"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil...The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace." (Isaiah 59:1-4, 8)
The next two weeks are going to sound political to some of you, at least at the start. I assure you I am not arguing for any political movement or party. I am nauseated by the way politics and the church tend to jump in bed with one another. In fact, what I will be saying over the next few weeks on the topic of justice will make people from every political stripe happy and angry. This is a biblical matter that does have political ramifications, but I am especially urging Christians to take this to heart.
The 59th chapter of Isaiah contains some surprising accusations. Israel's sin was separating them from God and his blessings. We may be surprised to learn that the particular sin was their failure to uphold justice. This was a serious matter for God's people because God loves justice (Psalm 33:5). It is the foundation of his throne (Psalm 89:14). God commanded the Son of David to uphold justice in the kingdom (1 Kings 10:9, Psalm 72) and commands believers to be like God and "do justice" (Micah 6:8). Who is justice for? Over and over again the scriptures identify the weakest among us as those who especially need the protection of the justice system. (Isaiah 1:17, Jeremiah 5:28) Not only were they failing to uphold justice, but they were using the justice "system" to inflict injustice on the weak. Their entire justice system lacked integrity. Decisions were rendered on the basis of empty arguments and flat out lies.
Last week marked the 40th anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision that made abortion a legal right in this country. By the standards of this country a woman as the right to terminate the life of her unborn child because it's her body. Essentially the unborn child is deemed to have no rights. When I consider the abortion issue in light of what Isaiah says, I can't help but wonder how much of our financial and economic crisis is tied into our failure to maintain justice for the weakest among us. Yes, these little people whom we kill and discard with the trash are made in the image of God, are the weakest among us. Empty arguments over "women's rights" and "what if its a rape victim?" are the "crooked roads" our society has chosen to follow. The result: the slaughter of almost 56 million children since 1973 in the land that boasts is commitment to equality, freedom and justice for all.
Isaiah goes on to say, "So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes." (59:9-10) Because the people preferred darkness over light, God left them in the dark. They became like blind men, groping along the wall. I can't help but feel that the political, economical and moral darkness of our day is directly linked to our consent of abortion, whether direct or indirect.
We have a president who says he is a Christian (and he may be!), who said some excellent words about the little children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary. Unfortunately he strains at gnats and swallows camels when he continues to hypocritically allow this holocaust of the unborn to continue. Christians who vote for candidates who approve of a woman's right to choose or set this issue aside need to take Isaiah 59 to heart. The charge was against God's people - and this is where it always begins. "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17) Christians who have supported candidates who protect the guilty but condemn the innocent are taking the crooked path of Saul of Tarsus who consent to Stephen's unjust death even though he did not pick up a stone (Acts 7:56-8:1).In all honesty, I don't know how someone can profess faith in Christ and vote for a candidate who condones such gross injustice with a clear conscience.
But the zealous pro-lifers reading this need to hold their amens for the moment and take a step back to ask a pressing question: are YOU willing to adopt these babies who would otherwise be aborted? The other day I spoke to an unwed couple who are expecting. The doctors say the child may have Downs Syndrome and recommended abortion. They have chosen life (Praise the Lord!) I am sure someone will adopt this baby. But I had to be honest with myself and ask: if no one will adopt this child, will I? Even those among us who say we are "pro-life" need to ask: what are we actually doing about this? What are we willing to do? If abortion becomes illegal tomorrow, will the people of God answer the call and adopt the millions of babies who otherwise would have been cut into pieces in their mother's wombs and discarded as medical waste? Think hard about how far you are willing to go with your pro-life position. I will join you.
-- Pastor Dave
"The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice." (Isaiah 59:15)
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