The Real Meaning of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/isaiah/3.htm

I have a relative that I will not name or indicate how we are related because I haven’t gotten her permission to share this, but her grandchildren call her Babylon because she “babbles on”. And I’ve come to realize that I am indeed related to her. I’ve just read Isaiah 3 and there are two points that impressed me and I can probably talk, and talk, and talk some more about my feelings on the subject. By the way relative, I love you very much.

Prophets are simply messengers of God, chosen by God, to warn the people about what happens when they separate from Him. Most believe the prophets are sent to warn them about God’s wrath and that if they don’t “straighten up”, God will do something bad to them. But God loves us, He doesn’t do anything bad to us, and all He wants to do is warn us of the natural consequences of our own actions. I know what scripture says, I can read it for myself. But I can look you in the face and say, “I don’t care”. God is good, God is love, and any scripture that says to the contrary is either a misconception or was not written objectively.

That said, we are now getting to the point where the prophets are starting to warn the children of Israel that if their sinful ways continue, they will be invaded by Persia, which is modern day Iran (what a coincidence) and we be taken captive. The Father isn’t doing that as a punishment, He’s simply warning you that if you open the gate and leave the yard, He can’t protect you.

So what I read in this chapter tells me what is about to come. If you haven’t read the Bible before, you won’t know what this means, so I’m explaining it.

Verse 8: “…Because their tongue and their doings Are against the Lord”. These words, interpreted in todays language and culture, would lead one to believe that the children of Israel were intentional sinning and speaking out against God. And yes, there are non-believers today who mock and make fun of God, and do as they please even though they’ve been told it is a sin. But to be honest, I fulfill this verse each and everyday, and there’s a good chance that most of us do.

Every time I’m driving and someone cuts me off in traffic, my tongue goes against the Lord. And I may not even be “enraged”, I may simply mutter to myself, “Moron!”, my tongue is against the Lord. And my adopted special needs daughter convicts me every time. Another driver will do something that I don’t like, and I mutter “Jerk!”, I hear my daughter in the back seat say, “You don’t like him?”

My problem is that I was a firefighter for 18 years and I can see the result of violating traffic laws and driving negligently, some of the images of those things still implanted in my brain, and it upsets me to see the potential for an accident that could injure or kill someone. I shouldn’t care how they drive, but I do because I care about people. None of that is valid however, it is just an excuse and not a good one. God is certainly not in Heaven watching me sin, know it is bad for me, and muttering under His breath “Moron!”, so neither should I. But we don’t think of that as “sin”, or we wouldn’t begin to think something as tame as calling someone else a “moron” would be that big of a deal, but you always have to stop and say, “Would God do that?”

As far as “their doings are against the Lord”, I agree, “we are not saved by our works”, but we can definitely be condemned because of them.

So when we read these things about Israel, it doesn’t mean they were outright rebellious against God (which of course some were), they could simply be passing bread to another at the table and someone drops the bread on the floor and someone else mutters to themself, “Moron!” Our actions, no matter how trivial, can separate ourselves from God. One unchecked action can lead to another, and another, and a greater one, and a bigger one, until we’ve reached the point we’ve lost self-control and think it is “normal” to do these things.

And rest assured, muttering “Moron!” about someone under my breath is the least of my sins, but it is still a sin.

Lastly, Verse 10 says: “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them,
For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” And again, we are not save by our good works, but if we do our best to stay close to God, we remain close to His protection, a natural process as He designed it to be, and things will be good. It doesn’t mean we won’t fall and skin our knee playing in His yard, it simply means we will be protected from damnation if we stay in His yard with the gate shut.

Some people quote, “We are not saved by our works” as an excuse not to do good works. But they forget about what the opposite of that means.

See, I told you I can ramble or “babble on” with the best. I’ve managed to write an entire blog on two short verses of this chapter of Isaiah. I like to think of it as “this is what God has impressed on me when I read it”, but very likely it just means I’m full of hot air.

Have a blessed day! And please, please, drive safe! Maybe I’ll share a story about a call I responded to and how it affected me, and e