When God’s judgment is discussed our tendency is to recall spectacular visions of miraculous and stupendous wrath like those described in Revelation, Ezekiel, Daniel etc. While those are certainly fertile ground for understanding the looming doom of the wicked minion there is a less spectacular form of judgment that is most likely the more commonplace variety.
It’s an unspectacular judgment.
This unspectacular judgment is referenced in
Isaiah 50:11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire and among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.
This is a rather unremarkable scene. Kindling a fire, and enjoying the light that it provides. This seems like a rather benign and innocuous activity, even desirable and good. Who wouldn’t do this? Who among the truly enlightened wouldn’t support such a common sense activity. Indeed those in this passage think it is so helpful and good that they light several fires and encircle themselves with the light and truly enjoy its benefits. They enjoy walking in the light of their fire.
These would conclude, anyone not doing what we are doing are fools; if you stumble around in the dark and don’t join us in our activities, you really are the unenlightened.
Like so many times (every time) in Scripture the context is critical. The verse that sets the stage for this unspectacular scene is important.
Isaiah 50: 10 Who is among you that fears the Lord, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
The critical detail upon which this passage pivots is the lighting of the fire and walking in the light of it, is a demonstration of faithlessness.
Faithlessness?
How?
Verse 10 is in contrast to vs 11. The phrases used there: fear the Lord, obey the voice, walk in darkness, trust the Lord, rely on God all are in contrast to what is said of the activity of verse 11 which is: kindle a fire, encircle yourselves, walk in light among the blaze, lie down in torment.
The contrast is key.
The individuals of verse 10 recognizes they are walking in darkness. They endeavor to obey His servant’s voice and they are called to trust in the name of the Lord and to rely on God. This means the activity of verse 11 is a direct refusal to do what those who fear the Lord have been called to do. This brings us to the very unspectacular judgment of God. He simply lets the rebellious activity of the arrogant kindler’s of fire do their thing. They kindle their fire, they bask in its light, they conclude that more is better and they encircle themselves with the firebrands and then they are consumed under their own doings.
That is rather unspectacular. It’s horrendous none the less but it’s not flaming fire and brimstone from heaven. Well sort of. It is God’s judgment and He says so. “This you will have from my hand: You will lie down in torment.”
We walk away from this passage with a new sense of the gravity of doing your own thing.
Caring not what the Lord has said and seeking to remedy the darkness on our own. Obedience to the Lord’s voice doesn’t always dispel the darkness and that is alright, we still walk. Trusting and relying on God is better than lighting a fire.
The depraved and fallen citizens of this world have lit their fires and they saw that it gave light and so they’ve lit more and more. They’ve encircled themselves with their light source but God has said this is what I give you from my hand. You will lie down in torment.
We take away from this passage a somber and solemn, unspectacular judgment which is so innocuous that one might even say, it isn’t judgment.
But it is.
For God to leave one in their desires, their wants, their predilections and the way they were born into this world is a judgment of the most commonplace type. God can just let the wicked be content in their wickedness and even enjoy it along the way – walk in the light of your fire. Be what you are. I was made this way.
Knowing this ought to compel us with great pity, love and sorrow when confronted by the most monstrous of rebellion. These have lit their fires and are adding to the ring of fire day by day.
We’ve seen plenty of that in the past couple weeks and fire and brimstone didn’t fall from the sky but that doesn’t mean there isn’t judgment underway. The unspectacular judgment of God is always at work but Christ, the light of the world has come. Note, it was the ones who feared God and obeyed His voice that walked in darkness (prior to Christ) that trusted in and relied on God and for which He sent His Son to bring a light that doesn’t consume and destroy but one that truly illumines towards eternity.
Walk in the light – but not in the self kindled light of the fire that will destroy.
John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
It’s the Lord’s Day today, it’s not your day, so go worship in the life of the Light of Heaven.
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