Isaiah 2:7-8 "Their land is also full of silver and gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands. That which their own fingers have made."
I signed up for a philosophy class. There was only one session so far, but during the random chit chat and rabbit trails of the first session. The professor mentioned a historical/social/philosophical theory from some guy whose name I can't remember. And unfortunately, I'm barely not too lazy to type this at all, let alone to get up and go get my class notes. But in any case, this guy, whoever he was, had the idea that in history there are only two types of periods. Golden Eras and Historical Crises. He said that at any point in history a society was either at one of the two or in transition from one to the other. In other words, societies never just kinda plateaued at a sort of average, mediocre level, but were either doing really great or really horrible or were on the way from one to the other. Part of the problem, is human nature. (part??? I don't know, it might be the whole problem)...It's kinda awful. As my professor asked, (loose paraphrase here), "once things start going well and there are no more major problems that need to be solved, what do people start diverting all of their attention to?" I instantly thought - "themselves", but being too timid at that moment, I said nothing. Someone suggested love, someone suggested community.... the professor said yes to the guy who's answer was love... but clarified.... it's love a particular sort.....love of ME - love of self. And I tend to think that she is right. And thus a society would begin its downward trend toward the crisis as people began to focus on themselves and what is in their own selfish best interest.
It's interesting thinking about this stuff at the same time as taking a political science class and learning all about the founding of the nation. People at that time obviously felt that the preservation of their society was something worth fighting and dying for. And of course there have been other points in history where Americans have risen to fight extreme challenges and face big fights. (thus we still speak English and not German or Japanese) And of course there are still so many today who have committed themselves to protecting this country - I admire them greatly.
But so many many many people walk around clueless and don't even care. They don't notice, know, or care about the goings on of the governing class. And then, there are so many of us who care, but don't quite know what to do. So we are relatively informed, but all it empowers us to do is talk about it. Which helps, but doesn't effect immediate change (that is to say - there are benefits of talking to people, but that will only help at the next election rather than helping to steer the current course and affect the thinking of those with the power at the moment). For most of us, the law of intertia is more than just a physical law, but it is a law governing habits and lifestyle. Therefore - we won't make a stir until it's too late, we've already been affected. We've already been taken over.....materialism has done its damaging deed. It causes a stupor - an inability to see what really matters. A self absorption the hampers any action for something greater than oneself.
but this is not the point I really wanted to make.
Looking back at the verse in Isaiah - it starts off sounding like what one might think seems to be a decent state of affairs for a country. "full of silver and gold...no end to their treasures...full of horses....no end to their chariots" Sounds great - their is wealth and mobility. Compared to other nations and compared to history, one could say it seems as if there is no end to the wealth and mobility of the people of the US. (though we better realize there is an end to the wealth before our creditors cut us off - but that's another topic). Yet we see that just as Israel had, so has the U.S. followed the wealth with improper worship: "their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made." In a sense Israel followed the pattern I was talking about earlier. They hit a high point and became so infatuated with the wealth that they turned their eyes and hearts toward things of the earth. When they hit their ultimate low, they were burning their babies in the fires of sacrifice to these false gods. How sad it is to see that here in the US, we have come to the same place where our culture sacrifices babies to the gods of wealth and pleasure. People can't afford it, don't want the responsibility, or the cramp on their lifestyle - so they murder their baby. In the ancient times, they made religious excuses - justifying it by saying it was for worship. Today, people claim it's better than raising a child in poor circumstances, and then coat it with the absurd notion that the baby isn't fully human to try to help themselves swallow the painful reality. What is everyone's main focus and main love? ME. SELF. I'm not trying to point the finger and say how awful everyone else is - this is just the sad state of humanity. This is what we come to when our nature goes unchecked and is given free reign.
Look what's written next in Isaiah 2:11-18, 20-21 "the lofty looks of a man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up - and it shall be brought low - upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up. and upon all the oaks of Bashan; Upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up; upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall; upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all the beautiful sloops. The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols He shall utterly abolish...In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and the bats, to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crags of the rugged rocks, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily."
I'm not a scholar on Biblical prophecy, but I believe this to not only be a word for what was coming upon Israel, but also about what is coming upon mankind in general in "the day of the LORD" (v. 12)
It is sad that as human beings we get to the point where we would need to be awakened in such a violent fashion. But eventually God has enough and decides to wipe out and wipe away those things that people make so important that actually aren't. I think this is the sad state and description of so many people in the world today. They have so many riches to distract them, they have (in their mind) no need of God, and they can keep busy enough to not really think about it. Christians ought to never come to this point - we must keep our eyes on the goal, we must keep our mind on heaven, we must lay up treasures there, where "moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal" (Mt. 6:19-21)
It's beautiful the prophetic imagery here in Isaiah 2:10, it says, "Enter into the rock" and who is the rock, the stable foundation upon which a life can be built and be able to weather the storms of life, the rock of our salvation, the one upon whom the church is built - it is Jesus Christ.
I don't know how really to solve the political dilemma in my own life - how to get past just talking. How I can actually DO something and keep my day job. But I do know that, as a Christian, step one in facing any problem is ALWAYS to "Enter into the ROCK"
I'm not sure if there was a singular larger point I have been trying to make or if this has seemed to be coherent at all. But I guess if anything - the point I'm getting at is that we ought to fight against complacency, don't give in to materialism, and enter in to the Rock daily, remain solidly grounded upon Jesus at all times rather than waiting for the time that "He arises to shake the earth mightily" (maybe that's three or four points - but that's ok, you catch my drift, right? you get the point(s))
in Christ
