A STENCH TO HIS GLORY

Isaiah 3:8 Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.

Jerusalem and Judah have sinned in what they say and in what they do: their tongues and their doings are against the LORD. In fact, what they say and what they do provoke the eyes of His glory.

 It is much easier to think that what we do is offensive to God than to think that what we say can provoke the eyes of His glory. But we are commanded to glorify God by what we say just as much as by what we do. Jesus said, For every idle word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37)

The look on their countenance witnesses against them: The very look on their faces is evidence of their guilt. Either they have smirk of the reprobate or the downcast gaze of those under conviction.

 "Impure propensities are particularly legible in the eyes: whoever has beheld the face of a debauchee or a prostitute knows this; of these, it may be said, they wish to appear what they really are. They glory in their iniquity. This is the highest pitch of ungodliness." 

And they declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it: Their sin is openly displayed, and there have no sense of shame. The cultural dynamic in Isaiah's day was probably much the same as in our time. In the name of "frankness" and "honesty" and "let's not be hypocrites," all kinds of sin is approved, and no one is "allowed" to proclaim a standard unless they live up to it perfectly.

Outward decency is important. It is important to not talk about many sins, even though they exist, and sometimes touch the church. It is through these means that God's people declare a standard, even though they or the world do not perfectly measure up to a standard. Ephesians 5:12 matters here: For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

One of the most destructive lies of our time is that it is wrong or hypocritical to have a standard that we don't live up to. No one has always told the truth, yet it is right and good to teach our children, "Don't lie." It would be wrong, and destructive, for someone to answer, "You can't tell your child not to lie. You have lied in the past. You are a hypocrite." This attitude in our society translates into a certain result: a wholesale lowering of standards. Also, the charge of hypocrisy is false. It is not hypocritical to promote a standard you don't perfectly meet. Hypocrisy is when you pretend to keep the standard when you do not or think it is fine for you to not keep the standard when you think others should.

"The maintenance of external decency is at least some evidence of a conscience not altogether seared.

Prayer: Help me Lord never to be a hypocrite before You, guide me in all I do, to be honest, and sincere in Jesus' name. Amen

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The Lady Evangelist Kim

gospelrevolutionmovement@gmail.com