Hardness of Heart: Isaiah 3:9

As noted in a previous post, I have begun my study in the book of Isaiah. I was reading through Isaiah a couple days ago and was struck by 3:9: "The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves."

The culture in which we live immediately mocks anyone who declares another to be more wicked than himself. Of course, we ought to be careful to not hypocritically brand others as "worse than us." However, Scripture often times unashamedly identifies hardness of heart.

Isaiah laments over the depth of Israel's rebellion by saying, "They parade their sin like Sodom, they do not hide it." Israel had fallen so far that they were no longer ashamed of their obstinate ways. They were no longer simply rebellious, they had fallen to a new level of defilement.

Is not America in a similar situation? Think of Las Vegas and its sex crazed advertisement, "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas." Think of San Francisco and it's unashamed homosexuality. What about the rejection of the Lordship of Christ? What about the greed present in us all. Is our sin our boast?

No one is ashamed. Our hearts have grown so hard that we can longer detect our defilement. In what ways has such callousness crept into the church? In what ways has it crept into our own lives.

Isaiah 3:9 reminds me of Jeremiah 8:12: "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; In the time of their punishment they shall be cast down, says the LORD."

Let us repent of our own hardheartedness. Let us intercede on behalf of our nation. Let us "become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life" (Philippians 2:15-16).

God is a God of grace, but he is also a holy God. In Isaiah, He offered Israel grace if they would only receive it and repent of their sins. They refused God and his demands. Thus, God sent the Babylonians to judge them for their sin.

We must not test the Lord or presume upon His grace. Let us act now while God is still showing us favor. He is so gracious my friends. His promises are true. Let us strive after them.