Isaiah
26:10
10 Let favour be shewed [chanan] to the wicked [rasha`], yet
will he not [bal] learn [lamad] righteousness [tsedeq]: in
the land ['erets] of uprightness [n@kochah] will he deal unjustly [`aval], and will not [bal] behold [ra'ah] the majesty [ge'uwth] of
the LORD [Y@hovah]. KJV-Interlinear
10 If favor is shown to the wicked, he does
not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does
not see the majesty of the LORD. ESV
In the previous
verse, it is troubles that bring people to the Lord, not successes. Troubles in the life serve to remind people
of their flaws, of their limitations, of their weaknesses, or their ultimate
dependence on someone greater than themselves.
Whereas,
successes, do not accomplish the objective of bringing people to the Lord.
One would think,
and certainly many complain, that they would love the Lord more, if only they
had more. But such is not the case.
It is the
difficulties and frustrations of life that serve to bring the Lord before our
eyes, more so than wealth or prosperity.
The prosperous
generally fall away from their spiritual life, in their comfort and
luxuries. And often it is the successes
of life that become the great enemy of ones ultimate spiritual success.
So, when problem
after problem are seemingly coming at you endlessly, then look to that as a
subtle blessing in disguise. Or were it
not for difficulties in life, then the Lord and ones eternal future would most
likely be in jeopardy.
Why do we not all
live in luxury and success? Why do we
not all win the jackpot?
Because those
things would more often than not, destroy us, despite our opinions otherwise.
While success can
be appreciated and the Lord praised for them, that is typically not the case.
Likewise,
difficulties can become the source of complaints and the Lord blamed for them,
but at least people will look to God when they are in need. And even when life is a struggle, and when
the complaints are too numerous to count, ultimately the struggles will drive
people to Christ, more so than success would drive them to Him.
So, why are we not
all blessed? Why does God not rain down prosperity on us? After all we are believers in Christ, we are
royal family of God, we are joint heirs of the new universe to come, we are
royal priests and ambassadors, so do we not deserve a bit more favor, rather
than stress?
And the answer is
yes, but our favor comes in the form of training and learning and growth, and
life and doctrine aid in that process.
Luxury does not.
Better to be poor
and learn doctrine and see the Lord and all of His majesty, and have blessings
beyond imagination for all of eternity, than to be wealthy now, and see nothing
now, and have nothing for all of eternity.
And despite your
assurances that you would not be that way, you are wrong.
