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Isaiah 13:9-11   See, the day of the LORD is coming – a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger – to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.  The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light.  The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.  I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

Many of us find it hard to comprehend some of the man-driven atrocities that are occurring in parts of our world today – the wholesale slaughter of people and destruction of property.  Many ask: “Why does a good and powerful God allow such things to happen?”  Some feel justified in refusing to ‘own’ God and submit to his rule because they cannot find a satisfactory answer to this question.

The prophet Isaiah was commissioned to declare to God’s nation, Israel, a side of God’s character that is real, but very hard for man to come to grips with: his wrath against sin.  Isaiah remained faithful in his task, and suffered the opposition, ridicule and rejection that always accompany such a stand (for another example, see Micaiah in 2 Chronicles 18).  Isaiah spoke about the Sovereign LORD’s active use of godless nations like Assyria and Babylon as his tools to pour out his wrath on the sins of his own people.  In Chapter 13 he speaks about the LORD’s planned use of the Medes to overthrow Babylon and free Israel (verses 17ff)!  There is no doubt that in the prophet’s understanding, God’s ‘got the whole world in his hands’ – for judgment, as well as for the loving care of his people.

The important lesson for our age, as for every age, is that all these events of history are merciful ‘warning shots’ to prepare us for the greatest and most devastating of all such divine visitations: the final Day of the Lord when Jesus returns.  Jesus himself reinforced this important warning in his own ministry (eg Mark 13); and another ‘warning shot’ was ‘fired’ in 70AD when Rome destroyed Jerusalem.

But there is good news!  There is a safe refuge from God’s wrath – but only one.  Jesus, God’s Son, has borne all the fury of God’s wrath against sin (a small glimpse of which we see in historical events like the one described in today’s verses) in his death on the cross.  “O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet; O trysting place where heaven’s love and heaven’s justice meet.”  We only rightly experience the depth of God’s love against the back-drop of his wrath.  Do we have the courage to warn our world of the events that will surely accompany Jesus’ Return while there is still time, and regardless of the way we will be opposed, ridiculed and rejected for doing so?

– Bruce Christian