Riches for the Rats

Isaiah 2 - In a way that I can break it down into bite size pieces.

There will come a time in the future (in the last days) when the kingdom of God will be exalted above all other churches, kingdoms, nations and powers. God will reveal Himself. With true wisdom, He will have authority over all nations and He will bring peace. Hearts once filled with hatred and war will be transformed. Be wise and do not reject God's truth. But you (as an individual and a people) have aligned yourself with the unGodly. These men are greedy, they are hoarders, and they have created their own gods to worship. When God decides to deal with this, you are gonna want to hide - and make no mistake - God is going to deal swiftly with this sin. A day of reckoning is ahead. There will be no place you can hide; no place you will be safe; no destination that will put you beyond God's reach.  Man will be put in his proper place and the Lord will be exalted above all. What men value above God and have created as their own personal gods will be tossed aside into darkness with the scavengers (rats and bats, the dirty and disease filled creatures of darkness) on that day. Stop putting your faith in men; they live and then they die but they cannot compare to God.

For Isaiah's original crowd, that long awaited day of the kingdom of God was the arrival of the Messiah. Yet even now the church still waits for the second coming of our Lord, and the day of ultimate judgement. In Isaiah's time, God's people had aligned themselves with an unsavory group and it had a negative affect. That continues to remains a risk for both the modern day Christian and the modern day Church. Greed, hoarding, and idolatry are as prevalent today as they were 4000 years ago.

Think about it. When is there enough money in the bank account? Why do we buy into the lie that we need the nicer house, the newer car, the bigger ring or the better vacation. How about this, every hear these thoughts bouncing around in your brain?  Maybe I can't afford this right now, but I deserve it. Her kids always have on the cutest clothes. Did you see his new techno gadget; I need that too. Well of course we have five cell phones four computers, three televisions, Direct TV in every room, two state of the art gaming systems and one surround sound set up that will nearly make you deaf! Doesn't everybody? If I can just buy myself or my wife, or my man or my kid this special thing or that special thing, then IT will be better. Life will settle down soon and we can get back to the family thing and the church thing...I just need to... land that better job, get that promotion, get in a little bit better shape, finish up this sports season... Any of that sound familiar to you, or is it just me? Greed, hoarding, idolatry - remixed for the 21st century. Still as deadly as ever.

But it's the last verse today that returns again and again to my mind... Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?

God help me today. You are my foundation. You never fail. You are faithful. I want you to be my focus. Yours is the only voice that matters Lord. Continue Lord to refine my vision and give me eternal eyes. Amen