Isaiah
30:22
22 Ye shall defile [tame'] also the covering [tsippuwy] of thy graven images [paciyl] of silver [keceph], and the
ornament ['ephuddah] of thy molten
images [maccekah] of gold [zahab]: thou shalt cast them away [zarah] as a menstruous cloth [daveh]; thou shalt say ['amar] unto it, Get thee hence [yatsa']. KJV-Interlinear
22 Then you will defile your carved idols
overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them
as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!” ESV
Graven images, is
a phrase that refers to anything that you deem is more important than your
spiritual life. Your spiritual life includes everything from your attitude
toward God, toward Christ, toward Bible doctrine, as well as, for your various
responsibilities and obligations in life.
Graven images can
be things that you have or possessions that you own, or things that you want to
have, or your attitude toward your personal responsibilities which you ignore or
don’t care for. Graven images is not limited to things, or idols of gold, or
even objects that people bow down to or worship, as they have in the distant
past.
Even the pattern
of life that a person lives can become their graven image, and that they prefer
that lifestyle instead of the lifestyle that is taught and recommended by the
Bible.
So whether your
graven image happens to be the things that you own, or want, or your personal
beliefs and attitudes in life, makes no difference. What is important, and what
the issue is, has to do with your negative attitude, or indifference toward
your spiritual responsibilities, and all of the things that attend the pattern
of the spiritual life.
Isaiah, in
addressing this issue, speaks to the Israelites of Judah, who had long since
turned away from God, in favor of worldly things.
Isaiah also
addresses this issue with every individual, with regard to their personal life.
And, Isaiah addresses
this issue with the Jews who will be living in that last generation of human
history, and facing hard decisions, as to whether to stick with their things
and lifestyle, in spite of the heavy heartache and suffering that they are
going to endure because of it. Or, throwing their things and lifestyle and
attitudes away, even swallowing their pride, in favor of the principles that
the Bible teaches.
When an attitude
and belief has been so instilled into ones thoughts and pattern of life, it is
extremely difficult to humble oneself to turn away from those things, and change
over their thinking, to a totally new pattern of thought.
Hence, God
introduces suffering.
Often times a
little bit of suffering is enough to induce one to make that change.
But there are
times when God introduces a lot of suffering into ones life, in order to force
the issue.
With greater
suffering, come greater choices. And with those greater choices a person will
tend to dig their heels in even deeper into their anti-truth ways, or they will
crack under pressure and throw their anti-truth ways away, and change their
life.
Some people have a
pride that is so rigid, that making a change becomes a huge embarrassment to
them. And the embarrassment is in how they think others see them in making a
change, or in how they see themself. And that is one of the big flaws and
stumbling blocks, of the thinking of an individual who rejects truth.
They are more
concerned with how they think of themselves, or how others might think of them,
than they are with how God thinks of them. And when one lacks the necessary
respect of God, such that, their own attitude is more important, then suffering
has to be introduced into their life in order to make them see the extreme
weakness of their position.
Again, some people
change with a little bit of heartache.
But, some people
require a great deal of heartache before they begin to look at themselves
objectively and see their error, and then make the change in their life.
In the last
generation of human history, which is what we are referring to as the
tribulation, the suffering and heartache will shoot off the scale as never
before in history. The stubbornness and arrogance of people in that generation
will be so rigid, that it will take literally, the near end of the world
scenario, in order to get them to see their failure and make the change toward
Christ.
A short while ago,
we studied the great apostasy that is yet to come. That will be an extremely
rigid attitude against truth that will be prevalent at the end of our current
dispensation of the Church Age. When the rapture occurs, then obviously that
attitude will transfer into the tribulation, and will be dominant for those
seven years.
The point is, that
the anti-Christian attitude that will be prevalent in the tribulation, will
start and will exist, in our dispensation.
And of course we don’t know when the
rapture will occur, but all we can do is see the anti-truth signs in the world,
and then know, or at least wonder how extreme that attitude will go. Needless
to say, the descriptions that we have regarding the final days, gives us clues as to
just how extreme anti-truth attitudes can be, as well as how extreme Gods
dealing with them, will be.
Therefore,
with regard to your own life, do not begin to think that your games with truth,
will be dealt with lightly, because they won’t.
For, unless you begin to abide with Gods mandates in pursuing a daily
study, and confession as needed, and living your spiritual life as God has
defined, then heartache is on the menu for your life. What is important is whether you will recognize
it and then change.
These
studies are a part of the massive daily study web site at DailyBibeStudy.Org,
and are written, so that you can come to Christ if you have not done so
already, and therefore not be lost forever.
And
if you have already believed in Christ, then these studies are written so you
can learn and understand and grow in your spiritual life, so that you can come
to the full knowledge of Christ, so that you can fulfill your meaning and
purpose in life as God intended for you, and so you can qualify for a
phenomenal eternal reward which you will have forever.
To
ignore this opportunity to pursue a daily study means you will be incomplete,
unfulfilled and you will lose out, big time.
The
Daily Bible Study is online, making it possible as never before in all of human
history, to advance in ones relationship with God, through Christ, and to
complete yourself beyond your imagination.
But
you have to decide to make that commitment.
No one else can study for you.
You have to do that yourself.
