Isaiah 34 is a frightening description of the judgement that God promises to bring on the nations. The modern reader is inclined to read this with an element of horror that a loving God could do such things. But, while we are inclined to wonder how a loving God could judge people like this, the ancient reader had a different perspective. For them, the issue was how a loving God could delay doing such things. Our dilemma arises from the context of relatively sheltered lives. But when you are at the coalface of reality, and you are experiencing the horrors of evil first-hand, then your expectations of a loving God will be far more realistic. No biblical writer ever struggled with the idea of punishment for evil. What they did struggle with was the seeming absence of divine retribution upon evil doers. How could a loving God not judge evil? Well, to those who would be concerned about this in the decades that followed Isaiah’s ministry, the answer is given here: God will indeed punish the evil powers of this world. He will bring justice on those who refuse to receive and give mercy. In this, God will show how much he cares about the suffering of his children. He will show the zeal of his love in the fury of his judgement.
Have you hurt anyone lately? Receive and give God’s mercy to those who need it most.
Read Isaiah 34
