The Hills Get It, Why Don't We?

 

Isa 5:25 Therefore the anger of the LORD is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them And stricken them, And the hills trembled. Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

 

Remember, whenever you see the word “therefore” in Scripture, you need to go back a verse or two and see what the “therefore” is “there for.” In this case, it is because the people rejected the Law of God and despised His Word. Therefore God stretched out His hand and struck them with punishment. He started out with using nature itself to get their attention.

“Trembling hills” is just another way of saying earthquake, and I think we could learn a thing or two about the holiness of God and its connection with “trembling hills.”

Trembling is a natural reaction when the unholy meets the holy. An example is found in the very next chapter of Isaiah. He was ushered into the presence of God and said, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips,…… For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts." (Isa 6:5)

 

So, as the hand of God draws near to punish His children, the hills themselves tremble in His presence and the very hills, stained by the sin of Adam, tremble. They recognize the holy hand of God and react accordingly, but sadly most of us miss it.

 

These earthquakes in the days of Uzziah, were very real and get mention in other places of Scripture!

 

Am 1:1 says, “The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

And  Zec 14:5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.

 

These quakes were so horrific that human life was lost and carcasses were as refuse in the street!

 

But even after this catastrophic event, the people did not repent. They blew it off in much the same way that we blow these things off today, forgetting that God often uses His creation to get our attention.

 

And our text today ends with these chilling words:  “But His hand is stretched out still.” In other words, because they didn’t repent after this catastrophe, there will be more to come. Chilling words to say the least! But words that are repeated elsewhere in Isaiah:  Isa 9:12. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. And in  Isa 10:4 " For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.”

 

We need to pay attention here to the unchanging holiness of God. He fires off warning shots to us by various means seeking repentance from His children. Repentance that is earmarked and proven by a people who once again revere the Law of God and His Word.