“Oh, what a sinful nation they are— loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.” (Isaiah 1:4, NLT)
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At this point in our history, corruption seems almost endemic. You can’t get away from it. There is a trial of a Democratic senator in the United States that shows massive amounts of corruption of the political system. Money that was supposed to be used for war material in Ukraine has found its way into the pockets of political leaders. Opponents to President Putin of Russia keep dying off by poisoning and other murderous means. Food and supplies sent to help the Palestinians are not making it to the people but instead being sold on black markets. Tools that cost a few hundred dollars to make are being sold to the United States military for upwards of $90,000. This is all just in today’s news. Imagine what tomorrow will bring!
Then, you have the church news. The United Methodist Church is being torn apart by protests and counter-protests from its leadership supporting and affirming LBGTQ+ views, rights, rites, and programs. A pastor is being accused of manipulating his wife into her suicide in South Carolina. A woman pastor in England believes that Jesus is a woman. A woman pastor in the United States believes that Jesus treated women unfairly and was wrongly biased and preached so from the pulpit, condemning Jesus. A Christian university is being harassed by American government officials because it holds biblical beliefs. Genocide is happening as Muslims in Africa attempt to murder entire Christian groups while the media is told to keep it quiet. Corruption is not only found among Christians, but Christians are suffering from it every day.
You may think all this corruption is a sign of the end times. You may think it is proof that Jesus is coming back soon. However, this level of corruption has happened before. It occurred in the time of Isaiah, the prophet.
Larry Richards commented on the corruption in the days of Isaiah. He wrote:
“When Isaiah began his ministry in Judah, around 739 B.C, both Hebrew kingdoms were prosperous and powerful. Yet Isaiah, like his northern contemporaries, Amos and Hosea, was deeply concerned over evidence of spiritual deterioration. Prosperity saw the development in each kingdom of a wealthy class, which victimized the less fortunate. The court system, which relied on honest judges and truthful witnesses, was corrupted to serve the rich and powerful. Religion was increasingly a matter of ritual observance; less and less a matter of love for the Lord.
During Isaiah’s life, then, Judah gradually declined from wealth and relative military strength to vulnerability. Isaiah’s listeners’ failure to heed his words, and their continued indifference to the Lord, sealed the fate the nation would experience when it was invaded, not by Assyria but by Babylon.
Isaiah’s Judah was very much like 20th-century America. Both nations were marked by prosperity and power. Yet in each the fabric of society was strained by moral decline and materialism. The very existence of such forces in society testifies to the superficiality of religion, and no superficial religion can save a nation from disaster.” (p. 405-410, The 365 Day Devotional Commentary).
In the scripture today from Isaiah 1:4, you can envision the situation in Judah and Israel. Isaiah, the prophet, wrote that the “sinful nation” of Judah was loaded down with “guilt”. The people had become “evil”. The children of God had become “corrupt”, “turning their backs” on the Lord. I want you to understand something from this verse of the Bible that relates to the present day. Where there is “evil”, there will be “corruption”. Where there is “corruption”, the people will have “turned their backs on the Lord”. These three things go hand in hand. You cannot have evil without corruption. You won’t have corruption unless people turn their backs on the Lord. Whether it is a nation’s political life, religious life, or with individuals; evil, corruption, and turning one’s back on the Lord all develop together.
How does this affect you? First, make sure evil, corruption, and a turning your back on God never occur. If you find yourself slipping in one area, you must repent immediately before guilt and evil take over. If you discover any group or organization or nation you are in has any form of evil, corruption, or apostasy, do what you can to fight it. Stand up for Jesus. Keep faithful. Do not be ashamed of your faith. Speak the truth like did Isaiah. Don’t backslide in your love of God and service to others.
It is all too easy for evil to gain a foothold in your life. It only takes one lapse of judgment for corruption to be allowed in your midst or done at your discretion. Then, it is only a matter of time before you turn your back on Jesus who died to save you.
“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12, NLT)
Then, you have the church news. The United Methodist Church is being torn apart by protests and counter-protests from its leadership supporting and affirming LBGTQ+ views, rights, rites, and programs. A pastor is being accused of manipulating his wife into her suicide in South Carolina. A woman pastor in England believes that Jesus is a woman. A woman pastor in the United States believes that Jesus treated women unfairly and was wrongly biased and preached so from the pulpit, condemning Jesus. A Christian university is being harassed by American government officials because it holds biblical beliefs. Genocide is happening as Muslims in Africa attempt to murder entire Christian groups while the media is told to keep it quiet. Corruption is not only found among Christians, but Christians are suffering from it every day.
You may think all this corruption is a sign of the end times. You may think it is proof that Jesus is coming back soon. However, this level of corruption has happened before. It occurred in the time of Isaiah, the prophet.
Larry Richards commented on the corruption in the days of Isaiah. He wrote:
“When Isaiah began his ministry in Judah, around 739 B.C, both Hebrew kingdoms were prosperous and powerful. Yet Isaiah, like his northern contemporaries, Amos and Hosea, was deeply concerned over evidence of spiritual deterioration. Prosperity saw the development in each kingdom of a wealthy class, which victimized the less fortunate. The court system, which relied on honest judges and truthful witnesses, was corrupted to serve the rich and powerful. Religion was increasingly a matter of ritual observance; less and less a matter of love for the Lord.
During Isaiah’s life, then, Judah gradually declined from wealth and relative military strength to vulnerability. Isaiah’s listeners’ failure to heed his words, and their continued indifference to the Lord, sealed the fate the nation would experience when it was invaded, not by Assyria but by Babylon.
Isaiah’s Judah was very much like 20th-century America. Both nations were marked by prosperity and power. Yet in each the fabric of society was strained by moral decline and materialism. The very existence of such forces in society testifies to the superficiality of religion, and no superficial religion can save a nation from disaster.” (p. 405-410, The 365 Day Devotional Commentary).
In the scripture today from Isaiah 1:4, you can envision the situation in Judah and Israel. Isaiah, the prophet, wrote that the “sinful nation” of Judah was loaded down with “guilt”. The people had become “evil”. The children of God had become “corrupt”, “turning their backs” on the Lord. I want you to understand something from this verse of the Bible that relates to the present day. Where there is “evil”, there will be “corruption”. Where there is “corruption”, the people will have “turned their backs on the Lord”. These three things go hand in hand. You cannot have evil without corruption. You won’t have corruption unless people turn their backs on the Lord. Whether it is a nation’s political life, religious life, or with individuals; evil, corruption, and turning one’s back on the Lord all develop together.
How does this affect you? First, make sure evil, corruption, and a turning your back on God never occur. If you find yourself slipping in one area, you must repent immediately before guilt and evil take over. If you discover any group or organization or nation you are in has any form of evil, corruption, or apostasy, do what you can to fight it. Stand up for Jesus. Keep faithful. Do not be ashamed of your faith. Speak the truth like did Isaiah. Don’t backslide in your love of God and service to others.
It is all too easy for evil to gain a foothold in your life. It only takes one lapse of judgment for corruption to be allowed in your midst or done at your discretion. Then, it is only a matter of time before you turn your back on Jesus who died to save you.
“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12, NLT)