Reading
Isaiah 5, I was struck by how v.8-12 and 18-25 reflect what we see every day in
the news! It is striking that the very
behaviours and actions that have a “Woe to those who...” attached to them in
this chapter are the very things that are presented in the media and our
culture as the things we should be envying, idolising and pursuing.
Things
as current as excessive alcohol consumption, being wise in our own eyes, clever
in our own sight - even taking away rights of the ones who are in the right!
It is
a breath of fresh air to be reminded (once again!) that in this world of
increasingly-speedy change and transition, uncertainty, upheaval and
re-invention, our God and His Word is timeless, unchanging and still absolutely
relevant to us today.
Numbers
15 and Psalm 51 remind us of our sin, the ongoing propensity for humans to sin
and the overwhelming need for forgiveness, of our desire for God to “create in
me a clean heart.”
In
our lives, we need to ensure our focus is on and remains on God, who alone can
“restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain
me” - especially essential when times are tough or challenging.
(member of a homegroup)