“For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger, though you make them grow on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain.” (Isaiah 17:10–11, ESV)
Isaiah gives another oracle concerning Damascus, speaking of its destruction (v1).
“An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.” (Isaiah 17:1, ESV)
Damascus was the capital of Aram. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, made an alliance with Aram in an attempt to fight off the impending Assyrian invasion. Assyria attacked and conquered Aram in 732BC and then Israel in 722BC. Thus, Damascus became a heap of ruins, as indicated in the first verse. Why did this happen? The Word of the Lord states that they forgot God.
“For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge”
People today, even those who profess Christ, need to realize that there are ramifications of forgetting the Lord God. This happens any time we compromise our biblical moral values. Businesspersons often forget to be ethical in their dealings with clients or employees. Young people often place themselves in compromising positions in order to gain popularity or to establish a relationship with one of the opposite gender. People often lie to cover their mistakes or gain advantage. People often forsake their participation in corporate worship or Bible study, to pursue other interests.
These and many other things compromise the divine standard and open ourselves to adverse consequences. In the case of Damascus, it would lie in ruin and its harvest would flee away. There are consequences in this life for people who live according to the wisdom of the world.
While the Christian life does not guarantee us a rose garden, we must realize that our living by the wisdom of the world opens us up to unnecessary trials and difficulties. The Lord calls us to live by a different set of principles. He calls us to live by heavenly wisdom rather than the ways of the world. The Bible clearly delineates these heavenly principles.
Where might we find these principles revealed? While we will find these principles throughout the Bible and thus, we should study the whole Bible. We find some concentrations of these in the Decalogue, the Proverbs, the Book of James, and The Sermon on the Mount. However, we must realize that all 66 books of the Bible are vital and valuable for the person of God.
I would suggest, for a good start, read and study the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters 5 through 7. Here Jesus presents a different way of living. It is the way of faith. These are the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven and they are for us to live under right now. These are not the world’s ways. They are the ways of the kingdom and those who remember the Lord their God will seek to live by this heavenly standard.
Yes, there are consequences of forgetting the Lord. Yes, life does have its trials anyway. However, the decisions we make that have their roots in worldly wisdom carry with them adverse consequences. As we remember the Lord and study the Word of God, we will grow in the wisdom of God and in our ability to apply godly wisdom in life. The result of this will be fewer trials and tribulations in our lives because we will make better choices.
Renewing the Heart 