Isaiah 5
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Isaiah 5:19-20:
Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it! Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. |
These people claimed to desire the true counsel of God, but they had deceit in their heart. They ended up perverted in their counsel. Sin had perverted their judgment. They were not able to discern evil, so the things that were holy and pure, they called unrighteous. Be careful not to be influenced by someones elses "witness' about a certain event or preacher. The person making the judgment may not be speaking from right spirit.
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Becky Laney
When we give into "vain imaginations," when we neglect to "bring into captivity" our [natural] thoughts, we set ourselves up for trouble.
In our imaginations we often rewrite things our own way:
We can even bring our imaginations and thoughts into our Bible reading, our prayer, our sermons, our music. That is where it becomes dangerous indeed. When we become so confused, so blinded, that we don't realize that we've substituted the ONE TRUE GOD, the God of the Bible with a "GOD" of our own making, our own vain imaginations. We've replaced his revealed knowledge--THE WORD OF GOD--with our own "knowledge." We've switched from worshipping God to worshipping ourselves in disguise.
--Becky Laney: Operation Actually Read the Bible: Vain Imaginations 9.15.18
In our imaginations we often rewrite things our own way:
- We rewrite who we were, who we are, who we are going to be.
- We rewrite who God is and what he is like.
- We rewrite what we need, what we expect, what we DESERVE.
- We rewrite relationships: how we relate to each other and how we relate to God.
- We rewrite priorities. We make big things little and little things big.
- We rewrite definitions and truths.
- We rewrite "good" and "evil." Isaiah 5:20
- We dismiss the realities we don't like and thrive upon fantasies.
We can even bring our imaginations and thoughts into our Bible reading, our prayer, our sermons, our music. That is where it becomes dangerous indeed. When we become so confused, so blinded, that we don't realize that we've substituted the ONE TRUE GOD, the God of the Bible with a "GOD" of our own making, our own vain imaginations. We've replaced his revealed knowledge--THE WORD OF GOD--with our own "knowledge." We've switched from worshipping God to worshipping ourselves in disguise.
--Becky Laney: Operation Actually Read the Bible: Vain Imaginations 9.15.18
While the Bible does include examples of alcohol usage, it is also clear that it is a dangerous substance. “Those who are champions at drinking wine are as good as dead, who display great courage when mixing strong drinks” (Isaiah 5:22). Those are strong words from Isaiah, and Proverbs doesn’t hold back either. “Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper” (Proverbs 23:31, 32, NIV).