Good morning,
Some things that happen leave a mark on your mind that stays with you the rest of your life. Many years ago, when our eldest son John was five, I came home from work to a shaken wife and sister. While they we're serving the kids a hot dog lunch the pot handle they were carrying to the table tipped unexpectedly and spilled boiling water down our son’s back. The pain was so unexpected and so intense that our son jumped off the chair and began running frantically around the house. Jean was a nurse and knew that he needed cold water to limit the damage, but it was all that they could do to catch him and get him into the tub of cool water to limit the damage. Running was the automatic response, but it was not what was needed to limit the pain. These days I find myself in the same situation. Our world and our countries are finding themselves in a world of hurt. All sorts of what we have been told were good plans for us are turning out to be increasingly destructive, and the response of our leaders reminds me very much of our little guy running madly around the house trying to get away from the pain.
As the people of Israel wandered further and further away from God, God sent faithful prophets again and again to warn them of the foolishness of following false idols and self destructive ways of thinking and living. Like the hot pot in my sister’s hand, they were not aware of the reality of the unstable handle of the dangerous lies and willful rebellion they had chosen until God’s anger spilled out and they found themselves running from the reality of the God who gave them life. God, speaking through Isaiah said, I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune- tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools. But I carry out the predictions of my prophets.(44:25,26) When people won’t listen to God, one of God’s options is to allow those who hate the people of God the pleasure of attacking and even destroying those who refuse to listen to his faithful prophets. When God gives us a warning he really means it. When the predicted punishments come crashing down on our heads, the false prophets and liars that we have chosen to lead us will be exposed as fools. They may be promoting all sorts of plans and programs, but they will not in any way be able to put out the fire of God’s judgment on those who love their sin and hate their God. What God longs for us to do is Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.(Prov. 3:5-6)
Ecclesiastes 10:13 Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; 14 they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.
Roy Wisner
