Isaiah 22:13
13 And behold joy [sasown] and gladness [simchah],
slaying [harag] oxen [baqar], and killing [shachat]
sheep [tso'n], eating ['akal] flesh [basar], and drinking
[shathah] wine [yayin]: let us eat ['akal] and
drink [shathah]; for to morrow [machar] we shall die [muwth]. KJV-Interlinear
13 and behold, joy and gladness, killing
oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine. “Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.” ESV
Eating and
drinking and having a good time is not a sin, nor even a bad thing. The error
in this verse, is the attitude that is taken by people who are facing imminent danger,
even death, and they are frivolous in their attitude, even rebellious, and that
leads to despicable behavior.
They are surrounded
and near the very end of human history.
They are not
looking to God. Not looking to Christ. Not even questioning or wondering just how the
world has fallen so far in such a very short space of time. The world in that day will be on the brink of
extinction, literally.
Most normal
folks, when they face disaster after disaster after disaster, begin to wonder
just what is wrong.
And since God is
perfect, then that wrong thing has to be related to themselves.
And again, most
normal people will begin to look at their own life, and examine where they are
right, and where they are wrong. They will
seek out answers, try to find a solution, try to get things straight with God, try
to get their life turned around.
Most normal
people will turn to God, and by turning to God they turn to the words that give
them Gods counsel. That is Bible study,
by the way.
And then there
are the fools of this world. They don’t
look to God, instead they look to their own pleasures, and food and sex and
partying, where they can distract themselves from their formidable problems,
with instant gratification, is their first choice.
Instead of
correcting themselves and improving their life, they look to one last fling,
which leads to nothing but a worse and worse existence. They are unable to face the realities, and so
they look to hide themselves from any and all responsibility. It is an ‘Oh well,’ attitude. Which means that you have given up.
A spiritually
growing believer, never gives up. They persevere in life believing that God is
there close by, that whatever the problems are, there is a solution close by as well, and even if not,
the end is always going to be with God one way or another, and that is always a
winning situation.
The growing
believer knows that God has a plan and that God wants the believer to advance
to maturity. So … there must be a
solution.
When David was
selected as king, he was just a boy. He
had to live a long time before he actually became king. He faced many hardships and challenges, but
he had Gods promise that he was going to be the king. That means he had to be alive for that to
happen.
He did not make
foolish decisions, even when he faced Goliath.
All of his life as a shepherd boy he practiced with that slingshot and
became proficient. He was prepared
before he faced Goliath.
So the spiritual
life is a preparation, and it also teaches preparation. Apply this to your life. Before you can do something, you have to be
prepared, you have to learn, you have to train, you have to do things over and
over, until you become proficient.
Your alternative
is to waste your life away and then what do you have?
But as a
prepared believer, then God can actually use you. And when you face the Goliath of your life,
you will come out of it a winner.
Perhaps even impressing someone else, besides yourself. And when you stand before Christ, you can
stand tall and confident as He actually praises you and rewards you, because
the story of your life will be a great one.
But these folks
have given up and their destiny is an empty life, and nothing after that.
A party and
laughing and having a good time are good things, but they have their place in
life. We all have to come back to
reality and work and make a living and get along in life, and keep looking to
Christ through doctrine.
