“For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.” (Isaiah 3:8–9, ESV)
What happened to Israel? What caused their demise? We know that the Lord permitted the Babylonians to conquer and deport them. Isaiah gives us some pertinent details. Israel stumbled because they defied and they rebelled against the Lord. They did this through their speech against the Lord and by violating His moral precepts. They forsook the Lord as a nation. Isaiah goes on to indicate that they were unashamed of their transgressions, even proclaiming them rather than trying to keep them secret. In so doing, “They have brought evil upon themselves.”
This event ought to shake every one of us today. How much different are the people of our society? Our national moral standards have morphed away from the standards of God’s word. This fact is undeniable. Not only have we morphed away from the biblical standards of morality, as a nation we seem proud of it. We have vacated biblical standards on murder, sexuality, and finance. Moreover, we have done so in national referendum.
How have we done these things at the national level? As a nation we have concluded that it is morally correct to take an innocent life through abortion. We have concluded in most of our states that proper sexual relationships are not just within the boundaries of marriage between one man and one woman. We have concluded that it is proper to be a national slave to other lending entities, running up the national debt to record levels. We as a nation have legislated positions that violate the moral precepts outlined in the Scriptures. It is not possible to study the Scriptures and conclude anything different. Moreover, at large, we seem proud of our position, claiming it is progressive, in keeping with the times. Thus, we are just like Israel, not hiding our sin.
The sad part of this is that many of those who call themselves Christian see nothing wrong with this. We have people at all levels of government who claim to be Christian and yet believe that the nation should function apart from the moral teachings of the Bible. A Barna report indicates that 60% of those who say they are born-again believers base their moral and ethical choices on something other than the Bible. This is frightening.
Where will this lead our country? I cannot predict what exactly will come of this departure from the precepts of God’s word. Yet in general, I can conclude that departing from the Lord and His moral precepts is not good and this is leading us on a dangerous path.
What shall we do? Well, this is an election year. Yet, this is not just a matter of voting. It is a matter of our hearts. We need to ask ourselves some questions. What do we support? As believers, have we somehow separated the national agenda from the principles of Scripture? Is it correct to do so? Is it wise to do so? How will this influence our nation on the long haul? We need to pray over these questions. It is time to consider the platform presented by the candidates. Are they supported biblically? As for me, I will not support the continuance of proclaiming our “sin like Sodom” for I believe it is the slippery slope that will “bring evil on” ourselves.
Renewing the Heart 