ISAIAH 5:20
Do we call evil good, and good evil?
Isaiah 5:20 has been my “verse of the year” for about 3 to 5 years now. It has been cited many times in my writings, yet I wonder if it has affected the intended result.
“Woe unto them who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”__ Isaiah 5:20
Let’s explore this passage for a minute. First of all, why is it that we read scripture at all? Is it because knowing these words, and phrases give us some temporal pleasure? Does the knowledge of certain passages make us better, or is there valuable instruction from our Lord that we might benefit from?
Do we receive these benefits from passive knowledge, or must we do something with it in order to realize the benefits?
James 1:22-25 Has something to say about this.
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein , he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”__James 1:22-25
How are we to address scripture in order to receive the instruction worthy of acting upon? James 4:6-8 helps us to understand the answer to this question.
“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.“__James 4:6-8
Considering the instruction of these two passages, let us look at Isaiah 5:20.
“Woe unto them who call evil good.”
What does this mean? How must we apply it to our thought process, and thereby have it direct our actions?
We are challenged daily to forgive the unforgivable, to allow the disgusting violations of sexual deviants, and dishonest brokers, because, (we are told,) this is what Jesus would do, or as God-rejecters tell us, “because it is the right thing to do.” Is this not the calling of evil as good?
How about when fellow citizens interrupted their daily lives to travel to Washington DC for the Trump rally on January 6th, 2021? Didn’t they have the constitutional right, and even responsibility to protest? Aren’t they guaranteed the right to believe that their vote had been canceled? Is it not their 1st Amendment right to protest?
According to Isaiah 5:20, how are we to react to them being rounded up, held in prison, and prosecuted as “domestic terrorists?”
How should we react when we learn that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had infiltrated groups of concerned citizens for the purpose of spying on them and encouraging them to commit crimes? Should we sit quietly, or should we resist them?
Shouldn’t we be calling them out for the proper prosecution of those that should have been executing the law?
“Woe unto them who call good evil,”
As our President, (Donald Trump,) is constantly harassed, attacked, investigated, prosecuted, and accused, (without evidence,) of crimes, how should we react? Are we obeying the Word of God in Isaiah 5:20, or are we allowing good to be called evil? Maybe we are even assisting in calling good evil?
“… who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Is it right for us to leave politics to politicians? Are we “doing the Word of God,” as instructed in James 1:22, or are we shunning this spiritual responsibility?
Many years ago, John Adams said of our Constitution, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
According to John Adams, who would become our 2nd president, the success of our governing document would depend on the actions of Bible believers. If they were to teach their progeny to love and respect the Bible’s teachings and implement them in the government of America, would we not enjoy godly governance? His inference is that should we choose to abandon this duty, we would suffer tyranny.
Years later, his son, John Quincy Adams, (our 6th president,) worked till his death to abolish slavery on the basis of the Declaration of Independence.
His fight was based on a firm reliance on its 2nd paragraph,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
I believe that these passages and these historical examples of Bible-believing patriots cement our duty to virtue and that we should be active in the preservation of this great nation.
You may wonder if our duty is lessened when it appears that we are less than successful. Is righteousness upheld if the righteous are outnumbered, and overcome by the faithless, and reprobate?
John Quincy Adams’ answer was, “Duty is ours, results are God’s.”
Adams died long before slavery was abolished, yet he Marched onward as though it depended upon him. He never shirked his duty, and neither did God leave His will undone.
If we ignore injustice or simply complain about it, how are we believing the Word of God?
God bless you, Dave
“Duty is ours, results are God’s” John Quincy Adams