Isaiah sees wickedness like a runaway fire, devouring all in
its path. Truly we see that in our own society
as the mores change from long-accepted norms right before our eyes and what was
once called evil or sinful is now not only tolerated and accepted but
celebrated all over the country. Once
Roe v. Wade was passed in this country the number of abortions performed was
astronomical. When “no-fault” divorce
became the norm, no proof necessary of anything more than unhappiness in a
marriage, the family broke down completely.
When we decided that bigger was clearly better there were no longer
mothers who stayed home with their children, it was necessary to make more
money to pay for the big house and the bigger, more luxurious cars. Greed killed our compassion. Drugs became
acceptable forms of relaxation, psychiatry determined that the best way to
treat children was to drug them, anxiety required different drugs. We are the most depressed and anxiety-ridden
culture in the world but we have it all.
Isaiah saw his own society disintegrate and along the way he awoke to it
and his desire was to awaken others to it as well. That is the prophetic vocation.
Can you imagine how awkward it would be to have been there
with John and hear him refer to the Pharisees and Sadducees as a “brood of
vipers”? These were the pillars of
Jewish society, and in the case of the Pharisees, the ones thought of as
righteous. John’s standards for
righteousness were different from theirs.
John had separated himself from society and lived an ascetic life in
order to point back at the nation as having acclimated itself to the world and
re-defined righteousness. Certainly, the
law was being re-defined and circumvented for commercial and other
interests. We see that in many places
but most notably in the Gospels when Jesus throws out the money-changers and
sellers of sacrificial animals from the temple but also in the decision by
these same leaders that the best thing they can do to keep the place the Romans
have allowed them was to do away with Jesus.
Peter speaks of those who have completely lost their way and
have come to believe lies about what constitutes moral behavior and truth. Sensuality has become their god, if it feels
good do it. Judeo-Christian culture is
indeed different, we have different ethics and morals from many other cultures
and there is a reason for that, the Lord Himself determined those things for
us. Our doctrine of Biblical inspiration
is inseparable from our moral theology. If
we have a high view of inspiration we will be more apt to be unwavering in our
moral understanding. I have too often
heard people excusing things by suggesting that we take into account cultural
change since the Bible was written but that implies God is changeable and that
isn’t something the Bible gives us the ability to believe.
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