|
There is an old picture of three monkeys sitting side by side. Their
names are See no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil. It is not
clear where they originated but the admonition is clear - avoid evil.
Q: For those of you who have had children - what do you do when you tell your
child what not to do and they do it anyway?
Q: What does it feel like when they no longer recognize your authority?
What happens when a church or a religious organization participates in evil?
The prophet Isaiah brought a message from the LORD about the worship of the people of Israel.
They no longer recognized God's authority. Even in the southern kingdom of Judah,
their worship had become corrupt.
They "come near to me with their mouth ... but their hearts are far from me"
(29:13). They were like the three monkeys - only their names
were See no God, Speak no God, and hear no God.
Israel - the northern kingdom - never had a godly king/spiritual leader.
These people went into a downward spiral away from God after separating from
Judah - the southern kingdom.
Judah, on the other hand, had some godly kings/spiritual leaders. They
went through cycles of rebellion and renewal but eventually succumbed to the
rebellious path as did the northern kingdom, Israel.
In this promised land, the people were to represent God to the world, a holy
nation and a literal "kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6).
Isaiah is declaring the LORD's judgment and predictions regarding the people
of Israel - in this passage, he specifically focuses on the southern kingdom,
Judah, and the people of Jerusalem as their representatives.
At this point, Isaiah is prophesying regarding the root problems that God saw
with this "unholy" nation:
Root Problem #1 - Man-made worship
13
The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
14
Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish." (Isaiah
29:13-14, NIV)Q: Which monkey represents the
Israelites here?
The people of Jerusalem had discovered the secret of the northern
kingdom's spiritual life: make up your own "god."
The LORD said: "Their worship of
me is made up only of rules taught
by men." (Isaiah 29:13b, NIV). Write
the rules of worship yourself - ignore the clear commands of the one
true God. This was not a problem for just the 8th century -
Jesus quoted this very passage about the religious leaders of His
day. They were criticizing Jesus for breaking their religious
traditions while ignoring worship and service to the one true God
(Matthew 15:8-9).
What kind of "god" would you create if you chose to write your
own rules? How about:
- A "god" who doesn't tell me what to do.
- A "god" who doesn't mind if I don't listen to his
advice.
- A "god" who doesn't mind if I do what he says even
though I don't mean it.
- A "god" who rewards me even when I fail to obey
him/her/it.
- A "god" who lets me figure out my own solutions to
problems and resolve it my way.
- A "god" who changes his rules when they become
inconvenient for me.
The problem with this silly exercise is that we treat the one
true God just like this - not listening to His advice, expecting
rewards even as we are being disobedient to Him, trying to do life
without Him, and changing His rules to suit our own desires.
When we do these things, we have created our own "god" to worship as
we please. And we are no better than the people of Jerusalem
in this respect.
We need to be careful when we study the prophetic books of the
Old Testament. It is easy to lapse into a judgmental attitude
toward "those rebellious Israelites." The truth, the painful
truth, is that we are quite often just like them.
The Israelites created man-made worship. But God wants
"true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the
Father seeks" (John 4:23, NIV).
Q: What is God's purpose for true worship?
- God longs for an intimate relationship with you.
- He wants
you to know Him the way He knows you.
- He wants to "do life"
with you.
But if your heart is not open to Him - filled
instead with your own pleasures and priorities - you cannot worship
Him.
As the nation of Israel was first established, they made a
strong commitment to the LORD. Near the end of his life as the
spiritual leader of this new nation, Joshua challenged the
Israelites to choose which "god" they would serve:
16
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to
forsake the LORD to serve other gods!
17
It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and
our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of
slavery, and performed those great signs before our
eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and
among all the nations through which we traveled.
18
And the LORD drove out before us all the nations,
including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We
too will serve the LORD, because he is our God."
19
Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to
serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous
God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your
sins.
20
If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he
will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end
of you, after he has been good to you." 21
But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve
the LORD." (Joshua
24:16-21, NIV)
Isaiah's prophetic word came at a low point in the spiritual life of a people
who belonged to God! After affirming their intense
commitment to serve the LORD no matter what, they had
rejected Him, rejected His word, and created their own
rules for worship.
How would you characterize your worship of the one true God?
Now we are not talking about a worship service but your devotion and
service to the LORD Jesus? Is your heart in it or are you just
"coasting" through life? Jesus never coasted a day in His life
on Earth nor a moment in eternity. If your commitment to the
LORD has degenerated into half-hearted worship, is it time to repent
and renew your love for Him? After all, the LORD
"...has been good to you" (Joshua
24:20, NIV).
Q: Will God ever reject you if you turn back to Him for
forgiveness?
Here is the wonderful thing about our God - if you turn back to
Him in humility, He will lovingly embrace you. God will not
reject you no matter how far you have strayed.
"but if you
return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people
are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring
them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name."
(Nehemiah 1:9, NIV).
Root Problem #2 - Living as though God does not exist
15 Woe
to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?" 16 You
turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"? (Isaiah 29:15-16, NIV)
Q: Which monkey represents the Israelites now?
There is a game we play as children. Putting our hands over
our eyes we say, "You can't see me!" However, just because we cannot see anything does not mean
that nothing is there. Just because we think we are acting in secret
does not mean that God is in any way limited in what He sees. The
Israelites were "doing their work in darkness" (Isaiah 29:15,
NIV) - in secret they were
making plans. The secret was that they did not include God in the plans.
Somehow, the people of God thought they could manage their lives just fine
without God. "Who sees us? Who
will know?" (Isaiah 29:15, NIV) they pondered.
Q: Why would the Israelites act this way? After all...
- God had delivered their ancestors from slavery in Egypt.
- God had performed countless miracles in prior years.
- God brought them into the land and conquered superior enemies
for them.
The answer is found in verse 16: they rejected the idea of a Creator
God. If there is no Creator God, then there is no authority over your
life. You can live as though God does not exist.
Q: What are the consequences you see when people live as though God does not
exist?
- Murder, divorce, abortion, drunkenness, lying, cheating,
stealing, etc.
Q: Are there any good consequences of living this way?
Q: Then why live this way?
- In John 3:19-20, Jesus tells us the reason:
19This is
the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness
instead of light because their deeds were evil.
20Everyone
who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for
fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20, NIV)
The people of Judah faced great danger from Assyria's mighty army.
Rather than seek help from the Almighty God, they decided to seek an
alliance with Egypt - the country that had been their enemy and had
enslaved them for 400 years.
1 "Woe to
the obstinate children," declares the LORD, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; 2 who go
down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge. 3 But
Pharaoh's protection will be to your shame, Egypt's shade will bring you disgrace.
(Isaiah 30:1-3, NIV)
That was a dumb idea. Living as though God does not exist is a
dumb way to live. Making decisions without His guidance usually
turns out very bad for us:
- A few years ago I made a bad financial decision. On
my own I reasoned it out and made some transactions that could have
been extremely costly. But the LORD brought me to my senses
and so I sought godly counsel - first from my wife and then from a
trusted friend in the accounting business. Fortunately the
problem was able to be corrected.
Consider whether you have been making plans without God. Think
about any major decisions in the last few months: a job, a new car
or large purchase, vacation, school, issues with children, issues with
parents:
- Did you pray about it?
- Did you ask for godly advice from trusted friends?
- Did you seek God's will?
We must make plans intentionally including God in the process -
seeking His will will take us on the right road.
Root Problem #3 -
Cherry-picking God's word
9 These are
rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction.
10 They
say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.
11
Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"
(Isaiah 30:9-11, NIV)Q: Which monkey represents the
Israelites now?
It was not enough to follow man-made worship and live as though God did not
exist. Now they are telling God's prophets, "talk to the hand!"
- I broke my hand earlier this year. At first I just
thought is was a bad sprain. But the x-ray was conclusive.
I told the doctor, "I have never broken a bone before!" The
doctor smiled and said, "Well, you know, as you get older ..."
"Stop," I said, "talk to the hand!"
- I simply did not want to hear the truth at that point.
Like the Israelites, my attitude was, "Just lie to me, make me feel
better."
They wanted to hear "pleasant
things" not "what is
right" (Isaiah 30:10, NIV). They were fine hearing
about God's blessings but not a confrontation with His holiness.
Q: Was this just a problem for the 8th century or is it always a
potential spiritual trap?
- Thomas Jefferson decided he would not believe the
miracles in the Bible. So he literally took scissors to
the pages and cut out any reference to a supernatural event -
including the resurrection of Jesus.
- I preached at a church east of Atlanta. My
first sermon was on God's goodness. They invited me back.
Then I preached on God's holiness. Never heard from them
again.
You cannot be selective about God's word. You either
believe the Bible is what it claims to be - the word of the
Almighty God, Creator of all things, Savior of all people - or
just do not believe any of it. The word of God is a
unified whole that cannot be taken apart:
- For whoever
keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is
guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10, NIV)
-
36"Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
37Jesus
replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind.'
38This
is the first and greatest commandment.
39And
the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
40All
the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
(Matthew 22:36-40, NIV)
Q: How does selective belief of portions of God's
word affect how you live?
- compromise, downward spiral
- The sin nature in each one of us is corrupt
(Romans 7:18) and is a corrupting influence (Ephesians
4:22-24)
Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit dwelling
within us, and our humble obedience to His will, we
would become utterly useless to the kingdom of God.
Q: Is it possible to believe and live the whole
word of God?
- With God all things are possible (Matthew
19:26)
- Jesus said the wise man is the one who
hears and puts into practice His words (Matthew
7:24-27). Like a house built on a rock, your
life will withstand the storms of trouble when you
believe and live the word of God.
Solution #1 - Return to the LORD for salvation and rest
There were three root causes of Israel's spiritual downfall as a
nation - their certain path to destruction. But there is only
one solution: return to the LORD for salvation and rest.
15 This is
what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. 16 You
said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift! 17 A
thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill." 18 Yet
the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
(Isaiah 30:15-18, NIV)
Q: What do these words mean to you?
- Repentance --> a change of heart or
change of mind that will change your life
- Rest --> not working, healing,
renewal of the body, mind, and spirit, depending
on God
- Quietness --> Listening to God
instead of speaking
I saw a picture one time of my mother and 3 of her sisters.
They were in a circle. All four of their
mouths were open, talking at the same time.
That's the opposite of quietness.
- Trust --> Believing God is God and
that He will do what He has promised - period,
no qualifications.
The Sovereign LORD - that is, the One who is
in charge of everything - says that in these
things (repentance, rest, quietness, trust) you
can find salvation and strength. It was
available to the Israelites and it is available
to you. Israel said "No!" to this path.
"Yet the LORD
longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show
you compassion" (Isaiah 30:18, NIV)
Think about this - what can you do to cause God
to stand up from His throne in Heaven?
This says He rises to show you compassion.
How great is our God indeed!
But if from there
you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if
you look for him with all your heart and with
all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29, NIV)
Q: How can you ensure you are trusting God in
times of great trouble or suffering?
- Continue to listen to Him by
studying His word
- Continue to pray
- Continue to praise Him in spite
of the tears and fears
These are truly the basics that we often
neglect in times of trouble. And they
are a sure path to spiritual victory!
Conclusion
Let us avoid the spiritual traps that
plagued the Israelites:
- Trust in the LORD Jesus and
Him alone.
- Live in the presence and
guidance of the LORD.
- Believe His words and carry
them out faithfully.
Listen and follow Him no matter the
circumstances for
"Blessed are all who wait for him!
(Isaiah 30:18, NIV).
|
