Isaiah 34:2, 14, 16 NIV
The Lord is angry with all nations;
his wrath is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy them,
he will give them over to slaughter.
Desert creatures will meet with hyenas,
and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures will also lie down
and find for themselves places of rest.
Look in the scroll of the Lord and read:
None of these will be missing,
not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth that has given the order,
and his Spirit will gather them together.
Isaiah 35:8 NIV
And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
Three thoughts stand out in stark contrast in these two chapters. First, God will judge the nations, and Edom in particular. Second, the desert creatures will find rest in the very place that God judged the nations. Third, the righteous will walk a highway called the "Way of Holiness" and none of the wicked will go there.
We live in a fallen, evil world filled with violence, bloodshed and pain, most of which is at the hands of people. God will only allow that to go on so long. At some point he will say, "Enough!" At that point people will get a taste of their own medicine.
We were created to oversee and care for the creatures of this world. Instead we have been destroying them and ourselves. They will find rest at the hand of God. Reading the first part of chapter 34 it would be easy to conclude that God is vicious, violent and angry. But when we see his treatment of the desert creatures we realize that he is only vicious, violent and angry with vicious, violent, angry people. Sin warrants judgement.
So how do we live in such a world? We trust God, resting in the assurance that violence will come to an end and all things will be restored. The wicked will not walk His highways and all will one day be right. We live today with an eye to eternity.
Father, sometimes it is easy to forget eternity when the joy or the pain of this world is so real. Thank you that I can rest in the truth that one day all will be set right.
By His grace,
Rick Weinert
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