Isaiah 1
“Some want to live within the sound of Church or chapel bells; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” - - C.T Studd
Isaiah 1:16-17
“Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”
At the time of this passage the nations of Jerusalem and Judah were under great apostasy. The people of God had completely fallen into and embraced the pagan nations around them. As a result, they rejected the laws and protection of God, seeking after idols and morality of their own. The result of this was societal chaos.
Isaiah describes this judgement as the young oppressing the old, hands stained with blood, and the men of character and valor were nowhere to be found amongst them.
Nothing is new under the sun and history has shown through the ages that as societies reject the foundations of morality revealed from God this leads to nothing short of self destruction. As Paul tells us in Romans 1, this depravity once embraced is not only prevalent but given approval. I believe we as a nation have found ourselves in one of these seasons today.
The ever growing lack of respect for human life and property is becoming more and more normalized and glorified by the secular culture that surrounds us. But all through these seasons, the God of Justice and Mercy calls His people to repent and turn to Him. Vs 16-17 above show us that God cares for His people at an intimate level not only for their souls but also in the fruit of their lives amongst the societies they find themselves in.
As Christian Oath takers, living in times as these we have an opportunity to not just love in word but by our actions and professions. Romans 13 lays down the foundation that as a righteous hand of government we act as Gods representative on this side of eternity in the restraining of evil, for we do not bear the sword in vein.
But we also understand that the only thing that separates us from the brokenness of the fallen world we serve in is the grace of this merciful God who calls us. This same God who displayed the greatest act of Justice and Love on the cross as He bore and paid the price for the sin of His people. This same God cares for the down trotted and oppressed and we must use our God given authority with a daily respect.
A respect and humbleness that God called and redeemed us as broken people to now serve with our lives to protect others. May we embrace this and find comfort that our Sovereign God called us to such a time as this. May our service and profession reflect the grace that has been poured out on us. 1 Thessalonians 5 tells us that as the redeemed we are sons of light and day, not of darkness.
Our interactions with others should show this. May we have the fortitude to be lethal when we must be lethal, merciful when we are called to show mercy and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us to know the difference.
“Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God’s majesty.” – John Calvin
James Doyle 1L35 ~October 2023~