The nature of evil

I’m not exactly sure when Isaiah wrote this prophesy, but I’m guessing it was during the time of King Pekah of Israel during the attacks by Assyria (2 Kings 15:29).

It’s also possible, however, that he wrote this during the time of King Hoshea at the time of the siege of Samaria (2 Kings 17:3-5) or even slightly before.

At any rate, Israel was in trouble, but despite it all, they refused to turn to God.

Instead, in their pride, they resolved to rebuild what had been broken down.  To pull themselves up by their own bootstraps as it were.

And basically, God told them that because of their pride, and all of the evil in Israel, they would be taken into captivity.

In warning the people, Isaiah uses some very vivid imagery as he talks about all the evil that was being committed in Israel.  And through it, I think we can see something of the nature of evil.

Isaiah wrote,

Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upwards in a column of smoke.

By the wrath of the Lord Almighty, the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; no one will spare his brother.”  (Isaiah 9:18-19)

I’ve never seen a forest fire, and I hope I never do.  But when it starts, it spreads quickly, and all that is in the forest just becomes fuel to the fire.  In the end, all that remains is ashes.

That’s the nature of evil.  Left unchecked, it spreads quickly, and all the people who get caught in it just adds fuel to the fire.

Evil begets more evil which begets even more evil.  And in the end, it destroys everyone involved.

In verse 20-21, it says,

On the right, they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left, they will eat, but still not be satisfied.  Each will feed on the flesh of his own offspring.

Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn on Judah.

In other words, evil never leaves anyone satisfied.

Often times we do evil thinking that if we just get what we want, it will satisfy.

As a result, we step on others to fulfill our ambitions.

We sacrifice our marriages at the altar of adultery or pornography.

The love of money and things causes us to blind ourselves to any harm we may be causing others.  But in the end, you find yourself still hungry and dissatisfied.

Yet so often, instead of turning from evil, you continue down that path to your own destruction and to the harm of the people that you touch.

That’s what happened to Israel and Judah.  And God told them that a day of reckoning was coming for them.

There will be a day of reckoning for us as well.  We will be judged some day for what we have done.

So let us not be hard-hearted, clinging to the sins that would destroy us.  Rather let us turn from our sins, that we may be healed.