10 “Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her;
Be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her,
11 That you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts,
That you may suck and be delighted with her bountiful bosom.”
12 For thus says the Lord, “Behold, I extend peace to her like a river,
And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
And you will [e]be nursed, you will be carried on the [f]hip and fondled on the knees.
13 “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you;
And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
14 Then you will see this, and your heart will be glad,
And your bones will flourish like the new grass;
And the hand of the Lord will be made known to His servants,
But He will be indignant toward His enemies.
15 For behold, the Lord will come in fire
And His chariots like the whirlwind,
To render His anger with fury,
And His rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For the Lord will execute judgment by fire
And by His sword on all flesh,
And those slain by the Lord will be many.
17 “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens,
[g]Following one in the center,
Who eat swine’s flesh, detestable things and mice,
Will come to an end altogether,” declares the Lord.
This passage covers a pretty wide range of actions from God. For those who are joyful with Jerusalem and love her (v. 10), God will be to them as a mother who comforts her child (v. 13). God will bring peace (v. 12), and they will be glad, and will flourish, and they will see the hand of the Lord in action (v. 14).
On the other hand, to His enemies, God will come in judgment, fire and anger and fury (v. 15). For they corrupt what ought to be wholesome, gardens full of life, mixed with unclean and detestable things (v. 17). And that is at the core of this passage, those who celebrate in what God has done, and those who twist it into something wicked and vile.
We see plenty of that in our culture, but some is more subtle. In our entertainment and media, there are things to be celebrated, and there are things which ought not, but are glorified and lifted up. We take villains and make them sympathetic, or things which are twisted, and make them attractive and alluring. We need to guard our hearts in all of this, to love what God loves, and detest what sets itself against Him.
That is not to say we give up on those who are caught in the grip of sin. They need Him most of all, and Jesus said He came for the sick, not for the healthy. But we dare not participate in their sin, instead we are to be light and life, to show God’s love in the midst of this dark and sin-stained world. Only God’s grace and His sacrifice can wash them white as snow.
So be careful what you put in front of your eyes, keep your hand from evil, and your steps away from that which would entrap you. Instead, fix your gaze on high, and let God guide your feet, your heart, and your mind.