Friday 08 February 2008

Background

In the previousfive chapters of Isaiah, God has spoken through the prophet tothe whole nation of Israel, upholding the divine promise ofsalvation, but chapter 65 is somewhat different. God recognisesthat the nation is divided into those who are faithful and thosewho are not. The same situation exists today!

In the first seven verses God rebukes those who are rebellious -some break the Jewish laws and others worship idols. All such arewarned that God will punish them for their behaviour. However, Godrecognises that the ungodly cannot be punished without the faithfulbeing hurt, and so God determines to withhold punishment for thetime being. The ungodly are rescued by the godly - at least,temporarily (verses 8 to 12). But the time will come when theungodly will reap their destiny whilst those who have been faithfulto God will receive gifts of comfort and blessing (verses 13 to16).

The underpinning principle is that the evil are judged and punishedwhilst the good are blessed and rewarded. This strong biblical tackis one that has nourished and encouraged Christians the world overand sometimes enabled the poorest members of society to accepttheir poverty as a sign of God's approval. It may even militateagainst some seeking to improve their lot whilst being a cause ofdiscomfort to those who have so much.

When judgement comes will you be counted among those who hungerfirst for the things of God or for those things that make lifecomfortable and bearable?

To Ponder

Why do bad things still happen to good people?This is a classic question which many people ask and whereChristians (among others) struggle to find an answer. How would youstart to address the question - perhaps based on suffering you haveexperienced or witnessed?