December 04 | Rebellion
Isaiah 1:1-9 (NLT)
These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.
2 Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!
This is what the Lord says:
“The children I raised and cared for
have rebelled against me.
3 Even an ox knows its owner,
and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—
but Israel doesn’t know its master.
My people don’t recognize my care for them.”
4 Oh, what a sinful nation they are—
loaded down with a burden of guilt.
They are evil people,
corrupt children who have rejected the Lord.
They have despised the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.
5 Why do you continue to invite punishment?
Must you rebel forever?
Your head is injured,
and your heart is sick.
6 You are battered from head to foot—
covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds—
without any soothing ointments or bandages.
7 Your country lies in ruins,
and your towns are burned.
Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes
and destroy everything they see.
8 Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned
like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard,
like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest,
like a helpless city under siege.
9 If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
had not spared a few of us,
we would have been wiped out like Sodom,
destroyed like Gomorrah.
Ahhh, rebellion. I know it well from giving my parents a run for their money. The Lord spoke about the Israelite’s rebellion when they turned against Him, after He cared for them so tenderly. I never appreciated this passage of Scripture fully until after I became a parent, myself. I then recognized that my rebellion wasn’t just against my parents, it was against God. He opened my eyes to see that I not only hurt my parents, but I took advantage of the blessing of salvation that He offered me. I lost sight of His mercy. I was just like the Israelites. But, praise God for His grace! Like the Scripture says, “If the Lord had not stepped in…” Yikes! I don’t even want to think about what could’ve happened to me if the Lord had not stepped in and took care of my rebellious nature.
The funny thing about rebellion is that it doesn’t end when you are a teenager. It creeps into our adult lives as well. Sometimes we must ask ourselves, am I being rebellious in any areas of my life—at home, at work, in church, in relationships, in my community? By staying consistent in the Word and in prayer, He continues to remind us of our everyday sin of rebellion, and this Christmas reminds us of Him sending His Son to bring us back into His tender care.
~Rachel Davis