Judgment
Day 313, Friday, June 20
Isaiah Chapters 3 – 5
Today we continue reading of the judgment to come on Jerusalem and Judah: a time of poverty and chaos.
Interwoven in the writing of judgment are two important themes.
One, spoken of beginning in 4:2, is that there is hope to look forward to beyond the pain and chaos: “In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.”
The other theme, more implied than stated most of the time, is that the prophesies of destruction are conditional: disobedience will lead to destruction, with the implied conclusion that obedience and faithfulness will prevent destruction.
Isaiah makes it clear that the destruction God is bringing is deserved. In the song of the vineyard in Chapter 5 he compares Judah to a vineyard planted with the choicest vines and great care that produces only bad fruit. God, the planter, rightly expected good fruit, but “he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.”
The reading has many examples of the people’s sin.
“The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it.”
“Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.”
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

Friday meditation

Proverbs 31:1-3
The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings.

Prayer focus
Lord, let us not call evil good or take pride in our sin.

-Rev. Mark Fleming