By the hand of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord issued a warning of judgement upon his people for their evil ways. Six times does the prophet write ‘Woe’. Woe is a word that is a lamentation. It’s a call of distress. Woe! There are six things the Lord proclaims woe to in this chapter:
1. Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
2. Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
3. Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!
4. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
5. Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
6. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Now perhaps one day we will go through each one of these woes, but today we’re going to examine number 4. “Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil.”
Have you ever stopped to actually analyse what a word means? Or how it’s being used?
Over the past couple of years, the degradation of our language has accelerated to the point that words that once meant something, now mean the exact opposite. Things that once were evil are now seen as good. Here’s the breaking news: the LORD doesn’t change. What displeased him four thousand years ago still displeases him. Calling good evil and evil good is still on his abomination list.
Have you ever seen advertising which declares that whatever-it-is is ‘wicked’? Well, no, it’s not wicked as in ‘evil’ or ‘sinful’. It means ‘cool, extremely, great.’
At this point, you are scratching your head. How in the world did evil manage to become great?
Another example is the word ‘bad’. In the movie ‘Glory Road’, one of the main characters declares to his friend, “Bad is good.” Need we hear anymore? Because that’s exactly how people use it now-a-days. “Oh man, that’s so bad!” means, “Oh man, that’s just awesome!” How did that happen?
How about the word ‘holy’? It used to mean something dedicated to God, or an attribute of God. But it’s also taken on a new meaning now. It mean’s a person who acts like he’s better than the rest. Now that’s not holy. But that’s what we hear! Holy is someone who is proud! Holy no longer means something good, it now means something evil.
Man, this is sick! Oh, sorry, we meant to say, man, this is awesome! Since when did being sick become awesome? There’s nothing awesome about being sick.
All throughout history, words change their meaning, spelling, etc, but there are some things that must NEVER change. Good is ALWAYS good. We must NEVER call what is good evil. We must never call evil good. But we’ve only been looking at words themselves. Words are just words. They lead to ideas and misconceptions, but in the end, they are just words. The biggest problem is when it’s no longer words. It becomes actions.
Have a read through the media. Watch a movie. Read a book. How does it look at life now? What is it condemning? What is it upholding?
You know, something that hits me very deeply, is the issue of commitment. Nowadays, it seems that adultery is the norm. Especially if you watch crime shows, etc. Many scenarios start off with an unfaithful spouse. If you look closely, you will see how the attitude towards such behaviour has changed now. Being pure sexually has gone out the window.
Back fifty years ago, having a child out of wedlock generally meant being shunned. Now it’s the norm. Back fifty years ago, people frowned on cheating, outwardly at least. Now it’s blurring rapidly, to the point that there is no longer a chance to cheat, because what once was wrong no longer is. Now it’s ok to sleep around. It’s the lifestyle. It doesn’t hurt anyone. That’s what they say. What once was condemned, now is passed off as a lifestyle.
Homosexuality now flaunts itself openly, in our cinemas, in our schools, in our media. Sure, there’s always been homosexuality, but it was condemned. It was wrong. What is it now? What is the general consensus? For those who watch the news, and talk with people, it’s becoming increasingly accepted as a ‘way of life’.
No longer are these lifestyles bad. It’s just the way someone was born or the way they chose to live.
Here’s something else that always crushes me. It used to be that contracts were sealed with a handshake. A gentleman was known for his word. You didn’t need him to sign, his word was good enough. What now? Now it seems to be the trend of the day to see how fast we can break our contracts and promises. From the sports world, to food industries, to marriage vows, to everyday things, people no longer hold true to their word. While it’s not always excepted, hey, it’s their choice. In some cases, well, it’s their lifestyle.
Please, God issued a warning to his people, that there is trouble incoming for those who call good evil and evil good. He’s still issuing that warning to us. Don’t get caught up with it. Call it for what it is.
If it’s sin, that’s what it is. If something is awesome, or good, why do we have to say wicked? Some words must not change their meaning. Evil is evil, not good or terrific.
It’s time for Christians to stand tall and say, “The degradation stops here!”
It’s time for us to stand tall and say, “This is what God thinks! This is what God’s word declares!”
It’s time to say, “No! That’s wrong.” More than ever, in this age of compromise and grey areas, we need to see black and white areas. We need a clear distinction of good and evil. We find that in God’s word. God declares it in Isaiah, whether we follow or not is our choice. Consequences will come.
What God calls good is good, what is evil is evil. Keep it that way. Don’t let the black and white become a mixture of grey.
1. Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
2. Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
3. Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!
4. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
5. Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
6. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Now perhaps one day we will go through each one of these woes, but today we’re going to examine number 4. “Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil.”
Have you ever stopped to actually analyse what a word means? Or how it’s being used?
Over the past couple of years, the degradation of our language has accelerated to the point that words that once meant something, now mean the exact opposite. Things that once were evil are now seen as good. Here’s the breaking news: the LORD doesn’t change. What displeased him four thousand years ago still displeases him. Calling good evil and evil good is still on his abomination list.
Have you ever seen advertising which declares that whatever-it-is is ‘wicked’? Well, no, it’s not wicked as in ‘evil’ or ‘sinful’. It means ‘cool, extremely, great.’
At this point, you are scratching your head. How in the world did evil manage to become great?
Another example is the word ‘bad’. In the movie ‘Glory Road’, one of the main characters declares to his friend, “Bad is good.” Need we hear anymore? Because that’s exactly how people use it now-a-days. “Oh man, that’s so bad!” means, “Oh man, that’s just awesome!” How did that happen?
How about the word ‘holy’? It used to mean something dedicated to God, or an attribute of God. But it’s also taken on a new meaning now. It mean’s a person who acts like he’s better than the rest. Now that’s not holy. But that’s what we hear! Holy is someone who is proud! Holy no longer means something good, it now means something evil.
Man, this is sick! Oh, sorry, we meant to say, man, this is awesome! Since when did being sick become awesome? There’s nothing awesome about being sick.
All throughout history, words change their meaning, spelling, etc, but there are some things that must NEVER change. Good is ALWAYS good. We must NEVER call what is good evil. We must never call evil good. But we’ve only been looking at words themselves. Words are just words. They lead to ideas and misconceptions, but in the end, they are just words. The biggest problem is when it’s no longer words. It becomes actions.
Have a read through the media. Watch a movie. Read a book. How does it look at life now? What is it condemning? What is it upholding?
You know, something that hits me very deeply, is the issue of commitment. Nowadays, it seems that adultery is the norm. Especially if you watch crime shows, etc. Many scenarios start off with an unfaithful spouse. If you look closely, you will see how the attitude towards such behaviour has changed now. Being pure sexually has gone out the window.
Back fifty years ago, having a child out of wedlock generally meant being shunned. Now it’s the norm. Back fifty years ago, people frowned on cheating, outwardly at least. Now it’s blurring rapidly, to the point that there is no longer a chance to cheat, because what once was wrong no longer is. Now it’s ok to sleep around. It’s the lifestyle. It doesn’t hurt anyone. That’s what they say. What once was condemned, now is passed off as a lifestyle.
Homosexuality now flaunts itself openly, in our cinemas, in our schools, in our media. Sure, there’s always been homosexuality, but it was condemned. It was wrong. What is it now? What is the general consensus? For those who watch the news, and talk with people, it’s becoming increasingly accepted as a ‘way of life’.
No longer are these lifestyles bad. It’s just the way someone was born or the way they chose to live.
Here’s something else that always crushes me. It used to be that contracts were sealed with a handshake. A gentleman was known for his word. You didn’t need him to sign, his word was good enough. What now? Now it seems to be the trend of the day to see how fast we can break our contracts and promises. From the sports world, to food industries, to marriage vows, to everyday things, people no longer hold true to their word. While it’s not always excepted, hey, it’s their choice. In some cases, well, it’s their lifestyle.
Please, God issued a warning to his people, that there is trouble incoming for those who call good evil and evil good. He’s still issuing that warning to us. Don’t get caught up with it. Call it for what it is.
If it’s sin, that’s what it is. If something is awesome, or good, why do we have to say wicked? Some words must not change their meaning. Evil is evil, not good or terrific.
It’s time for Christians to stand tall and say, “The degradation stops here!”
It’s time for us to stand tall and say, “This is what God thinks! This is what God’s word declares!”
It’s time to say, “No! That’s wrong.” More than ever, in this age of compromise and grey areas, we need to see black and white areas. We need a clear distinction of good and evil. We find that in God’s word. God declares it in Isaiah, whether we follow or not is our choice. Consequences will come.
What God calls good is good, what is evil is evil. Keep it that way. Don’t let the black and white become a mixture of grey.
