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"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for
light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for
bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their
own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to
mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the
righteousness of the righteous from him." (Isa. 5:20-23).
The setting for this prophetic passage is 8th Century B.C. ancient Israel; specifically the kingdom of Judah. God is upbraiding the children of Jacob for their wholehearted rejection of His covenant with them. These descendents of Abraham had received a precious gift from Jehovah. "...to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises." (Rom. 9:4). But they squandered this blessing and became as pagan and immoral as their heathen neighbors. For their ungodliness Jehovah pronounces a series of woes upon them. In the year 586 B.C. their time was up. God sent the Babylonians against them. Their capital city of Jerusalem, along with Solomon's temple, was destroyed and much of the population sent off into exile. All of this should sound familiar to us. Our nation once declared itself to be a "Christian nation" -- though no political entity will ever come close to that description. But its laws and customs did often have a Biblical underpinning. The signers of the Declaration of Independence and the framers of the U.S. Constitution understood the importance of religion and morality in society. I do not believe they would recognize the godless path our nation has taken in the past generation. It is a nation, like ancient Israel, which has lost its way. Only the Father of all nations can lead America out of the darkness it is in. We have all played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. The celebrant wanders around aimlessly because he is blindfolded. This is exactly the way Isaiah depicts the spiritual and moral dilemma of the ancient Jews. They had left the truth of God's word and were wandering around in darkness. Those who ridicule God and His word lead themselves into moral confusion, unable to discern right from wrong. "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?" (Prov.1:22). Many in America have chosen to leave the light of God's word and follow the darkness of their own moral ignorance. For example they oppose capital punishment but support a woman's "right to choose" (infanticide). The former is merely justice for the guilty by God's chosen instrument of justice (Rom.13:4). The latter is the murder of the unborn; the innocent. Can we expect God to remain silent when innocent blood is shed? "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." (Gen.9:6). America's moral confusion is also apparent in the prevailing attitude toward sexual immorality. Aided by the academic community and the entertainment industry, hedonists have turned community standards upside down. They encourage fornication, adultery and sexual perversion. In return, they receive Sexually Transmitted Diseases, such as AIDS (cf. Rom.1:27). When anyone even hints at Biblical morality -- abstinence and marital fidelity -- he is lambasted as a bigot and dangerous! Someone once said, "The worst deception is self-deception." The men of Judah had ridiculed the word of God (v. 19) and were morally confused (v. 20). Now all they had left was their own fallible wisdom. "Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him." (Prov.26:12). Twenty First Century America is no different. We trust in our own technological and intellectual prowess as our moral compass rather than the word of God. This has produced vanity and pride. We have failed to look into the moral mirror -- which is the Bible -- and see the sin which is in our souls. "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican." (Luke 18:11). What has caused this self-deception? One cause is our educational system which has thrown God out of the classroom and replaced Him with secular humanism and pluralism. Man is now considered the measure of all things. Another cause, going hand in hand with the educational system, is false science or the theory of evolution. It is false because it denies God the glory He deserves as Creator. It also makes man a mere animal with no more intrinsic value than a slug or a dog. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (Rev. 4:11). But the main cause of our self-deception is religious liberalism. Many of those claiming to be Christians no longer believe that the Bible is inspired and inerrant in all its parts. Instead of the light of God's lamp (Psa.119:105), they turn to a book of philosophy or meditation for spiritual and moral guidance. Instead of preaching obedience to God's word their preachers proclaim the false gospel of tolerance and inclusion (ie. tolerating what the Bible condemns and including in fellowship those who refuse to repent). Others who claim they believe in the Bible deny what it says about salvation, the church, worship and holy living. They replace it with subjectivism and the doctrines of men. "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." (1 Cor.1:18-19). Rather than dispensing justice the judges of ancient Israel were adept at mixing wine. Their addiction to sin caused them to accept bribes, a sin which was particularly abominable to Jehovah (Ex. 32:8). They had forgotten, or at least disregarded, God's law of justice and mercy. They had traded it for winebibbing. I once saw an editorial cartoon which showed an enormous tank marked alcohol connected by a hose to the Congress of the United States of America. It implied that booze is what influences many decisions made in Washington, D.C. Only the Lord knows how many deals have been struck over legislation using alcohol as a lubricant! And this is no surprise. Our society has pickled itself with alcohol and drugs. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." (Prov.20:1). There is only one way out of the woes that America has brought upon itself. It must repent and return to the God of the Bible. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up (James 4:10). There will be no more moral confusion, self-deception or perversion of justice with the Bible as one's standard. It is the only way out of moral confusion, self-deception and injustice. In the New Testament of the Bible we can read and learn of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Obedience to that Gospel can blast sin out of our lives (Rom.1:16), place us on the path to heaven, and help us to live hope-filled lives which glorify God and uplift our communities. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." (Titus 2:11,12). |