matt. 7:15-16 – Message).  

“Walk by the light you have,” Jesus reminds us, “so darkness doesn’t destroy you.  If you walk in darkness, you don’t know where you’re going.  As you have the light, believe in the light.  Then the light will be within you and shining through your lives.  You’ll be children of light” (John 12:35-36 – Message).  My advice, surround yourself with “children of light.”

Recently, I ran across an article that prompted me to say, “This author expresses my very sentiments about masculinity and femininity.”  “Endangered Words” by Diane Woerner is such an article. She writes about “the price we’re paying for vanishing masculinity and femininity.”  What a joy to find a relatively unknown author expressing so clearly and passionately the importance of masculinity and femininity.  Her words are a breath of fresh air for my male soul.  You can read them at www.salvomag.com. 

Woerner writes, “We live in a bizarre world where we’re told that we can choose whatever sexual identity we like…but behind this, there is the quiet but insistent message that classical masculinity is toxic and classical femininity is really masculinity restrained.”  She has come to believe that “few words are as maligned and yet as precious as masculinity and femininity…we are being deceived into thinking these words are ours to refashion however we will.”

Woerner write that she wants to shout from the mountaintops, “These words don’t belong to us!  They belong to our Creator!” But in our day these very words are “being dismantled.” “Human sexuality needs to be viewed with God at the center, not ourselves. How does God view sexuality, not how we would want to redefine it in our own terms.”  She expresses a profound truth in simple terms when she says, “men can actually be both masculine and feminine” – the same for women.  “Masculinity and femininity are essentially defined “by their roles or assignments.” Both find their “fullest sense” in each other.  

Going deeper, Woerner writes, “The Bible clearly describes Christ as masculine, [but] his church as feminine…God intends the proper relationship between human husbands and wives to serve as a visible representation of the divine/human relationship.”  She gives the following example: “Men are masculine in their relationship with their wives but feminine in their relationship with Christ.  Women are feminine in relationship to both their husbands and Christ, but masculine in their relationship with their young children.” 

Woerner’s hope is that her “thoughts and ideas might seep deeply into your mind and heart, not only to give you some defense against the lies, but also to provide a more solid grounding as you…accept your assignment as a man and woman and thereby discover the joy of becoming aligned with the amazing design of our wise and good Creator.”   

C.S. Lewis has reminded us that “gender is a reality and a more fundamental reality than sex.  Sex is, in fact, merely the adaptation to organic life of a fundamental polarity which divides all created beings.”  Gender, masculine and feminine, have a transcendent nature that points to God, who (as Leanne Payne wrote) is so masculine that we are all feminine in relation to Him.  

I intend to fight for the biblical validity of these words (masculine and feminine).  My masculine soul began to be renewed and restored when I first began to digest Payne’s teaching on the masculine soul.  

Two observations from Woerner’s article continue to motivate me to be a voice crying out in our dysfunctional culture wilderness.  The first is that every man has both masculine and feminine tendencies within himself.  While the masculine, being proactive is more prominent, each man also needs to learn how to respond (feminine) to the voice of God, that is, being tough and tender, or being a lion and lamb.  

Secondly, husbands and wives serve “as a visible representation of the divine/human relationship” (see Eph. 5:31-32).  Men, this is where the real spiritual work takes place.  May God help us to live out this relationship with our wives. 

An unattached male is a young man who is either single or divorced. With today’s focus usually on helping young women flourish, unattached males are not faring well in modern American culture.  David French in The Dispatch recently sounded the alarm about this segment of our population. Quoting Patrick T. Brown he noted, “The opioid epidemic is hammering single and divorced men. Over 35,000 prime-age single men died of drug-related causes in 2020, a 35% increase from ’19.”  

Further, French cited a Wall Street Journal article detailing the immense and increasing education gap between American men and women: “At the close of the 2020-21 academic year, women made up 59.5% of college students, an all-time high, and men 40.5%…U.S. colleges and universities had 1.5 million fewer students compared with five years ago, and men accounted for 71% of the decline.”  

Beyond disproportionately high opioid overdoses and declining college enrollment numbers, men commit suicide almost four times more often than women.  They’re also losing close friends at a higher rate than women.  In light of this, French asks whether “gender-specific cultural or policy changes” exist to “help repair the terrible (and often deadly) damage done to young men.”   

French wonders how we can help younger men find their way even as we intensely debate the question of what it means to be a man.  Remember that the American Psychological Association declared that “traditional masculinity ideology” marked by “stoicism, competitiveness, dominance, and aggression” is harmful to boys and men.  French uses this to make a case for the channeling of these tendencies in men as virtues. “Healthy masculinity,” French suggests, “seeks to channel these characteristics (which are often, but not exclusively, found in young men) towards virtue and away from vice.”  

Then French makes this observation – which I want to quote in full, because it is worth pondering as grown men wanting to influence the lives of younger men:  “…You’re not asking boys to reject their nature, nor are you asking them to indulge their impulses. Instead, the process of character formation shapes a young man from the inside out, to make the very best of who they are. And then, ideally, as a boy grows into a man, he connects his virtue to a sense of purpose – a calling into which he pours his energy and effort.”  

French makes a very telling comment when he observes that there are two jobs that only men can fill: “Only a man can be a husband. Only a man can be a father.  And those jobs have a purpose and meaning that transcends the purpose and meaning of virtually any profession or career…two of the most important purposes that any person can pursue are right there, in front of them, and theoretically available to the vast majority of America’s men.”

Men, that is the challenge: it is our task to raise up the next generation of young men who love God and desire to serve him.  We can’t leave it to the government, or to social engineers who keep their focus primarily on needs of young girls.  Yes, girls need help too.  But who is going to come to rescue of young men?  Don’t expect your wife or your mother to do that.  “YOU ARE THE MAN.”

I am past my prime.  But I write this blog to influence men younger than myself.  I cry out with the words of Psalm 78:18, “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”   

The last chapters of Isaiah (40-66) are addressed to the people of God in exile. Today, believers in our nation are waking up to the reality of the church being in exile. If not exile, we could certainly say “in a strange land” as we witness followers of Jesus being marginalized as enemies in the cultural narrative.  Peter’s words seem to ring true, “I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” (I Peter 2:11). I encourage men to view themselves as aliens passing through a foreign and hostile land.

Earlier chapters of Isaiah 40-66 can be an encouragement as we sojourn with Jesus through “occupied land.” Chapter 42 begins with God’s assurance of deliverance for his people.  Isaiah declares, “The Lord will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies” (Is 42:13).  When God appears as a warrior, the victory of God over evil is assured.  Men, don’t be fooled by modern-day political correctness; God is a warrior who will finally set matters straight.

One day soon God will break his silence. “For a long time, I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back.  But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant” (Is. 42:14).  “He had not made an appearance as a warrior for a long time, but that is about to change.  He is about to give birth to his righteous anger toward the enemy of his people” (CSB Study Bible).   

All of creation will be impacted by God’s appearance as a warrior.  No obstacle in society can stand in his way.  Amid this eruption God will miraculously lead his people through some turbulent times.  The Message says, “I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see where they’re going.  I’ll be right there to show them what road to take, make sure they don’t fall into the ditch.  These are the things I’ll be doing for them – sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute” (Is 42:16).  “This means that their worst fears – that God has either abandoned them or is helpless to come to their aid – are groundless” (Isaiah – Oswalt). 

Isaiah then gives this reminder: “But those who invested in the no-gods are bankrupt – dead broke” (Is. 42:17 – Message).  Men, we need to ask what the “no-gods” are that our culture trusts in for the future.  We are asked to trust in various institutions, ideologies, technologies, government policies, etc. All these, Isaiah reminds us, will fail. Our hope lies in Jesus and His kingdom. We will be considered a “remnant”; those who have separated themselves from foreign occupation.

Our great hope in the days to come, whether we can consider ourselves in exile or simply living in a strange land, is knowing God will one day be aroused and come forth as judge of all the earth. “Our God comes and will not be silent, a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. He summons the heavens above, and the earth that he may judge his people” (Psalm 50:3-4). 

Lest we think God does not care, Psalm 50:21 tells us, “While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care.  But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.”  Men, be vigilant during this polarized time.  God is about to act.    

Recently, while walking in the hallway of our apartment building, a widow had displayed outside her apartment a plaque which read, “God has not forgotten you.”  It caught my attention.  My wife and I continually ask the Lord for grace to be light for Jesus in our apartment building.  Among the many issues we sense among seniors is loneliness, especially those who have lost their mates.  As I walk by the various apartments, I often pray for the Lord’s presence to be with those who live there.

In our community of seniors, we live with the ever present reality of “nearing the eternal shore.”  We talk about “Jesus coming” not only in  his second coming, but also of his taking us home.  When people feel isolated , forgotten by their loved ones, a sense of abandonment can invade their hearts. It can cause doubt about God’s loving presence. They need to be encouraged that “Jesus will carry them” home as they near their final home.

At  our Thursday bible study, I shared the words from the plaque Miriam had on display, along with the following passage from Isaiah 49:15-16, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”  

The NET bible makes this comment about the passage.  “The Lord has an innate attachment to Zion, just like a mother does for her infant child.  But even if mothers were to suddenly abandon their children, the Lord would never forsake Zion.  In other words, the Lord’s attachment to Zion is like a mother’s attachment to her infant child, but even stronger.”  

Men, I don’t know where you are on your journey.  You could be experiencing loneliness, feeling forsaken, living in a disconnected culture without nurturing human relationships, not having a sense of belonging.  Jesus calls us a “little flock.”  He is aware of our vulnerable. But he promises his presence (the kingdom).  “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).  He knows our sense of being forsaken in this confused world causing us to wonder if anyone cares.  The Psalmist declared, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me” (Ps 27:10)

Men, there will be times when you will feel abandoned on your journey.  Here is a wonderful promise from Isaiah. “When you go though rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.  When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Is. 43:2).  The Application Bible has this note, “If you try to make it with your own strength, you will likely drown.  If you invite the Lord go with you, he will be in the river with You and teach you how to navigate the treacherous waters”

My encouragement is to keep your eyes on Jesus and let him carry you.  The psalmist describes the journey in these words.   “Happy are the people whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a source of spring water; even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings”(Ps 84:5-6 CSB).   

We grow stronger when the journey is intently toward Jesus, even though we must pass through “the valley of affliction” (NET).  “The joyful tears of the pilgrims transformed the source of sadness and grief into a spring of blessing” (CSB Study Bible).  

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists recently announced that the position of the “doom’s day” clock will remain where it has been – at 100 seconds to midnight.  “The doorstep of doom is no place to loiter,” the Bulletin noted in explaining its decision.  The clock was created 75 years ago to alert Americans to the danger of nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union.  It was intended to “frighten men into rationality” said Eugene Rabinowitch, a biologist and the first editor of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

There is some reassurance knowing the position of the clock remains the same.  But all indications point to a world that is more uncertain about the future than ever before.  I thought of the Old Testament prophets warning Israel of the “Day of the Lord.”  This is “a special day at the end of time when God’s will and purpose for mankind and His world will be fulfilled.” (Nelson Bible Dictionary).  Since Jesus conquered death and the devil, that day has be seen as an instantaneous event when Christ will return victorious and reign on the earth.

The earliest recording of the Day of the Lord is found in Amos 5:18: “What sorrow awaits you who say, ‘If only the day of the Lord were here.’  That day will bring darkness, not light.”  On that day, God will finally make things right on the earth.  Paul warned the Thessalonians of the day of the Lord: “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (II Thess. 5:1-2).  

The folks who developed the “doomsday clock” have no idea when the end will take place. They seem to assume they possess some knowledge of what might be on the horizon, allowing them to predict the future – all the while ignoring the One who really controls the clock.  Isaiah warned of thinking we can hide our intentions from the Lord. “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, ‘Who sees us? Who will know?'” (Is. 29:15).   

Long before God’s people were led out of captivity by Cyrus, Isaiah spoke of Cyrus as “my shepherd.”  “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say to Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt’, and of the temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid'” (Is. 44:28).  God declared his intentions to use unusual means to liberate his people from captivity.  He was reminding the people of his sovereign rule in history.

God challenged those in authority , during Isaiah’s time, to come up with a plan for the future: “Take the stand on behalf of your idols, offer arguments, assemble reasons.  Spread out the facts before us so that we can assess them ourselves.  Ask them, ‘If you are gods, explain what the past means – or, failing that, tell us what will happen in the future” (Is. 41:22-23 – Message). 

Several months have passed since I first drafted this blog.  Now as I review it, there is serious speculation about the use of nuclear weapons because of Vladimir Putin’s frustration with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  It is a sober reminder of instability of  our world and the wishful thinking of those who speak about peace.  Jeremiah warns us when he said, “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14). 

World Magazine recently ran a two-part series of an interview Pastor Tim Keller gave to senior reporter Sophia Lee.  Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, is one of the leading evangelical pastors in the nation.  He is especially known for his outreach to the unchurched in secular New York.  He has learned to communicate with a skeptical post-Christian culture, and I have personally profited from his insights.

During the interview Keller was asked, “Do you see the world’s culture as becoming increasingly hostile toward Christian values (or perhaps it’s just always been hostile)?”  Keller replied, “Absolutely, yes, the culture is more hostile to Christianity.  Whether speaking of the academy, the media, government, business, popular entertainment, the arts, or social media – our culture is growing more hostile toward Christian beliefs and values.  It is not the same as it has always been.”

Keller then provided some insight on how to respond to this hostility: “First, repent for the ways Christians’ inconsistent lives have harmed the Church’s credibility. Second, love your neighbor as yourself. Third, let people know you are a believer – don’t hide it. Fourth, make sure you are not harsh or clumsy in your words (be sure it’s the gospel that offends and not you).  And last, don’t be afraid of persecution. Jesus promises to be with you.” 

After reading the interview, I thought of John 12:37-43, where John quotes Isaiah in response to people not believing in Jesus – even though he had done miraculous signs in their presence.  “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn – and I would heal them” (v. 40).  The Good News divides.

There were leaders, however, who came to believe in Jesus. “But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue” (v. 42).  Then come the fateful words: “…for they loved praise from men more than praise from God” (v. 43).  It was entrenched religious resistance in the skeptical Jewish community that finally led to our Lord’s death. If I had been in that religious crowd, I fear I might have been a “fellow traveler” afraid to go public in my confession of Jesus as Lord.

What is your experience as a follower of Jesus?  Do you sense more hostility to Jesus and His message today?  Nowhere in the gospels do we have the promise that it will be easy to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus tells us, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).  

When speaking of the end of the age, Jesus told his disciples, “All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life” (Luke 21:17-18).  Toward the end of Matthew, Jesus warned us, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:12).

We need an attitude check. We might have had an easy road to travel in the past, but now we are facing harder times.  The road is rockier and more dangerous.  Pastor Keller has been a beacon of truth in hostile, secular New York City.  We need to pay attention to his advice.    

After experiencing a vision of God’s holiness, the prophet Isaiah responded to God’s call by saying “Here I am. Send me.” (Is. 6:8).  Then God told him, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely but learn nothing.’  Harden the hearts of these people.  Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing” (Is. 6:9-10). Isaiah would have an unwelcome reception as God’s spokesman.

Chapter 5 describes the spiritual condition of the people. God condemns sins of “exploiting others, drunkenness, taking pride in sin, confusing moral standards, being conceited and perverting justice” (Application Study Bible).  Because of these sins God had already punished the kingdom of Israel with destruction by Assyria.  Judah (to whom Isaiah was prophesying) would be next – if they did not repent. 

In verse 18, Isaiah gives a graphic picture of how people continue stubbornly in their sinful practices. “What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart!” Phillips translates as follows, “Woe to those who pull guilt down upon themselves with cords of wickedness and drag their sin along as if by a cart-rope.”

The people continued their sinful practices, while experiencing the consequences of their behavior: they were burdened and worn out in their narcissistic lifestyles. The Israelites were foolish enough to believe they could continue to sin even while they contemplated the possibility of divine intervention. They thought they could practice defiant behavior without fear of God interfering in their lives.  It seems we are doing the same thing today. With God removed from out national narrative, we can do as we please, giving only lip service to a God who seems far removed from the affairs of life. 

In verse 19, Isaiah describes the mocking of God. As they prospered in their sin, they did not believe God could judge them.  “What’s God waiting for? Let him get a move on so we can see it.  Whatever The Holy One of Israel has cooked up, we’d like to check it out” (Message).  The people were challenging God to make himself known by doing something – if he really was in control.  They were cynical towards any “moral standard” that implied consequences. In an attitude of disbelief and arrogance, they challenged God to act. 

With our defiant behavior, we could very well be challenging God in our day to bring his judgment.   Like the people of Judah – who kept on in their rebellious lifestyles, believing God would not bring judgment – we continually remove God from our affairs.   

God was warning the people through the words of the prophet not the justify their sinful lifestyle.  Isaiah’s warning in verse 20 has a very contemporary feel to it, especially when we are encouraged to believe a lie about what is sinful behavior. “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter” (Is. 5:20 NLT). 

With ever greater confusion and chaos regarding basic human behavior, could we be inviting and even experiencing the judgment of God?  When the statement, “I am a woman in a man’s body” becomes acceptable, we have come to believe the lie. 

Prayer for this week: Lord, help me to better see where I might be calling evil good and good evil – and to stand for your truth.