“Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.” Isaiah 63:18-19 ESV
Reflection: how can your faith in God be seen in how you take care of things?
I had to use an office this morning at a clubhouse, an office I have used many times before. I have generally found it available and clean early in the mornings. But this morning, I came to a mess. Someone before me had spilled something on the chair and floor, with big stains, and not bothered to clean it up again. Just left it for the next person. The work surface was dirty from cups and probably food. So I had to clean the office before I could use it. Now, I never met this person who did this and just decided to leave it like that, but what they left behind tells us a lot about them. About who they are, what drives them. For one, they have a complete disregard for others, since they didn’t pick up their mess and instead leaving it for someone else to clean. And secondly, they clearly don’t care about taking care of the things around them, which most likely also extends to all of God’s creation. We see selfishness and perhaps arrogance. It might be a simple, everyday example, but the question is,
What can others tell about me, observing the tracks I leave behind?
The last verse of Isaiah chapter 63, we read a conclusion from the Israelites of old, saying “We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.” Isaiah 63:19 ESV. They have (finally) realized that they are way off track from God’s ways, from His commandments and direction. How? And that is the key question here. How can they say that? Because they could observe who they had become, how they lived. They say they are “like those”, equivalent to those who never knew God and His ways. Those who worship idols, pagan religions, the occult that is highly ritualistic, who called on other gods, praying to the dead, involved in all sorts of magic and spells, sacrificed to their gods, even as far as sacrificing their children to please the gods. They did all sorts of things that were despicable and offensive to the Lord Jehovah. So as a result, “Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.” Isaiah 63:18 ESV
What a realization!!
But, we might wonder, what happened that got them so far off track? We read “But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.” Isaiah 63:10 ESV. They ignored God’s commandments and His ways. Most likely, they had also started adopting some of these pagan practices, not living according to God’s instructions. We certainly know that there was an infusion of pagan beliefs and practices that were adopted from the exile in Babylon; most of which exist even to this day. We will see in chapter 64, however, that their remorse seems a bit halfhearted. But, at least they realized that they were lost.
So where are we at as a society today? What can be observed about our faith from the tracks that we leave? As a society, but even more specifically as God’s people? Do they reflect the God we say we believe in, follow and serve? Do they reflect selfishness and materialism, chasing what feels good, disregard for God and others like the person I came after at the office today? Or, do they even reflect elements of paganism and ritual worship as we can see in many churches, that goes way back to even before Babylon?
The measure is the Word of God, and God has given all His children the Holy Spirit to guide them. Paul wrote, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30 ESV. Let it be observable to all who come behind us that we follow and serve Jehovah, and Him alone.
