Reading: Isaiah 22-26
Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word (Is. 24:1-3).
Chapters 24 – 27 of Isaiah are often referred to collectively as Isaiah’s Apocalypse. Within these chapters, Isaiah addresses the Lord’s ultimate adjudication of mankind and the final, permanent removal of evil from His creation. Isaiah’s words are first intended for Judah, but the scope soon widens to include the whole of Israel and surrounding nations until they finally encompass the entire world. Christ Himself reaffirms the unwavering truth of Isaiah’s words in the Book of Revelation, chapters 6 – 19.
One of the first points that Isaiah sought to make was that when the day comes, earthly rank and privilege will be of no consequence. The priest, the master, the mistress, the seller, the lender, and the taker of usury (the money lender who charges interest) will face the same standard of judgment as the lay people, the servant, the maid, the buyer, and the borrower. For there is no respect of persons with God (Acts 2:11).
This simple, straightforward concept is one that many of today’s Christians seem to have trouble genuinely understanding. Even when we claim to believe that we are all equal in God’s sight, we stubbornly cling to our social standing as ‘proof’ of our inherent righteousness. We take pride in our accomplishments and possessions and look down upon those of lesser means, arrogantly believing that their life is a direct result of poor choices and a lack of effort. We honestly believe that the comfortable life we lead is God’s reward to us for a ‘job well done’ and that it ensures our place at God’s side come the day of judgment. Ironically, this was the belief of many of the inhabitants of Judah during the time of Isaiah. They took their prosperity and the prosperity of their nation to mean that God approved of their actions and lifestyles. They dismissed the warnings of Isaiah out of hand, believing themselves to be righteous and, therefore, exempt from the judgment of God.
God’s Word is clear: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (II Cor. 5:10). When we come before Christ, we will appear before Him stripped of all worldly standing. He will not care about our job, bank account, credit rating, or current address. He will not care if we are physically clean or dirty, well-dressed or in rags. The only thing that will matter is the state of our hearts. Do we stand before Him as His child, a faithful member of the body of Christ, or have we allowed ourselves to succumb to the self-deception of worldly righteousness? This is the question that every person ever born into this world will have to answer – there will be NO exceptions.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matt. 7:21).
Thought For Today:The world teaches that a person's value is determined by their wealth and social status; we are accepting the world's judgment over God's when we look up to some and down on others.
Christ Portrayed: By Eliakim, master of Hezekiah's household (Is. 22:20- 22); what was said of him is true of Christ who is Master over the household of faith. Christ . . . a Son over His own house; whose house are we (Heb. 3:6; Gal. 6:10).
Word Studies:22:1 valley of vision = Jerusalem; 22:2 stirs = shoutings; 23:13 raised up = destroyed; 24:7 mourneth = laments, sorrows; 24:15 fires = dawning light; 24:19 clean dissolved = split open; 24:23 ancients = elders; 26:7 weigh = make straight, lead in the right way.
Pray For Country: Uzbekistan (28,929,716) Central Asia • Major Languages: Uzbek, Russian • Limited religious freedom due to Islamic influence • 88% Muslim; 9% Eastern Orthodox; 3% Other • Prayer Suggestion: Ask the Lord to forgive your sins (Ps. 25:11).
Optional Readings:Hebrews 13