Judgement Begins With Us

Isa 3:5 The people will be oppressed, Every one by another and every one by his neighbor

Isaiah continues pronouncing God’s judgment upon His rebellious children. The people will be oppressed on every side. The word “oppressed” here means to drive like one would drive an animal, or a laborer, or an army, or a debtor’ It is to harass someone or tyrannize him.

Usually when we think of “oppression,” we think of overbearing governments who use their muscle to place heavy burdens on the people, but in this judgment of God, even the people will terrorize their fellow citizens. Have we not seen enough of this in our land this past year to get our attention?

 

Did we miss the fires and looting in the streets of our cities?  Did we not see the frightening, vigilante like, fiasco in our nation’s capital? This was tyranny committed, “every one by another and everyone by his neighbor.”

 

Oh, we didn’t miss it! We were quick to blame those “others” who we felt were responsible. White vs black, right vs left but never us against God. But if we were honest, if we would take the blinders off, we would see that this is the sort of thing that God has used in the past to judge His people, and HE certainly is able to use it again..

 

Instead of blaming others, maybe it’s time to start blaming ourselves. We have sinned, we have turned away from God and follow our own rules instead of His.

Isaiah would later write, “Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; (Is 53:6a)

 Peter would later affirm it in 1Pe 2:25A,  “ For you were like sheep going astray,”

 

 Instead of the self-righteous finger pointing, it seems a far wiser course of action would be to repent. To confess our wrongdoings against God and then receive His pardon through faith in Jesus.

Isaiah went on to say in Isa 53:6b, “And the LORD has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.

 And Peter would add:  1Pe 2:25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

 

Repent! Return to the Lord. Zec 1:3 "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Return to Me," says the LORD of hosts, "and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts.

 

The remedy to the trouble in our streets this past year is found first and foremost in returning to the Lord and it doesn’t start with “them,” it starts with “us.” Let us then confess our sins, repent of them, and seek to live a life of new found gratitude and obedience to the Lord!