Isaiah 18 – 22
As I read through these chapters I see a bunch of prophetic visions concerning various nations of Isaiah’s time. Most are gone with little trace, but chapter 19 describes Egypt which remains, granted much different from the times of Pharaoh. Also, Jerusalem is described here also, which still remains in turmoil.
There is very little in that really caught my eye until reading the footnotes of the study Bible. Chapter 22 verses 1 & 2 really had a profound impact:
1 The oracle concerning the valley of vision.
What do you mean that you have gone up,
all of you, to the housetops,
2 you who are full of shoutings,
tumultuous city, exultant town?
Your slain are not slain with the sword
or dead in battle.
Isaiah is asking why these sinful people are partying and not repenting for their transgressions. Hear people are just ignoring God and living for the moment, which is the party.
How many times do we do this today? Many take this to an extreme and move the party to themselves, ignoring their issues. Sure it’s easier to drink your worries away than to actually deal with them, but I have found it’s often easier dealing with issues head on than washing them away in a bottle.
Notice the very last line of these verses? They do not get the luxury of dying quickly in an invasion. Their death will be a worse kind, either through famine, plague or self-destruction. As with the revelers, who numb their bodies to the destruction of excessive drinking until things start to fail and they die.
I take this as a warning today that we need to really adjust our direction and focus away from the temporal things. Our desire for stuff has overridden sound fiscal judgment, leaving us on a road to ruin. Can we correct in time? Time will tell but I can personally say that once I determined paying off debt is more important than enjoying life or debt is coming down! So turn the God and live by HIS principles.