Failures
This week's goodness is on Isaiah 56:9-12:
These verses detail the failures of Israel's people in Isaiah's time. God compares them to dogs, which was a pretty big insult. They were supposed to be watchmen, men of honor whose job it was to look out for each other. Instead, they were like animals, eating and sleeping and caring about nothing else but themselves.
What good is a blind watchman? Can he look out and see the enemy coming? Can he tell if his friends and family are in danger or under attack? The people didn't have the Holy Spirit. They lacked a connection with God and his ability to see what was going on around them. God describes them as lying around sleeping and dreaming. Is a watchman effective if he's sleeping? I know guys who were paid to be watchmen, and when they got caught sleeping they got fired!
God says they're mute dogs. The whole purpose of a dog in those days was to sound the alarm when a stranger or wild animal approached. They were an extension of the shepherd's power, and the only security alarm mankind had before the electronic age. But what good is a mute dog? Even if he smells a lion and hears him roar a mile away, how is he going to warn people? God is saying that even a dog is more useful than the Israelites. But he's also saying that part of their function is to warn each other, like the watchman, when they're in danger, and they're not doing it.
Instead of keeping their eyes peeled, and instead of listening and watching out for each other, the Israelites were on autopilot. They ate well. They slept well. They drank exceptionally well. They did whatever they felt like doing. These were people whose lives wouldn't be substantially different if God never spoke a word to them. They were like animals. If they were hungry, they ate. If they were thirsty, they drank. If they were tired, they slept. Why did God make them human? He could have made them dogs instead, and they would have done mostly the same things!
The Israelites said to each other "Tomorrow will be like today, or even far better." That implies that they thought they had things figured out. There's no uncertainty, or worry, or reverence for God's shocking changes of plan. It was as though they had everything under control. They'd engineered their environment to perform the way they wanted it to, and they didn't have to answer to anyone for it. But how many things happen without us knowing? Rich people become poor. Beloved friends and family die. Borders change. Earthquakes and typhoons happen. We meet new people. Crops fail. How can someone who is aware of the vastness of God's universe say that they know what will happen tomorrow? How small must their world be to think like that?
As modern people, we tend to look at God's warnings to Israelites thousands of years ago with some detachment. "Yeah those folks were savages. They didn't have the Internet, or democracy, or their own Bibles. Good thing we're not dirty ignorant primitive folks like them!" But we're still human, and if one man can make a mistake, so can another. Are we on autopilot? Do we put too much faith in our own plans? Are we unaware of each other's struggles and circumstances? Do we keep our mouths shut when someone else is in a precarious situation? Do we devour God's blessing for ourselves and forget to feed others with it too?
God calls for the wild animals to devour the Israelites. They're failures. In God's analogy, they're nothing more than useless meat. "If you're going to live like animals, then welcome to the jungle." He has so much more for us. He warns us not just because he's angry, but because he cares. God is full of love, and if we share that love we can't just focus on ourselves. We can't be quiet when someone needs us. We can't ignore him or each other. Love engages and is full of fascination. Does that describe you, or are you more like the mute dog? Learn from the failures of the Israelites and avoid the fate that God warned them about.
Come, all you beasts of the field,
come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
Israel’s watchmen are blind,
they all lack knowledge;
they are all mute dogs,
they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
they love to sleep.
They are dogs with mighty appetites;
they never have enough.
They are shepherds who lack understanding;
they all turn to their own way,
they seek their own gain.
“Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!
Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
or even far better.”
These verses detail the failures of Israel's people in Isaiah's time. God compares them to dogs, which was a pretty big insult. They were supposed to be watchmen, men of honor whose job it was to look out for each other. Instead, they were like animals, eating and sleeping and caring about nothing else but themselves.
What good is a blind watchman? Can he look out and see the enemy coming? Can he tell if his friends and family are in danger or under attack? The people didn't have the Holy Spirit. They lacked a connection with God and his ability to see what was going on around them. God describes them as lying around sleeping and dreaming. Is a watchman effective if he's sleeping? I know guys who were paid to be watchmen, and when they got caught sleeping they got fired!
God says they're mute dogs. The whole purpose of a dog in those days was to sound the alarm when a stranger or wild animal approached. They were an extension of the shepherd's power, and the only security alarm mankind had before the electronic age. But what good is a mute dog? Even if he smells a lion and hears him roar a mile away, how is he going to warn people? God is saying that even a dog is more useful than the Israelites. But he's also saying that part of their function is to warn each other, like the watchman, when they're in danger, and they're not doing it.
Instead of keeping their eyes peeled, and instead of listening and watching out for each other, the Israelites were on autopilot. They ate well. They slept well. They drank exceptionally well. They did whatever they felt like doing. These were people whose lives wouldn't be substantially different if God never spoke a word to them. They were like animals. If they were hungry, they ate. If they were thirsty, they drank. If they were tired, they slept. Why did God make them human? He could have made them dogs instead, and they would have done mostly the same things!
The Israelites said to each other "Tomorrow will be like today, or even far better." That implies that they thought they had things figured out. There's no uncertainty, or worry, or reverence for God's shocking changes of plan. It was as though they had everything under control. They'd engineered their environment to perform the way they wanted it to, and they didn't have to answer to anyone for it. But how many things happen without us knowing? Rich people become poor. Beloved friends and family die. Borders change. Earthquakes and typhoons happen. We meet new people. Crops fail. How can someone who is aware of the vastness of God's universe say that they know what will happen tomorrow? How small must their world be to think like that?
As modern people, we tend to look at God's warnings to Israelites thousands of years ago with some detachment. "Yeah those folks were savages. They didn't have the Internet, or democracy, or their own Bibles. Good thing we're not dirty ignorant primitive folks like them!" But we're still human, and if one man can make a mistake, so can another. Are we on autopilot? Do we put too much faith in our own plans? Are we unaware of each other's struggles and circumstances? Do we keep our mouths shut when someone else is in a precarious situation? Do we devour God's blessing for ourselves and forget to feed others with it too?
God calls for the wild animals to devour the Israelites. They're failures. In God's analogy, they're nothing more than useless meat. "If you're going to live like animals, then welcome to the jungle." He has so much more for us. He warns us not just because he's angry, but because he cares. God is full of love, and if we share that love we can't just focus on ourselves. We can't be quiet when someone needs us. We can't ignore him or each other. Love engages and is full of fascination. Does that describe you, or are you more like the mute dog? Learn from the failures of the Israelites and avoid the fate that God warned them about.
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