God Will Cut Them Off

Good Morning,

Isaiah 29:20 “For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:”

vs. 21 “That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.”

A points mentioned in these verses really bother God, and God promised to cut off these people.  (I can hardly wait!)  

The scorner will be cut off.  Some people criticize, mock, and speak scornfully toward things that are good and honorable.  There is also a crowd that glories in mocking churches, Christians, and those with moral values. God will cut off the scornful crowd that mocks marriage, morality, and old-fashioned family values.

vs. 20 “… all that watch for iniquity are cut off:”

You find these people on social media or lurking around a good business, church, or family. These people seek out any weakness or misstep.  One cannot read the New Testament without seeing Jesus have mercy and forgiveness, and literally overlook the personal sins of people. To the woman taken in adultery, He said, “…neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more.”

The book of Proverbs tells us that love covers sin. (Proverbs 10:12;17:9) There may be a need to deal with sin personally, but it certainly should not be publicized or scattered across the Internet.  If a person who violated company policy needs to lose their job, that is between the employer and the employee. At least in California, it is against the law to tell others why certain things were handled in a certain way. Decency wants to correct a problem without destroying a person. I may tell a future employer about a character risk in hiring, yet to ruin a person is far from godly.  God says, those who watch for iniquity will be cut off.

As children, we were told that we should not point at people because there are always three fingers pointing back at us. There were simple, cultural practices that taught us the right way to deal with people. We live among a new generation of people who seek out any weakness or flaw, and then they seek to amplify that flaw to somehow gain notoriety themselves.  

Another group that God promises to cut off, are those who make someone a criminal because of a spoken word. It may be a casual word that is not politically correct. It could be a thoughtless word (as all of us have done at one time or another), or a word that, had we redone the situation would not have been said. The culture around us watches for any ill-spoken word.  This crowd of vile tools in the hand of Satan will ignore years or even decades of good, helpful living and seek to destroy the person because of a word or comment – this really bothers God!

It may shock this current generation, but God loves people. The second greatest commandment in the entire Bible is that we too would love people. Clearly, when God loves people, He loves sinners. When God tells us to love people, He means we are to love sinners.

I say this on occasion from the pulpit, but if someone’s background includes bank robbery, they will not be allowed to count the offering, but if they get saved and turn to a Christian life, they could sing in the choir. If someone has a hot temper, they will not be allowed to teach a children’s class or work in our parking lot dealing with the public, but there are many places they can serve that do not make them vulnerable.

From the pulpit, I would never explain why someone cannot count the offering or why someone cannot drive a Sunday school bus. Our bus drivers make a commitment to never use illegal drugs or drink liquor. If someone is drinking liquor, I will not announce from the pulpit why they cannot drive. They can serve elsewhere.  Whatever happened to loving people?

The world of attorneys who dig for one word or one comment will come crumbling down when they face Jesus Christ and bow before His throne. I can hardly wait!  God is going to cut them off.

Luke 11:54 tells a similar story.  Those who criticized Christ tried to catch Him in His words. “Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.”

Today, our legal world most often seeks money not truth; it seeks financial settlements rather than right and wrong. If destroying someone’s reputation helps them get a big settlement, they could not care less – but let us remember, God cares.  

We shall all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

“…it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) There will be no arrogance or boisterous comments about what was heard or seen. There will be absolute shame and embarrassment, and then judgment.

May we seek to love people and to treat them as Christ would treat them.

Pastor