Isaiah
23 – 28
Today is another day of digging into prophecies while trying
to determine if it’s pointing to times past or time ahead. Of course one always
has to question if this is just the way of mankind without any divine
influence. Think about it, extreme hardship and burden lead to cultural revolt,
which tends towards more freedom, to growth and prosperity, to comfort, to
complacency, to overburdened systems, to hardship. No nation has survived
without cycles like this. Look at communist China, the change started in Tiananmen
Square and is currently in a prosperous time.
It’s interesting how the message about Tyre could be applied
to many places in the world Verse 23:18 talks about Tyre being restored after
70 years, yet returning to their wicked ways:
But everything
Tyre earns—her profit, her goods—won’t be stored or saved: all will be devoted
to the Eternal; her stocks will supply all the food and fine clothing needed by
those who serve in the presence of the Eternal One.
This time the earnings will be moved towards
the people who serve God. Interestingly as I wrote this I thought of my example
about China. One could say this is what is happening with trade between us and
China. Because of their ways persecuting Christians, the Chinese are restored
as a trade country but their profits are being used for those that serve God or
the USA. Now if you read this you may have gagged, but I am not saying this is
the case but rather could be DISTORED to mean that.
Verses 24:5 & 6 almost make me wonder
if it’s not today they are talking about:
5 The
earth is polluted by those who live on it;
they
pay no attention to God’s teaching.
They
violate His directives and break the everlasting covenant.
6 Consequently, a nasty curse consumes
the earth,
and
those who inhabit it are to blame for it.
They’ll be burned up,
leaving
very few people to survive.
Think
of what “Climate Change” scientists are harping on! Our pollution will destroy
the world, and that is this prophecy. One has to wonder if this was meant for
today or for the city of Tyre around that time. Archeological digs imply this
happened, but again one must ask if hold some future since these verses seem
more general.
Verse
26:10 is interesting:
If grace is
extended to those who do wrong,
the
perpetrators never learn what is right.
Even when surrounded by upright people, they gravitate to evil
and
never even notice the awesome beauty of the Eternal.
As Christians we are focused on saved by
grace, but at the same time dismiss the punishment. Sure our eternal salvation
may be secured by grace, but does that mean we avoid the spanking that is due?
This implies NO! So although we are saved by grace we are not immune from
punishment or the resulting consequences.