I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 26-28.

    God does what is right. He eases the path for those who are righteous and put their trust in Him. Isaiah tells us that those who trust in the Lord will follow His commands. The wicked do not learn to do right, not from the kindness of God, the example of others, not even from the threat of God’s judgment. Eventually God’s patience will run out and He will no longer protect the wicked from the consequences of their actions. I do not think what I just wrote is completely coherent. I was hoping that as I wrote it would come together, but it did not. In particular I was hoping I would find a way to connect the previous thoughts on the passage to the next.
    There is a connection. The prophet Isaiah managed to transition between them. Those who strive to serve the Lord will endure agony as they witness the pain of those oppressed by evil. As we seek the Lord, we suffer and squirm but seem to accomplish nothing. We cannot bring salvation to the earth, but if we die in the Lord we will rise again. As I wrote this I remembered a column I read awhile back about a woman who served in the Peace Corps and later worked with the Missionaries of Charity (the Catholic Order founded by Mother Teresa). She said that the Peace Corps compared poorly to the Missionaries of Charity. The former was composed of idealistic young people determined to save the world, who nevertheless embodied some of the most venal aspects of human nature. The latter, she said, was composed of wonderful, kind people. They had no interest in saving the world because they knew that Someone else had already done that. In many ways that is what Isaiah is talking about. Our call to do good in the world is not a call to save the world. God has taken care of that Himself. Our call is to trust in Him and follow His commands.

    In Chapter 28, Isaiah speaks about wealthy and powerful people who think that they can use their power and wealth to avoid the coming destruction. Isaiah tells them that God has set His own standard for withstanding the coming destruction. The deal of these movers and shakers was based on deception, so it will not stand against the coming flood. As I read this I was reminded of several articles I have read recently which talked about how the technology elites of the world are seeking to figure out how they can avoid the disaster they see coming. They foresee the breakdown of our current civilization from one or more of several causes and they are seeking an exit hatch to escape the misery which most people will experience. The answer to them is the one which Isaiah gave the elites of Jerusalem. Those who believe on the Foundation Stone which God has laid in Jerusalem will not be shaken by the coming flood. But those who think that they can make a private deal with death will be overwhelmed and trampled. These elites are correct about the coming disaster, but trust in God, and the obedience which goes with it, is the only place of safety.