Pastor’s Thoughts – 09-14-2025

In America we have been taught that we have the autonomy to become whatever we choose to become. There are aspects of this concept of freedom of which we are most grateful. Our founders desired to create a Union whereby there could be “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These original ideas were to be free from dictatorships and monarchs that ruled oppressively, harshly, and wickedly. The concepts of freedom by our founders were debated under the umbrella of Christian morality. It was not freedom from God’s commandments that were sought, but freedom from oppressive governing and later racial inequality. I just heard on the news that Charlie Kirk, a young Christian man seeking to help young college students know God and know truth, has been assassinated. He spoke to large crowds of young adults seeking to give them truth and share the Gospel. While speaking in Utah, he was murdered with a high-powered rifle. Behind such horrific violence against the truth are twisted and evil ideas of human rights which are contrary to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These are people believing they have a right to abort and infanticide babies, euthanize those who are weak, fight the police, violate laws or borders without consequence, murder or steal, and even choose whether to be a male or a female. The standards of morality or the basic right from wrong that once dominated our sense of justice have been replaced with ideas of personal rights to do what a person chooses to do regardless of morality, or laws, or how it affects others. This attitude has taken over our countries’ founding of free speech. This is a new, godless philosophy that has infected masses of people in our nation. However, whatever we see, at the center of whatever goes on, whether realized or not – is God. What is God’s attitude or role in what is taking place?

In Isaiah 5, God, through the prophet makes His attitude about wayward Israel known. He does this through pronouncing woes repeatedly upon Israel whom He calls by covenant His vineyard. A woe is not a hand slap, but an expression of deep grief, anguish, and sorrow because of the wretched condition and coming affliction on the objects of the woe.  It is purposefully expressing the Lord’s exclamation of His sorrow accompanied by His necessary judgment and wrath. What do we learn from this text that can be applied to us today? We do not have a covenant relationship with God, as Israel, but we learn from this and many other pronouncements on nations that now no longer exist, about God’s judgment against them. We learn that God as the Holy and Sovereign God with almighty power, will act. These woes are timely for America because we know that God does not change. He speaks through the prophet and says, “Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, and sin as with a cart rope” (Isaiah 5:18). The illustration is an aggressive attitude of vanity.

These people were proud of their unbelief, and bold in their defiance. They were like a beast dragging their burden of wickedness in utter ignorance of any consequences. In Isaiah 5:20 the prophet says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” These are so lost in their blindness as to negate all reason and by nature oppose God. They supplant good with evil, and love that which is in opposition to Him. They care not that He is the Sovereign of the universe and disregard His promise of judgment. In the next verse, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight” (Isaiah 5:21), he describes them as inflated by a false opinion of themselves. They believe so strongly in their right to an autonomy of evil, they believe they are independent of their Creator and can function as they please. They have placed themselves above God, and any true assessment of themselves and their actual position in vanity. They press forward in prideful self-confidence. They, as Satan, have no humility and no wisdom.

The Bible has much to say about nations in rebellion against God. It is important for His children to realize that the standards of our society and the terrible events surrounding us are consistent with God’s judgment. We are not now in a position of saying, if we don’t change our ways as a nation, God will judge us. We are already under judgment according to Romans 1:18-32. It is an exacting description of us. Our nation struggles under this judgment. Praise God we can overcome as individuals knowing God, loving God, and serving Him even under such a judgment. We dare not change our attitude into conformity to the wicked masses, or find our confidence in the nation, but in our God and what He has promised in His word. We can have true hope, and joy by our individual devotion to Jesus Christ through prayer, the study of His word, and worship. It is so refreshing to keep our eyes upon Him.