18 Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of [m]falsehood,
And sin as if with cart ropes;
19 Who say, “Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it;
And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near
And come to pass, that we may know it!”
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who [n]substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who [o]substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight!
22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine
And valiant men in mixing strong drink,
23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away the [p]rights of the ones who are in the right!24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble
And dry grass collapses into the flame,
So their root will become like rot and their blossom [q]blow away as dust;
For they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 On this account the anger of the Lord has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down.
And the mountains quaked, and their corpses [r]lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.
For all this His anger [s]is not spent,
But His hand is still stretched out.26 He will also lift up a standard to the [t]distant nation,
And will whistle for it from the ends of the earth;
And behold, it will come with speed swiftly.
27 No one in it is weary or stumbles,
None slumbers or sleeps;
Nor is the belt at its waist undone,
Nor its sandal strap broken.
28 [u]Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent;
The hoofs of its horses [v]seem like flint and its chariot wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Its roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions;
It growls as it seizes the prey
And carries it off with no one to deliver it.
30 And it will growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea.
If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress;
Even the light is darkened by its clouds.
We start with a couple more strange verses, so let’s start there. We have this picture of dragging iniquity with the cords of falsehood, and sin with cart ropes, but what is that all about. The second gives us a more distinct clue, but I think the first is a farming analogy. Instead of dragging a plow, these men drag iniquity, they are “planting” iniquity with their false deeds, and hauling it to market in a cart.
These people are not content to revel in their own sin, but they want it to increase, and for others to join with them. The natural thing is to feel guilty for our sin, but to assuage that, they want more folks to join the party, to cover up their guilt and say “well, everyone is doing it!” I’m sure none of us have ever heard or uttered that…
They have so mixed things up that they call evil good, and good evil, and Isaiah continues with several more analogies before he gives a real example of those who glory in their drinking ability and in their skill at mixing drinks. I’m sure glad we don’t have that issue anymore… Yes, lots of sarcasm, for these things surround us, if possible, even more now than ever. But it goes further when we look at v. 19.
They were so twisted up, that they weren’t even afraid of God’s judgment. No, they welcomed it, for they thought themselves justified in their own eyes. However, God was not fooled, and if they would not follow His commands, He would find someone who would. In doing good and in judgment, God calls people to carry out those commands, as we find in v. 26.
A distant nation, one who likely did not know God, but had been raised up for His purpose, would come. They did not take anything for granted, they were not careless in their deeds (v. 27), but every belt was tight, every sandal in perfect condition, arrows sharp and ready. Bringing it home, where are we in this story?
Are we just coasting along, doing our own thing? Or are we listening to the voice of God, do we hear His summons. Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins with their lamps, five ran out of oil, but five had come prepared and had plenty. They all knew it could be a long wait, so why did only five bring the necessary oil?
God is calling each of us to something, and we dare not take it lightly. We may not be calling evil good, but careless living is a slippery slope, and that is the end. It pervades our culture, in movies and other media, where we glorify villains and those who partake in reckless behavior. Do not follow their example, or envy their false and empty lives. Instead, live the full life that God has set before you. It’s a lot more work, sandals to repair, arrows to sharpen, bows to string, etc.
God calls us to put on His armor, for we are indeed at war, not with “flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The Israelites of Isaiah’s day had lost their way, or rather taken their own way, but we must do better if we are to be overcomers in Christ.