Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion

Reasons for Judgment

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-02-08

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver expounds Isaiah 24:1-6 to explain that God's judgment is not arbitrary but comes for specific reasons. He argues that God witnesses both positively (through creation and blessings) and negatively (through wrath and judgment). The sermon identifies three specific sins that defile a land and provoke divine judgment: transgressing God's laws, changing the ordinance (replacing God's law with man's law), and breaking the everlasting covenant. Weaver applies these principles to modern America, asserting that the nation has committed the same sins as ancient Israel and is therefore under God's judgment, yet there is hope if people learn righteousness through judgment and return to God.

[John Weaver] The title of the message today is Reasons for Judgment. Reasons for Judgment. Notice Isaiah 24 beginning with verse 1. Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest, as with the servant, so with his master, As with the maid, so with her mistress.

[John Weaver] As with the buyer, so with the seller. As with the lender, so with the borrower. As with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away. The haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also was defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."

[John Weaver] There is a principle in Scripture, and it is simply this, that God never leaves Himself without witness. God witnesses to us both positively and negatively. For instance, we are told in Acts chapter 14 in verse 17, Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. The very fact that we have fruitful seasons, the very fact that we have seasonal rains, and are enabled to enjoy the fruits of our labors, is witness to God's gracious and kind and providential blessings in our lives. The Bible does indeed teach that God causes the sun to shine upon the just and the unjust alike. So positively speaking, all we have to do is look around us and we can see the witness of God to us. For instance, the Bible says in Psalm 19 verses 1 through 5, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.

[John Weaver] There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run the race. So Psalm 19 tells us basically if we look around at God's creation we can understand that there is indeed God and that it is a positive witness to us. But God not only witnesses to us positively, He also witnesses to us negatively. If you would hold Isaiah 24, we're coming right back there, but look in the book of Romans chapter 1 and you will see what I'm talking about when I say the negative witness of God. Romans chapter 1 beginning there with verse 18. The Bible says this, Romans 1 verse 18, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, For God hath showed it to them.

[John Weaver] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. But note, if you would, verse 18, the Bible explicitly says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against them. Notice, here is God's wrath, here is God's judgment. So here is a negative witness concerning God. Now it's important to note that there are always reasons behind God's judgments. The Bible tells us in the book of Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 33 that God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

[John Weaver] In other words, God is not some mean old man upstairs somewhere sitting there just waiting to hurt someone. No, no. The Bible says that God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. In other words, there is a specific reason why God sends His judgment. We can also say that there are general reasons for God's judgment and there are specific reasons. There are specific sins that warrant specific judgment. Judgment is always an act of God. It may surprise you to understand that judgment in the Bible is referred to as God's special treasure.

[John Weaver] Let me show you that. Look in your Bibles, holding Isaiah 24, but to Deuteronomy chapter 32, Deuteronomy 32, and look at verses 35, 34 and 35. Deuteronomy 32, Deuteronomy 32, and verse 34. Look what God asks. Deuteronomy 32, verse 34, Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up among my treasures? What is it that's laid up in store with God? What is it that is sealed up among His treasures? Verse 35, To me belongeth vengeance and recompense.

[John Weaver] Their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. So God then says that judgment is indeed His special treasure. and when God sends it, it will come and it will come in haste. Now if you'll go back to Isaiah 24 and look at verse 1, we know that judgment is indeed the work of God because the Bible says so very explicitly.

[John Weaver] Notice, Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. Let me give you the comment of Matthew Henry upon verse 1 of Isaiah 24, he said this, The earth is stripped from all of its ornaments and looks as if it were taken off its basis. It is made empty and waste, as if it was reduced to its first chaos.

[John Weaver] Tahu and Bahu, nothing but confusion and emptiness again, without form and void. It is God that brings all these calamities upon the earth. The Lord made the earth and made it fruitful and beautiful for the service and comfort of man now makes it empty and waste for its creator is and will be its judge. He has an incontestable right to pass sentence upon it and an irresistible power to execute that sentence. It is the Lord that has spoken this word and he will do the work. It is his curse that has devoured the earth.

[John Weaver] The general curse which sin brought upon the ground for man's sake and all the particular curses which families and countries bring upon themselves by their enormous wickedness. See the power of God's curse, how it makes all empty and lays all waste. Those whom he curses are cursed indeed."

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note even Matthew Henry pointed out the fact that there are general curses and there are special curses. And he said very plainly that it is God who not only made the earth but it is also God who is very capable of destroying the earth and if he so chooses remaking it according as he desires.

[John Weaver] Now if you look in verse 1 again, Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty. Now the word earth here has been variously interpreted There are some scholars that say that the word earth here just simply refers to what you and I would call the land of Palestine or the land of Canaan. And so therefore they're saying that this judgment is restricted to that area. There are others who will interpret the word earth and say no, the word earth here has a much broader significance and it actually refers to the entire world. You and I both know that the land of Canaan has indeed been the recipients of God's judgment many times. If you try to restrict the word earth, in verse 1, just to the land of Canaan, then you have to remember a certain simple truth, and that is this, that God is immutable. God does not change. Malachi 3.6 he says, I the Lord change not. Now if we say then that the word earth in verse 1 is limited to the land of Canaan or the land of Palestine, at the same time we must admit that any nation that sins as that land did, God has the absolute right to judge it in the same way.

[John Weaver] Why? Because God is immutable. God does not change. His justice is exactly the same. So, either way you interpret the word earth, you're going to come out with the same application that God is still able and righteous in His judgment of any nation and any portion and any part of the earth as well as the entire earth itself.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look in verse 2, you'll find out the general reason for such judgment and devastation. He says, and it shall be as with the people, so with the priest, as with the servant, so with his master, as with the maid, so with her mistress, as with the buyer, so with the seller, as with the lender, so with the barter, as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.

[John Weaver] Now, it's interesting that verse 2 here includes persons of all ranks, kinds, and conditions. And what is God saying? God is saying it doesn't really matter who you are, where you are, or what you do, you will still be the recipients of these judgments.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true in one sense of the word that common calamities happen to all without respect. An earthquake, for instance, will destroy the house of a rich man just as easily will destroy the house of a poor man. It'll destroy the intellectual. It'll destroy the ignorant. And it is true that diseases affect all of us. You don't have to be poor to get certain diseases. You don't have to be rich to Receive certain germs.

[John Weaver] No, it just simply happens to all of us And what God is saying is this the whole land was corrupt all the people from the least to the greatest were perverted and therefore God's judgment was going to fall upon all of them every class every kind and Everyone was going to lose it all now we understand in some judgments for instance the poor are usually the first affected, especially famine, is around. But usually, it's the rich who are kidnapped and held for ransom. You don't ever usually kidnap a poor man. In other words, there are certain judgments that affect certain classes at certain times, but that judgment eventually affects everyone. Now, so God is saying that He's going to judge the earth. He's telling us why, because everyone is corrupt.

[John Weaver] Look in verses 3 and 4. Ask yourself this question. How serious will God's judgments be? Here's how serious they will be. The Bible says in verse 3, the land, whether you're talking about the earth as a whole or the land of Canaan, the land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled For the Lord hath spoken this word, the earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish." Now, what God is doing in verses 3 and 4 is confirming what He has already said in verse 1.

[John Weaver] When this judgment comes, it will not be an accident. It will not be the work of Mother Nature. It will be the work of God. God expressly states that He is going to empty the land, empty the earth, and that God has purposed it, God is determined to do it, and it shall be done. God will rid the land of all of its inhabitants, and the riches of that land will be stolen, looted, and taken.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles Back to Isaiah chapter 6, because you must remember that when God called Isaiah to preach, God told him this was going to happen. So if you look in Isaiah chapter 6 verse 8, notice what God tells Isaiah. Isaiah said in Isaiah 6 and verse 8, Also I heard the voice of the LORD saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I, send me. So Isaiah volunteered to go.

[John Weaver] And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye indeed, but perceive not. make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, watch what he asked. Then said I, Lord, how long? That is, how long shall I go? How long shall I preach?

[John Weaver] He the Lord answered until the cities be wasted without inhabited and the houses without man and the land be utterly Desolate and the Lord have removed men far away and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land So God is saying look it's all going to be taken away now. I want you to go back to Isaiah 24 and Remember what I told you by way of introduction And I'm going to show it to you from the Scripture. There are indeed general curses. There are general judgments. But there are also special and specific curses and special and specific judgments. Look what God says in verse 5. I want you to understand that special sins deserve special judgments. Isaiah 24 look in verse 5 God says here's why he's judging the earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because They have transgressed the laws Changed the ordinance broken the everlasting Covenant then he says therefore hath the curse devoured the earth now. It's important to note that that these three sins have caused the earth to be defiled.

[John Weaver] The word defiled is also translated as polluted, profaned, and corrupted. You could say that the earth also is polluted, or it is profaned, or it is corrupted.

[John Weaver] Now we know according to the scripture, that generally speaking, the earth was placed under a curse because of what you and I would say, general sin, that is a sin of rebellion against God. In fact, if you look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 3, notice this general curse, Genesis chapter 3, and notice if you would please beginning there with verse 17. Genesis 3 verse 17 and under Adam he said Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it Cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth of thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field, in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground, for out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and in dust thou shalt return." Note if you would, here is a general curse placed upon the earth because of man's sin.

[John Weaver] If you would turn over to the New Testament, to Romans chapter 8, once again you'll see how this plays out. Romans chapter 8, And let's begin reading there in verse 19. Romans 8 and verse 19. Here it is in the New Testament, Romans 8 verse 19. The Apostle Paul writes,"...for the earnest expectation of the creature." And by the way, when you see the word creature right here in this context, it is the word creation.

[John Weaver] So you may read it like that. He says, for the earnest expectation of the creation, that is the world, waited for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who had subjected the same in hope. Because the creature or the creation itself, that is the world, also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know, here's the same word, that the whole creation groaneth and prevailed in pain together until now. So very obviously when man sinned, the whole earth was placed under a curse or under a judgment of God. This is what you and I would call a general curse, because it was a general sin in that sense of the word.

[John Weaver] However, there are specific sins that merit and deserve specific judgments. And God has specifically said that these are the sins that pollute the land to such an extent, it causes the land to vomit out its inhabitants thereof. I want you to turn back to the book of Leviticus chapter 18. I want you to see what God said about all of those pagans those heathen, those wicked individuals, that lived in the land of Canaan. And when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He put a sword in their hand and said, you go into the land of Canaan and you kill all of these wicked inhabitants. Now, I want you to notice what the Bible says. Look in Leviticus chapter 18 and verse 24. God is telling His people, defile not ye yourselves in any of these things.

[John Weaver] For in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you. Watch carefully. And the land is defiled, therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomited out her inhabitants." In other words, the pagans who were there, in all of their wickedness, in all of their perversity, defiled the land and polluted and corrupted the land to such an extent that even the earth was sick of them and wanted to vomit them out as well. It's interesting if you will find in the Bible the sins which God specifically say defile a land. That is, these sins pollute the land.

[John Weaver] For instance, look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 3. Jeremiah chapter 3, Isaiah, Jeremiah. Look in Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse 2. Here is a passage that will give you another illustration of the land being defiled. Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse 2. This sin is spiritual whoredom or idolatry. God says in verse 2, Jeremiah 3, Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lain with. In the ways hast thou sat for them as the Arabian in the wilderness, and thou hast polluted thy land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. So idolatry pollutes the land. Very clearly God says that. It corrupts the land. It defiles the land.

[John Weaver] Let me ask you, think about this. Do you think God is pleased with the mosques and the Hindu temples that dot our landscape in this country? No. The Bible says it defiles, it pollutes the land. Why? Very obviously, because it's not the worship of the one true and the living God who's revealed himself through Jesus Christ. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 35. Let me show you another specific sin that pollutes and defiles the land. Look in Numbers chapter 35 and let's begin reading there verse 30.

[John Weaver] Now I'm just trying to set the stage and get you to thinking and asking yourself this question Is our country defiled? Is our country polluted and corrupted the way the land of Canaan was? Look in Numbers chapter 35 and let's begin reading there with verse 30. Numbers 35 and notice if you would please verse 30. God says, Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses. But one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover, you shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. And you shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land until the death of the priests. So shall you not pollute the land wherein you are.

[John Weaver] Now watch, for blood it defileth the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not therefore the land which you shall inhabit wherein I dwell. For I, the Lord, dwell among the children of Israel.

[John Weaver] Now, what is another specific thing that defiles and pollutes the land? failing to put a murderer to death. You think for a moment of all the murderers that have been set free from the prison system only to murder again. God says that a murderer is not to have life in prison, which means usually he can be out seven years. He's to be executed. And God says it defiles the failing to execute or murder, pollutes, defiles, and corrupts the land. And the interesting thing is this. Everything that God says under the old covenant that pollutes and defiles the land is the same thing that pollutes and defiles the land under the new covenant. There are specific sins that pollute and corrupt and defile the earth wherever you live. Those sins are still the same.

[John Weaver] Pollution in this country is not from not going green, it's from going black. It's for sin and rebellion and wickedness.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in Isaiah 24 and verse 5 again because my message today is to show you the three specific sins that God says pollute the land, and defile the land in such a way as to merit specific judgment. Isaiah 24 and verse 5, he says, the earth also was defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because, here's why the earth is defiled, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. First, I want you to note that Scripture says they transgressed the laws. Now the Hebrew word for laws is the word Torah, which has reference to the law of God. The word Torah literally means authoritative instruction or authoritative direction. When the Bible says that God has given us His law, It means that God has revealed to us that which He would have us to do.

[John Weaver] How He would have us to act. He tells us what we may do. He tells us what we may not do. The great advantage that Israel had over all the other nations was this. God had given them His law. He did not give it to the Assyrians, or the Egyptians, or the Hittites, or the Jebusites, or the Hittites, or the Hivites. No. He only gave it to Israel.

[John Weaver] That's why in Romans 3, verses 1 and 2, the Bible asks this question. What advantage then had the Jew or the Judahite, the person who lived in Judah, or what profit is there of circumcision, much in every way, but chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. They had the Word of God. They knew what God required. In Romans 9, verses 4 and 5, the Apostle Paul said it like this,"...who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all God blessed forever." So God had given Israel His law. There was no question about what Israel should or should not do. God spelled it out.

[John Weaver] Let me just put it to us very pointedly. There is no question as to what we should or should not do. God has spelled it out. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, and I want you to see how God praised His law and showed the great advantage that Israel had. Notice, if you would, Deuteronomy chapter 4, beginning there with verse 6. Look what he told them. Deuteronomy 4, verse 6. In fact, let's read verse 5. Deuteronomy 4, verse 5.

[John Weaver] God says, Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, Moses is writing, that you should do so in the land whether you go in to possess it. Keep, therefore, and do them. For this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so kind to them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous, as all this law which I set before you this day." Now notice if you would what the Bible says. It is God's law, it is God's word that is our wisdom. It is God's law and God's word that is our understanding. It is God's law and God's word that sets us apart from all the other nations.

[John Weaver] How many would prefer to live in China? Or Africa? Or Russia? Do you realize as corrupt and perverse as we are in America, there is at least still a smattering of God's law in this land. There is still a smattering of understanding God says, this is your wisdom and your understanding.

[John Weaver] Now what did Israel do? God had given them his law, says this is how I would have you to live, this is what I want you to do, this is what I do not want you to do, and yet they particularly violated that law over and over and they did so in many different ways. The land literally reeked with immorality, idolatry, tyranny, and degradation. And some of the rulers seduced the people into so much sin as their sin abounded over and above that which the pagans committed. For instance, in 2 Chronicles 33 and verse 9, the Bible says this, So Manasseh, that is King Manasseh, so Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err and to do worse than the heathen whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.

[John Weaver] I got news for you folks. That's got to be pretty bad. For someone to have had the law of God and then to turn and do worse than the heathen did whom God kicked out. I want you to turn to Psalm 106. We don't have time to read the entirety of Psalm 106. But Psalm 106 concisely and succinctly gives you many of the sins of the children of Israel, and how they defiled the land, violated the law of God. But I want you to look in Psalm 106, beginning there in verse 36.

[John Weaver] Here is just a very brief explanation. Psalm 106, and notice if you would please, beginning there with verse 36. Notice what the scripture says. And they served their idols, which were a snare unto them, Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

[John Weaver] Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a-whoring after their own inventions. So hereafter God had given them His law, and said, You are to worship Me, and only Me, I want you to know they turned their backs upon God, did everything that God said not to do. Please understand that violating God's law is a cause for severe judgment. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5 verses 7 and 9. I want you to look.

[John Weaver] Think about the immorality in our land. Think about the idolatry in our land. Think about the corruption, the perversion, the wickedness. Think of Washington, D.C. Think of Atlanta, Georgia. Think of any state capital.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to look at something. Look in Jeremiah chapter 5 beginning verse 7. Look what God says. How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses. They were as fed horses in the morning, every one made after his neighbor's wife.

[John Weaver] Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? You know, most today, even in this enlightened land that we live in, think it is a small sin and of little consequence to sin against God and to violate His law. That's why adultery is rampant. That's why whoremongering and fornication is prevalent. That's why thievery, stealing happen every day, murder. They think it's a light thing to sin against God. They never understand that it is an affront to the sovereign God of heaven and earth to thumb their noses at God and act as if God had not spoken and act as if God did not even live.

[John Weaver] They have absolutely no regard for God's person or God's Word. Sin is an assault. upon God's majesty and an affront to His holiness. And God said, I will judge for these things. What did He say? They've transgressed My laws. They've broken My Torah. I told them what to do. They would not listen. I want you to look in Jeremiah 29 and verse 23. I could quote this verse, but I want you to see this. I want you to see the seriousness that God uses in His attitude toward those who violate His law. Look in Jeremiah 29 and verse 23. Jeremiah 29 and verse 23.

[John Weaver] God says, because they have committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbor's wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them, even I, knowing them, witness, saith the Lord." Because they committed villainy in Israel. In other words, you're vile. You're a villain. You're wicked. Why did God destroy the land? Because they transgressed His laws. That's the first reason. That in itself is reason enough to destroy America. We violated His laws. But let's go on. Isaiah 24 and verse 5 says this, The earth is defiled and the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws, here's the second sin specifically, changed the ordinance. Wow!

[John Weaver] Now the Hebrew word for ordinance is also translated as statute or ordinance or decree or law. The word relates to the civil enactments prescribed by God and basically everything that would relate to a holy, godly, obedient and just life and just society. So the word actually relates to justice and righteousness. Again, let me give you just one simple paragraph from Matthew Henry. He says this, they have changed the ordinances of revealed religion. Those of them that have had the benefit of that, they have neglected the ordinance, so some read it.

[John Weaver] They have made no conscience of observing them. They have passed over the laws in commission of sin and have passed by the ordinance in omission of duty.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just point out what he's saying. It is true that anyone may violate an ordinance by transgressing and rebelling against it. It is true anyone may not keep an ordinance by omitting it or forgetting it or failing to do it. But that's not what the Scripture says. The Scripture says in verse 5, they transgressed the laws and changed the ordinance. Now here's my question. Who has the ability to change the ordinance? Who has the ability to change laws and statutes? The answer is government. Governmental power. You must remember that government basically is force. And if you have the power, you may force people to do things that normally they would not do. A few years back, some of you may remember, I preached two messages which I entitled, Civil Rulers and Idolatry. And I took you through the Scripture and I showed you that every idolatry began with civil government. It always began with a king.

[John Weaver] I don't care if you're talking about Solomon. I don't care if you're talking about Jeroboam. I don't care if you're talking about Ahab. I don't care if you're talking about Omri. It all began with a king. Civil government is the one that changes the ordinance. Corrupt civil government, perverted civil government, humanistic civil government wants to play God. And an unbiblical civil government always replaces God's law with man's law.

[John Weaver] Go back in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel chapter 8. I know that you're familiar with this passage, but I want you to see it. It's here in black and white. You remember in 1 Samuel chapter 8, Israel wanted a king so that they might be like other nations. Well, they asked Samuel to make them a king. So look in 1 Samuel chapter 8, and let's begin reading with verse 6. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee. Now look what God says. For they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

[John Weaver] According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even in this day wherewith they have forsaken me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore, hearken unto their voice, howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them."

[John Weaver] Now God says, you want a man instead of me? Fine. Here's the kind of man that you're going to get. Notice if you look at verse 10. And Samuel told all the people, told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked him a king, and he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before him. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, captains over fifties, and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

[John Weaver] And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed in your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants and he will take your men's servants and your maid's servants and your goodness young men and your asses and put them to his work and he will take the tenth of your sheep and you shall be his servants.

[John Weaver] What kind of ruler would change God's law? A man. And that man is not going to be satisfied with what God has said. He wants it all. Let me tell you, you cannot understand 1 Samuel chapter 8 unless you understand it as a transition from one law structure to another. God says, I have been your king. What does a king do? He rules by his law. Fine. You change kings, you change laws. A king rules by his law. A king's law is the extension of his person. And when Israel changed from God to a man, they basically changed from God's law to man's law. And consequently, that's why God says you're going to be His servants, you're going to be His slaves.

[John Weaver] In our day and time, most of us would be happy if the civil government only took 10%. I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. I want you to see how plainly this is stated in Scripture. Look in 2 Kings chapter 17. Remember now, I told you, you cannot understand 1 Samuel 8 unless you see it as a transition from one law structure to another. I told you that a king rules by his law. If God is our king, he's ruling by his law in our lives. If man is our king, he's going to try and enforce his laws upon us. Now look what God says in 2 Kings chapter 17, And let's begin reading there with verse 7. 2 Kings 17 verse 7. Watch.

[John Weaver] For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods. Now let's stop right there. I want you to note that the children of Israel sinned against God. How did they sin against God? Well, the scripture tells us in verse 7, They feared other gods. Well, let's ask another question. How do we know they feared other gods? What was the evidence that they had feared other gods? Well, look in verse 8. After he said, and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes, that is, the laws of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made. Ah! They walked in the laws of the heathen, and they walked in the laws of the kings of Israel, which they had made." In other words, they traded God's law for man's law. They're no longer following God.

[John Weaver] They're no longer fearing God. If you feared God, you would obey His law. They never feared God. They feared man, and therefore, they walked in the laws of the heathen. and in the laws of the kings of Israel. Why? Because a king rules by his law. And when the king came upon the throne, he said, I'm God, you'll do what I say. And if that's not clear enough, look if you would please in verses 18 and 19. Here it is stated very plainly again, 2 Kings 17 verse 18, Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight.

[John Weaver] There was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Here it is. And Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. What did Judah do? The same thing Israel did. Threw God's law away and walked in the laws of the kings of Israel. Judah changed the ordinance just like Israel changed the ordinance. She swapped God's law for man's law.

[John Weaver] Now once one changes laws, for all practical purposes, the former laws repealed and nullified. Now listen to me. I know it is impossible to repeal and nullify God's law. I understand that. But it can be repealed and nullified in the sense that you no longer pay attention to it, you no longer heed it, and you act as if it was no law. That's what sin and rebellion does. It looks at God and basically says, I make my own law.

[John Weaver] You don't tell me what to do. I do what I want to do. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Micah, chapter 6, a minor prophet. I want you to look what the Bible says there, Micah chapter 6 and verse 16. And in the book of Micah, right after the book of Jonah, Micah 6 and verse 16, look what God says. Omri, as you're turning there, I will tell you, Omri, King Omri was the father of Ahab. Look in Micah 6 and verse 16, God says, For the statutes, that is, the laws of Omri, are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab. And you walk in their councils, that is, in their laws, that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof a hissing.

[John Weaver] Therefore you shall bear the reproach of My people. Now why is God saying that He judged Israel? Because they traded His law for man's law. Why did He judge Judah? They traded God's law for man's law. They listen to the law of man, not the law of God. Do you realize the sins of America are exactly the same sins of Israel of old? We've not only transgressed God's law, we've changed the ordinance! Wow! We fail to obey God's law. We fail to recognize God's sovereignty. We fail to recognize that God is King and that God has the absolute right to tell us how to live and how not to live.

[John Weaver] If you'll go back in your Bibles to Isaiah 24 in verse 5, here's a third thing that God sends specific judgment upon the land for. Not only for transgressing the law, not only for changing the ordinance, but also for breaking the everlasting covenant. He said the earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they've transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Now the word covenant here is the word berith in the Hebrew. It is a word that is used for those covenants by which the Lord who adopted his people promised that he would be their God. Now how in the world do you break such a covenant? And the answer is that they foolishly refused and rejected God and despised Him and His overtures of grace and love. They mocked His prophets. They mocked His messengers. Their attitude and actions demonstrated conclusively that they did not want Him to be their God.

[John Weaver] They chose idols for themselves. In fact, turn to Jeremiah 44. I just read this this week. You're talking about a wonderful illustration. Look in Jeremiah 44. God has sent Nebuchadnezzar against the land of Judah. He's destroyed it. Many are taken away captive. Many have died. And now the people disobey God. God told them not to go into Egypt, and yet they go into Egypt. And they just disobey God left and right. Look in verse 11, Jeremiah 44, Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. And I will take the remnant of Judah, and have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt, to sojourn there. And they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt. And they shall even be consumed by the sword, and by the famine. And they shall die from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine, and they shall be in execration, and in astonishment, and in curse, and in reproach.

[John Weaver] For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. So that none of the remnant of Judah which are gone in the land of Egypt to sojourn there shall escape or remain, that they should return to the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return. For none shall return, but such as shall escape."

[John Weaver] Now watch, then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods. And all the women that stood by, a great multitude of all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done we and our fathers, our kings, and our princes in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] For then had we plenty of vittles, and were very well, and saw no evil. But since we have left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, We have wanted all things and have been consumed by the sword and by famine. And when we burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her and pour out drink offerings unto her without our men? Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, The incense that you burn in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem you and your fathers your kings and your princes and the people went in

[John Weaver] did not the Lord remember them and came it not in his mind so that the Lord could no longer bear because of the evil of your doings and because the abominations which you committed therefore is your land a desolation and an astonishment and a curse without inhabitant as at this day now let me just point out what's happening here these people had sent to Jeremiah and said pray for us we will obey whatever God says Jeremiah came along and said, alright, here's what God says, don't go into Egypt. Then they said, God didn't say don't go into Egypt, we're going into Egypt. They went into Egypt and they took Jeremiah. Then Jeremiah tells them, look, the reason you're in Egypt is because you were idolaters, you were whoremongers, you were wicked, you were wrong.

[John Weaver] They said, oh, we know one thing, as long as we were in Judah, and we poured out our drink offerings and made cakes for the Queen of Heaven. We had it good. And that's what we're going to do down here. Jeremiah, I can see him now, putting his hand on his forehead and says, Dummies, don't you know that's why God drove you out of Judah to begin with? And now you're going to do the same thing here? And guess what? God sent Nebuchadnezzar down to Egypt and destroyed them again.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm just simply pointing out, here were a people that had a covenant with God, and they deliberately and purposely turned their backs upon Him. Knowingly, willingly, they chose themselves other gods. It is called the everlasting covenant because it ought to have been perpetual and inviolable and to be enforced in every age. It was to be transmitted with uninterrupted succession from father to son that it might never be effaced from the memory of man, but to be kept pure and entire. And so when God calls it this, He's representing to them their treachery, their vileness, their wickedness in turning their backs deliberately upon Him.

[John Weaver] It was a monstrous act of treason. I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Oh, watch this carefully. Hebrews chapter 10. And notice if you would, beginning there of verse 28. Hebrews 10 verse 28. Look what the Scripture says. Hebrews 10 verse 28. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Look at the next verse. "...of how much sorer or worse punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy to trodden underfoot the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and have done despite unto the Spirit of grace.

[John Weaver] For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord, and again the Lord shall judge his people." There are many in this country that profess to be Christians. In fact, this country is usually referred to as a Christian nation. And yet most even professing Christians trample the Son of God under their feet. They ignore, ridicule, and mock and disregard the sinless Son of God. If God was angry with those people who sinned in the land under types and shadows, How much more angry? This is the argument. How much sore or worse punishment should we be thought worthy? Who have trodden under our feet the fulfillment and reality? The Son of God Himself. If God destroyed them for sinning against types and shadows, how much worse should our judgment be? Who sinned against the fulfillment? and the reality of those types and shadows. For these three reasons, God said, I'll destroy the land.

[John Weaver] They've transgressed my laws, they've changed the ordinance, and they've broken the everlasting covenant. Now let me make a couple of applications. I want you to listen carefully. It should be evident that as a people, as a nation in America, we have transgressed God's laws, we've changed the ordinance, and we've broken the everlasting covenant. We have done exactly like those in Israel. We have sinned in exactly the same way.

[John Weaver] You could say that we are indeed the children of our fathers. And in Zechariah 1 and verse 4, here's what God cried out to the people. He said, Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings. But they did not hear, nor did they hearken unto the Lord their God." What did he say? Be ye not as your fathers.

[John Weaver] Don't be stubborn like they were. They refused to hear. God is telling us we cannot be like them if we expect the blessing of God. The second application is this, since we have sinned knowingly and deliberately against revealed light, against the Son of God, is it any wonder that we're cursed and the earth is defiled? Is it any wonder that we're experiencing the judgment of God? Let me tell you, the question that we must ask is not are we under God's judgment. We are. The question we must ask is this, why has God not already destroyed us completely?

[John Weaver] He would be just in doing so. We've sinned exactly the way those people have sinned. There's a third application and I don't have time to really go into it, In one sense of the word, you've got to remember, there is indeed hope and judgment. You remember, God said, I've given you the valley of Acre for a door of hope, and Acre refers to judgment. Some of you will remember Senator Everett Dirksen. I don't remember too much about him, but I do remember one thing that he said. Some of you will remember it.

[John Weaver] He said, when I feel the heat, then I see the light. Now what he meant by that was, he kind of did what he wanted to do until the people just irritated him and bothered him and bombarded him and they put the heat on him and said, when I feel the heat, then I see the light. Dirksen probably did not realize he was expressing a biblical principle when he said, when I feel the heat, I see the light.

[John Weaver] For we are told in Isaiah 26 verse 9, listen, With my soul have I desired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit with me I will seek thee early. For when by judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." When by judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. In other words, when we feel the heat, we begin to see the light. When we feel the heat of God's wrath and God's judgment, we begin to understand This is no accident.

[John Weaver] This is not Mother Nature. This is the act of Father God, the Sovereign God of Heaven and Earth. The fourth application is this. Many who already bow and worship to the One True and Living God through Jesus Christ should be thankful that we have been drawn unto Him through His love and grace and mercy and not through his judgment. I had much rather learn the easy way than the hard way. And God can teach us either way. The last application is this.

[John Weaver] I do not care what any president of the United States of America says what the Congress declares, or what a Supreme Court justice states. We, as God's people, can never give up the one true and the living God as our God, nor can we ever give up His law. Isaiah 33 and verse 22 tells us, for the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King, He will save us. God is God, no matter what the Supreme Court says, no matter what legislation Congress passes, no matter how many executive orders the President issues, God is still God and His law is still law. And we have to come down to what the Apostle Peter said in Acts 5 and verse 29. We ought to obey God rather than man.

[John Weaver] And when there's a conflict, we must side with the sovereign God of heaven and earth. For He is God and His law is truth. Why did God judge Israel? They transgressed His law. They changed His ordinance. And they broke the everlasting covenant. Reasons for specific, particular judgment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We ask that You would help us and teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. And Father, give us grace that we may determine in our hearts we will never forsake Thee. We will never bow to false gods. We will never give up Thy law, and we will always serve and worship only Thee, through Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the power of Thy Spirit. And we ask, Father, in all things, that Thou wouldst be glorified in our lives. Give us grace and mercy, Lord. Give us repentance and faith. Give us obedience. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask, amen and amen.

Reasons for Judgment

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	AiAq-QjnuDI
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 075: Genesis — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	85

Formatted Transcript

Opening

The title of the message today is Reasons for Judgment. Reasons for Judgment. Notice Isaiah 24 beginning with verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 24:1-6

"Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest, as with the servant, so with his master, as with the maid, so with her mistress." "As with the buyer, so with the seller. As with the lender, so with the borrower. As with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away. The haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also was defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."

Introduction: God's Witness and Judgment

God never leaves Himself without witness, both positively through creation and blessings, and negatively through wrath and judgment. Judgment is God's special treasure and always has reasons.

There is a principle in Scripture, and it is simply this, that God never leaves Himself without witness. God witnesses to us both positively and negatively. For instance, we are told in Acts chapter 14 in verse 17,

Scripture Reading — Acts 14:17

"Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."

The very fact that we have fruitful seasons, the very fact that we have seasonal rains, and are enabled to enjoy the fruits of our labors, is witness to God's gracious and kind and providential blessings in our lives. The Bible does indeed teach that God causes the sun to shine upon the just and the unjust alike. So positively speaking, all we have to do is look around us and we can see the witness of God to us. For instance, the Bible says in Psalm 19 verses 1 through 5, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 19:1-5

"There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run the race."

So Psalm 19 tells us basically if we look around at God's creation we can understand that there is indeed God and that it is a positive witness to us. But God not only witnesses to us positively, He also witnesses to us negatively. If you would hold Isaiah 24, we're coming right back there, but look in the book of Romans chapter 1 and you will see what I'm talking about when I say the negative witness of God. Romans chapter 1 beginning there with verse 18. The Bible says this, Romans 1 verse 18, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it to them."

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." But note, if you would, verse 18, the Bible explicitly says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against them." Notice, here is God's wrath, here is God's judgment. So here is a negative witness concerning God. Now it's important to note that there are always reasons behind God's judgments. The Bible tells us in the book of Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 33 that God

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 3:33

doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. In other words, God is not some mean old man upstairs somewhere sitting there just waiting to hurt someone. No, no. The Bible says that God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

In other words, there is a specific reason why God sends His judgment. We can also say that there are general reasons for God's judgment and there are specific reasons. There are specific sins that warrant specific judgment. Judgment is always an act of God. It may surprise you to understand that judgment in the Bible is referred to as God's special treasure.

Let me show you that. Look in your Bibles, holding Isaiah 24, but to Deuteronomy chapter 32, Deuteronomy 32, and look at verses 34 and 35. Deuteronomy 32, verse 34. Look what God asks. Deuteronomy 32, verse 34,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:34-35

"Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up among my treasures?"

What is it that's laid up in store with God? What is it that is sealed up among His treasures? Verse 35,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:34-35

"To me belongeth vengeance and recompense."

"Their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste." So God then says that judgment is indeed His special treasure, and when God sends it, it will come and it will come in haste. Now if you'll go back to Isaiah 24 and look at verse 1, we know that judgment is indeed the work of God because the Bible says so very explicitly.

The Certainty and Scope of Judgment (Isaiah 24:1-4)

God will make the earth empty and waste; judgment affects all classes of people. The devastation is total and is the direct work of God, not an accident.

Notice, "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof." Let me give you the comment of Matthew Henry upon verse 1 of Isaiah 24, he said this, "The earth is stripped from all of its ornaments and looks as if it were taken off its basis. It is made empty and waste, as if it was reduced to its first chaos." "Tohu and Bohu, nothing but confusion and emptiness again, without form and void. It is God that brings all these calamities upon the earth. The Lord made the earth and made it fruitful and beautiful for the service and comfort of man now makes it empty and waste for its creator is and will be its judge. He has an incontestable right to pass sentence upon it and an irresistible power to execute that sentence. It is the Lord that has spoken this word and he will do the work. It is his curse that has devoured the earth."

"The general curse which sin brought upon the ground for man's sake and all the particular curses which families and countries bring upon themselves by their enormous wickedness. See the power of God's curse, how it makes all empty and lays all waste. Those whom he curses are cursed indeed." Now I want you to note even Matthew Henry pointed out the fact that there are general curses and there are special curses. And he said very plainly that it is God who not only made the earth but it is also God who is very capable of destroying the earth and if he so chooses remaking it according as he desires.

Now if you look in verse 1 again, "Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty." Now the word earth here has been variously interpreted. There are some scholars that say that the word earth here just simply refers to what you and I would call the land of Palestine or the land of Canaan. And so therefore they're saying that this judgment is restricted to that area. There are others who will interpret the word earth and say no, the word earth here has a much broader significance and it actually refers to the entire world. You and I both know that the land of Canaan has indeed been the recipients of God's judgment many times. If you try to restrict the word earth in verse 1 just to the land of Canaan, then you have to remember a certain simple truth, and that is this, that God is immutable. God does not change. Malachi 3:6 he says, "I the Lord change not." Now if we say then that the word earth in verse 1 is limited to the land of Canaan or the land of Palestine, at the same time we must admit that any nation that sins as that land did, God has the absolute right to judge it in the same way.

Why? Because God is immutable. God does not change. His justice is exactly the same. So, either way you interpret the word earth, you're going to come out with the same application that God is still able and righteous in His judgment of any nation and any portion and any part of the earth as well as the entire earth itself.

Now, if you look in verse 2, you'll find out the general reason for such judgment and devastation. He says, "and it shall be as with the people, so with the priest, as with the servant, so with his master, as with the maid, so with her mistress, as with the buyer, so with the seller, as with the lender, so with the borrower, as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him." Now, it's interesting that verse 2 here includes persons of all ranks, kinds, and conditions. And what is God saying? God is saying it doesn't really matter who you are, where you are, or what you do, you will still be the recipients of these judgments.

Now, it is true in one sense of the word that common calamities happen to all without respect. An earthquake, for instance, will destroy the house of a rich man just as easily as it will destroy the house of a poor man. It'll destroy the intellectual. It'll destroy the ignorant. And it is true that diseases affect all of us. You don't have to be poor to get certain diseases. You don't have to be rich to receive certain germs.

No, it just simply happens to all of us. And what God is saying is this: the whole land was corrupt, all the people from the least to the greatest were perverted, and therefore God's judgment was going to fall upon all of them, every class, every kind, and everyone was going to lose it all. Now we understand in some judgments, for instance, the poor are usually the first affected, especially when famine is around. But usually, it's the rich who are kidnapped and held for ransom. You don't ever usually kidnap a poor man. In other words, there are certain judgments that affect certain classes at certain times, but that judgment eventually affects everyone. Now, so God is saying that He's going to judge the earth. He's telling us why, because everyone is corrupt.

Look in verses 3 and 4. Ask yourself this question. How serious will God's judgments be? Here's how serious they will be. The Bible says in verse 3, "the land," whether you're talking about the earth as a whole or the land of Canaan, "the land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, for the Lord hath spoken this word, the earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish." Now, what God is doing in verses 3 and 4 is confirming what He has already said in verse 1.

When this judgment comes, it will not be an accident. It will not be the work of Mother Nature. It will be the work of God. God expressly states that He is going to empty the land, empty the earth, and that God has purposed it, God is determined to do it, and it shall be done. God will rid the land of all of its inhabitants, and the riches of that land will be stolen, looted, and taken.

General vs. Specific Curses

There are general curses (like the curse on the ground in Genesis 3) and specific curses for particular sins. Specific sins defile the land and provoke specific judgments.

The word defiled is also translated as polluted, profaned, and corrupted. You could say that the earth also is polluted, or it is profaned, or it is corrupted. Now we know according to the scripture, that generally speaking, the earth was placed under a curse because of what you and I would say, general sin, that is a sin of rebellion against God. In fact, if you look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 3, notice this general curse, Genesis chapter 3, and notice if you would please beginning there with verse 17. Genesis 3 verse 17, "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth of thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground, for out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and in dust thou shalt return." Note if you would, here is a general curse placed upon the earth because of man's sin.

If you would turn over to the New Testament, to Romans chapter 8, once again you'll see how this plays out. Romans chapter 8, and let's begin reading there in verse 19. Romans 8 and verse 19. Here it is in the New Testament, Romans 8 verse 19. The Apostle Paul writes, "...for the earnest expectation of the creature." And by the way, when you see the word creature right here in this context, it is the word creation.

So you may read it like that. He says, "for the earnest expectation of the creation," that is the world, "waited for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who had subjected the same in hope. Because the creature or the creation itself," that is the world, "also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know," here's the same word, "that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." So very obviously when man sinned, the whole earth was placed under a curse or under a judgment of God. This is what you and I would call a general curse, because it was a general sin in that sense of the word.

First Specific Sin: Transgressing the Laws

The first reason for judgment is transgressing God's Torah—His authoritative instruction. Israel violated God's law despite having the great advantage of receiving it, and America has done likewise.

How He would have us to act. He tells us what we may do. He tells us what we may not do. The great advantage that Israel had over all the other nations was this. God had given them His law. He did not give it to the Assyrians, or the Egyptians, or the Hittites, or the Jebusites, or the Hivites. No. He only gave it to Israel.

That's why in Romans 3, verses 1 and 2, the Bible asks this question. "What advantage then had the Jew or the Judahite, the person who lived in Judah, or what profit is there of circumcision, much in every way, but chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God." They had the Word of God. They knew what God required. In Romans 9, verses 4 and 5, the Apostle Paul said it like this, "...who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all God blessed forever." So God had given Israel His law. There was no question about what Israel should or should not do. God spelled it out.

Let me just put it to us very pointedly. There is no question as to what we should or should not do. God has spelled it out. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, and I want you to see how God praised His law and showed the great advantage that Israel had. Notice, if you would, Deuteronomy chapter 4, beginning there with verse 6. Look what he told them. Deuteronomy 4, verse 6. In fact, let's read verse 5. Deuteronomy 4, verse 5.

God says, "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me," Moses is writing, "that you should do so in the land whither you go in to possess it. Keep, therefore, and do them. For this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous, as all this law which I set before you this day." Now notice if you would what the Bible says. It is God's law, it is God's word that is our wisdom. It is God's law and God's word that is our understanding. It is God's law and God's word that sets us apart from all the other nations.

How many would prefer to live in China? Or Africa? Or Russia? Do you realize as corrupt and perverse as we are in America, there is at least still a smattering of God's law in this land. There is still a smattering of understanding. God says, this is your wisdom and your understanding.

Now what did Israel do? God had given them his law, says this is how I would have you to live, this is what I want you to do, this is what I do not want you to do, and yet they particularly violated that law over and over and they did so in many different ways. The land literally reeked with immorality, idolatry, tyranny, and degradation. And some of the rulers seduced the people into so much sin as their sin abounded over and above that which the pagans committed. For instance, in 2 Chronicles 33 and verse 9, the Bible says this, "So Manasseh," that is King Manasseh, "so Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err and to do worse than the heathen whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel."

I got news for you folks. That's got to be pretty bad. For someone to have had the law of God and then to turn and do worse than the heathen did whom God kicked out. I want you to turn to Psalm 106. We don't have time to read the entirety of Psalm 106. But Psalm 106 concisely and succinctly gives you many of the sins of the children of Israel, and how they defiled the land, violated the law of God. But I want you to look in Psalm 106, beginning there in verse 36.

Here is just a very brief explanation. Psalm 106, and notice if you would please, beginning there with verse 36. Notice what the scripture says.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:36-39

"And they served their idols, which were a snare unto them, Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood." "Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a-whoring after their own inventions."

So hereafter God had given them His law, and said, You are to worship Me, and only Me, I want you to know they turned their backs upon God, did everything that God said not to do. Please understand that violating God's law is a cause for severe judgment. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5 verses 7 and 9. I want you to look.

Think about the immorality in our land. Think about the idolatry in our land. Think about the corruption, the perversion, the wickedness. Think of Washington, D.C. Think of Atlanta, Georgia. Think of any state capital.

Now I want you to look at something. Look in Jeremiah chapter 5 beginning verse 7. Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:7-9

"How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses. They were as fed horses in the morning, every one neighed after his neighbor's wife."

"Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" You know, most today, even in this enlightened land that we live in, think it is a small sin and of little consequence to sin against God and to violate His law. That's why adultery is rampant. That's why whoremongering and fornication is prevalent. That's why thievery, stealing happen every day, murder. They think it's a light thing to sin against God. They never understand that it is an affront to the sovereign God of heaven and earth to thumb their noses at God and act as if God had not spoken and act as if God did not even live. They have absolutely no regard for God's person or God's Word. Sin is an assault upon God's majesty and an affront to His holiness. And God said, I will judge for these things. What did He say? They've transgressed My laws. They've broken My Torah. I told them what to do. They would not listen. I want you to look in Jeremiah 29 and verse 23. I could quote this verse, but I want you to see this. I want you to see the seriousness that God uses in His attitude toward those who violate His law. Look in Jeremiah 29 and verse 23. Jeremiah 29 and verse 23.

God says, "because they have committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbor's wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them, even I, knowing them, witness, saith the Lord." Because they committed villainy in Israel. In other words, you're vile. You're a villain. You're wicked. Why did God destroy the land? Because they transgressed His laws. That's the first reason. That in itself is reason enough to destroy America. We violated His laws. But let's go on. Isaiah 24 and verse 5 says this, "The earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws," here's the second sin specifically, "changed the ordinance." Wow!

Second Specific Sin: Changing the Ordinance

The second reason is changing the ordinance—replacing God's law with man's law. This is done by civil government, which usurps God's authority and imposes human statutes.

Now the Hebrew word for ordinance is also translated as statute or ordinance or decree or law. The word relates to the civil enactments prescribed by God and basically everything that would relate to a holy, godly, obedient and just life and just society. So the word actually relates to justice and righteousness. Again, let me give you just one simple paragraph from Matthew Henry. He says this, "they have changed the ordinances of revealed religion. Those of them that have had the benefit of that, they have neglected the ordinance, so some read it." "They have made no conscience of observing them. They have passed over the laws in commission of sin and have passed by the ordinance in omission of duty."

Now, let me just point out what he's saying. It is true that anyone may violate an ordinance by transgressing and rebelling against it. It is true anyone may not keep an ordinance by omitting it or forgetting it or failing to do it. But that's not what the Scripture says. The Scripture says in verse 5, they transgressed the laws and changed the ordinance. Now here's my question. Who has the ability to change the ordinance? Who has the ability to change laws and statutes? The answer is government. Governmental power. You must remember that government basically is force. And if you have the power, you may force people to do things that normally they would not do. A few years back, some of you may remember, I preached two messages which I entitled, Civil Rulers and Idolatry. And I took you through the Scripture and I showed you that every idolatry began with civil government. It always began with a king.

I don't care if you're talking about Solomon. I don't care if you're talking about Jeroboam. I don't care if you're talking about Ahab. I don't care if you're talking about Omri. It all began with a king. Civil government is the one that changes the ordinance. Corrupt civil government, perverted civil government, humanistic civil government wants to play God. And an unbiblical civil government always replaces God's law with man's law.

Go back in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel chapter 8. I know that you're familiar with this passage, but I want you to see it. It's here in black and white. You remember in 1 Samuel chapter 8, Israel wanted a king so that they might be like other nations. Well, they asked Samuel to make them a king. So look in 1 Samuel chapter 8, and let's begin reading with verse 6. "But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee." Now look what God says. "For they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."

"According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even in this day wherewith they have forsaken me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore, hearken unto their voice, howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them." Now God says, you want a man instead of me? Fine. Here's the kind of man that you're going to get. Notice if you look at verse 10. "And Samuel told all the people, told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked him a king, and he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before him. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, captains over fifties, and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers."

"And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed in your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants and he will take your men's servants and your maid's servants and your goodliest young men and your asses and put them to his work and he will take the tenth of your sheep and you shall be his servants." What kind of ruler would change God's law? A man. And that man is not going to be satisfied with what God has said. He wants it all. Let me tell you, you cannot understand 1 Samuel chapter 8 unless you understand it as a transition from one law structure to another. God says, I have been your king. What does a king do? He rules by his law. Fine. You change kings, you change laws. A king rules by his law. A king's law is the extension of his person. And when Israel changed from God to a man, they basically changed from God's law to man's law. And consequently, that's why God says you're going to be His servants, you're going to be His slaves.

In our day and time, most of us would be happy if the civil government only took 10%. I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. I want you to see how plainly this is stated in Scripture. Look in 2 Kings chapter 17. Remember now, I told you, you cannot understand 1 Samuel 8 unless you see it as a transition from one law structure to another. I told you that a king rules by his law. If God is our king, he's ruling by his law in our lives. If man is our king, he's going to try and enforce his laws upon us. Now look what God says in 2 Kings chapter 17, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. 2 Kings 17 verse 7. Watch.

"For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods." Now let's stop right there. I want you to note that the children of Israel sinned against God. How did they sin against God? Well, the scripture tells us in verse 7, they feared other gods. Well, let's ask another question. How do we know they feared other gods? What was the evidence that they had feared other gods? Well, look in verse 8. After he said, "and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes," that is, the laws of the heathen, "whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made." Ah! They walked in the laws of the heathen, and they walked in the laws of the kings of Israel, which they had made. In other words, they traded God's law for man's law. They're no longer following God.

They're no longer fearing God. If you feared God, you would obey His law. They never feared God. They feared man, and therefore, they walked in the laws of the heathen and in the laws of the kings of Israel. Why? Because a king rules by his law. And when the king came upon the throne, he said, I'm God, you'll do what I say. And if that's not clear enough, look if you would please in verses 18 and 19. Here it is stated very plainly again, 2 Kings 17 verse 18, "Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight."

"There was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Here it is. And Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made." What did Judah do? The same thing Israel did. Threw God's law away and walked in the laws of the kings of Israel. Judah changed the ordinance just like Israel changed the ordinance. She swapped God's law for man's law.

Now once one changes laws, for all practical purposes, the former law is repealed and nullified. Now listen to me. I know it is impossible to repeal and nullify God's law. I understand that. But it can be repealed and nullified in the sense that you no longer pay attention to it, you no longer heed it, and you act as if it was no law. That's what sin and rebellion does. It looks at God and basically says, I make my own law.

You don't tell me what to do. I do what I want to do. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Micah, chapter 6, a minor prophet. I want you to look what the Bible says there, Micah chapter 6 and verse 16. And in the book of Micah, right after the book of Jonah, Micah 6 and verse 16, look what God says. Omri, as you're turning there, I will tell you, Omri, King Omri was the father of Ahab. Look in Micah 6 and verse 16, God says, "For the statutes," that is, the laws of Omri, "are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab. And you walk in their councils," that is, in their laws, "that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof a hissing."

"Therefore you shall bear the reproach of My people." Now why is God saying that He judged Israel? Because they traded His law for man's law. Why did He judge Judah? They traded God's law for man's law. They listen to the law of man, not the law of God. Do you realize the sins of America are exactly the same sins of Israel of old? We've not only transgressed God's law, we've changed the ordinance! Wow! We fail to obey God's law. We fail to recognize God's sovereignty. We fail to recognize that God is King and that God has the absolute right to tell us how to live and how not to live.

Third Specific Sin: Breaking the Everlasting Covenant

The third reason is breaking the everlasting covenant by rejecting God and choosing idols. This is a deliberate, treasonous act that brings severe judgment, especially under the new covenant.

If you'll go back in your Bibles to Isaiah 24 in verse 5, here's a third thing that God sends specific judgment upon the land for. Not only for transgressing the law, not only for changing the ordinance, but also for breaking the everlasting covenant. He said the earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they've transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Now the word covenant here is the word berith in the Hebrew. It is a word that is used for those covenants by which the Lord who adopted his people promised that he would be their God. Now how in the world do you break such a covenant? And the answer is that they foolishly refused and rejected God and despised Him and His overtures of grace and love. They mocked His prophets. They mocked His messengers. Their attitude and actions demonstrated conclusively that they did not want Him to be their God.

They chose idols for themselves. In fact, turn to Jeremiah 44. I just read this this week. You're talking about a wonderful illustration. Look in Jeremiah 44. God has sent Nebuchadnezzar against the land of Judah. He's destroyed it. Many are taken away captive. Many have died. And now the people disobey God. God told them not to go into Egypt, and yet they go into Egypt. And they just disobey God left and right. Look in verse 11, Jeremiah 44, "Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. And I will take the remnant of Judah, and have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt, to sojourn there. And they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt. And they shall even be consumed by the sword, and by the famine. And they shall die from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine, and they shall be in execration, and in astonishment, and in curse, and in reproach."

"For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. So that none of the remnant of Judah which are gone in the land of Egypt to sojourn there shall escape or remain, that they should return to the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return. For none shall return, but such as shall escape." Now watch, "then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods. And all the women that stood by, a great multitude of all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done we and our fathers, our kings, and our princes in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem."

"For then had we plenty of vittles, and were very well, and saw no evil. But since we have left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things and have been consumed by the sword and by famine. And when we burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her and pour out drink offerings unto her without our men?" Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, "The incense that you burn in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem you and your fathers your kings and your princes and the people went in"

"did not the Lord remember them and came it not in his mind so that the Lord could no longer bear because of the evil of your doings and because the abominations which you committed therefore is your land a desolation and an astonishment and a curse without inhabitant as at this day." Now let me just point out what's happening here. These people had sent to Jeremiah and said pray for us, we will obey whatever God says. Jeremiah came along and said, alright, here's what God says, don't go into Egypt. Then they said, God didn't say don't go into Egypt, we're going into Egypt. They went into Egypt and they took Jeremiah. Then Jeremiah tells them, look, the reason you're in Egypt is because you were idolaters, you were whoremongers, you were wicked, you were wrong.

They said, oh, we know one thing, as long as we were in Judah, and we poured out our drink offerings and made cakes for the Queen of Heaven, we had it good. And that's what we're going to do down here. Jeremiah, I can see him now, putting his hand on his forehead and says, Dummies, don't you know that's why God drove you out of Judah to begin with? And now you're going to do the same thing here? And guess what? God sent Nebuchadnezzar down to Egypt and destroyed them again.

Now, I'm just simply pointing out, here were a people that had a covenant with God, and they deliberately and purposely turned their backs upon Him. Knowingly, willingly, they chose themselves other gods. It is called the everlasting covenant because it ought to have been perpetual and inviolable and to be enforced in every age. It was to be transmitted with uninterrupted succession from father to son that it might never be effaced from the memory of man, but to be kept pure and entire. And so when God calls it this, He's representing to them their treachery, their vileness, their wickedness in turning their backs deliberately upon Him. It was a monstrous act of treason. I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Oh, watch this carefully. Hebrews chapter 10. And notice if you would, beginning there of verse 28. Hebrews 10 verse 28. Look what the Scripture says. Hebrews 10 verse 28. "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses." Look at the next verse. "...of how much sorer or worse punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy to trodden underfoot the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and have done despite unto the Spirit of grace."

"For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord, and again the Lord shall judge his people." There are many in this country that profess to be Christians. In fact, this country is usually referred to as a Christian nation. And yet most even professing Christians trample the Son of God under their feet. They ignore, ridicule, and mock and disregard the sinless Son of God. If God was angry with those people who sinned in the land under types and shadows, how much more angry? This is the argument. How much sorer or worse punishment should we be thought worthy? Who have trodden under our feet the fulfillment and reality? The Son of God Himself. If God destroyed them for sinning against types and shadows, how much worse should our judgment be? Who sinned against the fulfillment and the reality of those types and shadows. For these three reasons, God said, I'll destroy the land.

Applications for America

America has committed the same three sins and is under God's judgment. Believers must not be like stubborn forefathers, should recognize judgment as a call to learn righteousness, be thankful for grace, and resolve to obey God rather than man.

They've transgressed my laws, they've changed the ordinance, and they've broken the everlasting covenant. Now let me make a couple of applications. I want you to listen carefully. It should be evident that as a people, as a nation in America, we have transgressed God's laws, we've changed the ordinance, and we've broken the everlasting covenant. We have done exactly like those in Israel. We have sinned in exactly the same way. You could say that we are indeed the children of our fathers. And in Zechariah 1 and verse 4, here's what God cried out to the people. He said, "Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings. But they did not hear, nor did they hearken unto the Lord their God." What did he say? Be ye not as your fathers.

Don't be stubborn like they were. They refused to hear. God is telling us we cannot be like them if we expect the blessing of God. The second application is this, since we have sinned knowingly and deliberately against revealed light, against the Son of God, is it any wonder that we're cursed and the earth is defiled? Is it any wonder that we're experiencing the judgment of God? Let me tell you, the question that we must ask is not are we under God's judgment. We are. The question we must ask is this, why has God not already destroyed us completely?

He would be just in doing so. We've sinned exactly the way those people have sinned. There's a third application and I don't have time to really go into it. In one sense of the word, you've got to remember, there is indeed hope in judgment. You remember, God said, I've given you the valley of Achor for a door of hope, and Achor refers to judgment. Some of you will remember Senator Everett Dirksen. I don't remember too much about him, but I do remember one thing that he said. Some of you will remember it.

He said, when I feel the heat, then I see the light. Now what he meant by that was, he kind of did what he wanted to do until the people just irritated him and bothered him and bombarded him and they put the heat on him and said, when I feel the heat, then I see the light. Dirksen probably did not realize he was expressing a biblical principle when he said, when I feel the heat, I see the light. For we are told in Isaiah 26 verse 9, listen, "With my soul have I desired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me I will seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. In other words, when we feel the heat, we begin to see the light. When we feel the heat of God's wrath and God's judgment, we begin to understand this is no accident.

This is not Mother Nature. This is the act of Father God, the Sovereign God of Heaven and Earth. The fourth application is this. Many who already bow and worship to the One True and Living God through Jesus Christ should be thankful that we have been drawn unto Him through His love and grace and mercy and not through his judgment. I had much rather learn the easy way than the hard way. And God can teach us either way. The last application is this.

I do not care what any president of the United States of America says, what the Congress declares, or what a Supreme Court justice states. We, as God's people, can never give up the one true and the living God as our God, nor can we ever give up His law. Isaiah 33 and verse 22 tells us, "for the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King, He will save us." God is God, no matter what the Supreme Court says, no matter what legislation Congress passes, no matter how many executive orders the President issues, God is still God and His law is still law. And we have to come down to what the Apostle Peter said in Acts 5 and verse 29. We ought to obey God rather than man.

And when there's a conflict, we must side with the sovereign God of heaven and earth. For He is God and His law is truth. Why did God judge Israel? They transgressed His law. They changed His ordinance. And they broke the everlasting covenant. Reasons for specific, particular judgment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We ask that You would help us and teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. And Father, give us grace that we may determine in our hearts we will never forsake Thee. We will never bow to false gods. We will never give up Thy law, and we will always serve and worship only Thee, through Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the power of Thy Spirit. And we ask, Father, in all things, that Thou wouldst be glorified in our lives. Give us grace and mercy, Lord. Give us repentance and faith. Give us obedience. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask, amen and amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

God's Witness Through Judgment

Summary: God reveals Himself not only through blessings and creation but also through wrath and judgment, which serve as a negative witness to His character and demands.

Evidence: Romans 1:18 says 'the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness'; judgment is called God's 'special treasure' in Deuteronomy 32:34-35.

Specific Sins Provoke Specific Judgments

Summary: While there is a general curse on creation due to sin, certain sins—transgressing God's law, changing His ordinances, and breaking His covenant—specifically defile a land and bring targeted judgment.

Evidence: Isaiah 24:5 lists these three sins as the cause of the earth being defiled and the curse devouring it.

The Danger of Replacing God's Law with Man's Law

Summary: When civil government changes God's ordinances, it usurps divine authority and leads a nation into idolatry and judgment, as seen in Israel's demand for a king.

Evidence: 1 Samuel 8 shows the transition from God's rule to man's rule; 2 Kings 17:8 says Israel 'walked in the statutes of the heathen... and of the kings of Israel which they had made.'

Covenant Breaking as Treason

Summary: Breaking the everlasting covenant by rejecting God and choosing idols is a monstrous act of treason that brings worse punishment under the new covenant because it tramples the Son of God.

Evidence: Hebrews 10:28-30 warns of sorer punishment for those who count the blood of the covenant an unholy thing.

America's Parallel with Ancient Israel

Summary: America has transgressed God's laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant, mirroring the sins that brought judgment on Israel and Judah.

Evidence: The sermon repeatedly draws parallels between Israel's sins and modern American immorality, idolatry, and governmental overreach.

Hope Through Judgment

Summary: God's judgments are intended to teach righteousness; when people feel the heat of judgment, they may see the light and turn back to God.

Evidence: Isaiah 26:9 says 'when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.'

Key Arguments

Judgment is always purposeful and from God

Summary: God does not afflict willingly; judgment is His work and comes for specific reasons, not as random calamity.

Evidence: Lamentations 3:33 says God 'doth not afflict willingly'; Isaiah 24:1 says 'the Lord maketh the earth empty.'

Transgressing God's law defiles a land

Summary: Violating God's Torah—His authoritative instruction—is a direct affront to His majesty and brings severe judgment.

Evidence: Jeremiah 5:7-9 asks, 'Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord'; Psalm 106:38 says 'the land was polluted with blood.'

Changing the ordinance is a governmental sin

Summary: Only civil government has the power to change laws; when it replaces God's law with man's law, it leads to tyranny and idolatry.

Evidence: 1 Samuel 8 describes the transition to a human king who takes and imposes his own statutes; 2 Kings 17:19 says Judah 'walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.'

Breaking the covenant is deliberate rebellion

Summary: Rejecting God's covenant and choosing idols is a knowing, treasonous act that brings desolation.

Evidence: Jeremiah 44:16-17 shows the people willfully choosing to burn incense to the queen of heaven despite God's warnings.

New covenant judgment is more severe

Summary: Those who trample the Son of God and count His blood unholy deserve worse punishment than those who sinned under the old covenant.

Evidence: Hebrews 10:28-29 argues from lesser to greater: if they died without mercy under Moses' law, how much sorer punishment for despising Christ?

America is under God's judgment

Summary: Because America has committed the same three sins as Israel, it is experiencing God's judgment, and the only question is why complete destruction has not yet come.

Evidence: The sermon states, 'the question that we must ask is not are we under God's judgment. We are.'

Scripture References

Isaiah 24:1-6

Context: Primary text; describes God making the earth empty, the reasons for judgment (transgressing laws, changing ordinance, breaking covenant), and the resulting curse.

Acts 14:17

Context: God's positive witness through rain and fruitful seasons.

Psalm 19:1-5

Context: The heavens declare God's glory as a positive witness.

Romans 1:18-20

Context: God's wrath revealed as a negative witness; creation leaves men without excuse.

Lamentations 3:33

Context: God does not afflict willingly.

Deuteronomy 32:34-35

Context: Judgment is God's treasure; vengeance belongs to Him.

Malachi 3:6

Context: God's immutability means He judges all nations by the same standard.

Isaiah 6:8-12

Context: Isaiah's commission to preach until the land is desolate.

Genesis 3:17-19

Context: The general curse on the ground because of Adam's sin.

Romans 8:19-22

Context: The whole creation groans under the curse, awaiting deliverance.

Leviticus 18:24-25

Context: The land vomits out its inhabitants because of defilement.

Jeremiah 3:2

Context: Idolatry pollutes the land.

Numbers 35:30-34

Context: Bloodshed defiles the land; failure to execute murderers pollutes it.

Romans 3:1-2

Context: The advantage of the Jews was having the oracles of God.

Romans 9:4-5

Context: Israel received the law, covenants, and promises.

Deuteronomy 4:5-8

Context: God's law is Israel's wisdom and understanding before the nations.

2 Chronicles 33:9

Context: Manasseh made Judah do worse than the heathen.

Psalm 106:36-39

Context: Israel served idols, sacrificed children, and polluted the land with blood.

Jeremiah 5:7-9

Context: God asks if He should not avenge Himself on a nation for adultery and idolatry.

Jeremiah 29:23

Context: God witnesses against those who commit villainy and adultery.

Historical References

Matthew Henry's commentary on Isaiah 24:1

Context: Quoted to explain that the earth is stripped of ornaments and reduced to chaos by God's curse.

King Manasseh

Context: Cited as an example of a ruler who made Judah do worse than the heathen (2 Chronicles 33:9).

King Omri and King Ahab

Context: Mentioned as kings whose statutes Israel kept, leading to desolation (Micah 6:16).

Senator Everett Dirksen

Context: Quoted saying 'when I feel the heat, then I see the light' as an illustration of learning through judgment.

Important Quotes

The earth is stripped from all of its ornaments and looks as if it were taken off its basis. It is made empty and waste, as if it was reduced to its first chaos.

Significance: Matthew Henry's vivid description of the totality of God's judgment, emphasizing the reversal of creation.

God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

Significance: Establishes that God's judgment is not arbitrary but has specific reasons, countering the view of God as capricious.

To me belongeth vengeance and recompense.

Significance: Quoted from Deuteronomy 32:35 to show that judgment is God's prerogative and treasure.

They have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

Significance: The central text (Isaiah 24:5) listing the three specific sins that defile the land and provoke judgment.

When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Significance: Isaiah 26:9, used to show that judgment has a redemptive purpose—to teach people righteousness.

We ought to obey God rather than man.

Significance: Acts 5:29, the concluding application that believers must side with God's law when it conflicts with human authority.

Discussion Questions

How does God witness to us both positively and negatively, and why is it important to recognize both?

Context: The sermon opens with the principle that God never leaves Himself without witness, citing Acts 14:17 and Romans 1:18.

What are the three specific sins listed in Isaiah 24:5 that defile a land, and how are they evident in our society today?

Context: The core of the message identifies transgressing laws, changing the ordinance, and breaking the everlasting covenant as reasons for judgment.

In what ways does civil government 'change the ordinance' by replacing God's law with man's law, and what are the consequences?

Context: The sermon argues that only government has the power to change laws, using 1 Samuel 8 and 2 Kings 17 as examples.

How does the new covenant make the sin of breaking the everlasting covenant even more serious, according to Hebrews 10?

Context: The argument from lesser to greater: if old covenant violations brought death, how much worse for trampling the Son of God?

What does it mean to 'learn righteousness' through God's judgments, and how can we respond rightly to national or personal calamities?

Context: Isaiah 26:9 is cited to show that judgment can be a teacher; the sermon asks why God hasn't destroyed America completely.

How should Christians navigate the tension between obeying civil authorities and obeying God when laws conflict?

Context: The final application cites Acts 5:29 and Isaiah 33:22, emphasizing God as ultimate lawgiver and king.

Applications

Recognize America's sin and judgment

Summary: Acknowledge that as a nation we have transgressed God's laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant, and are therefore under God's judgment.

Evidence: The sermon states, 'we have done exactly like those in Israel. We have sinned in exactly the same way.'

Do not be stubborn like the fathers

Summary: Heed the warning of Zechariah 1:4 not to be like the forefathers who refused to hear and turn from evil.

Evidence: Zechariah 1:4 is quoted: 'Be ye not as your fathers... they did not hear, nor did they hearken unto the Lord their God.'

Learn righteousness through judgment

Summary: When experiencing the heat of God's judgment, see it as an opportunity to learn righteousness and turn to God.

Evidence: Isaiah 26:9: 'When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.'

Be thankful for grace, not judgment

Summary: Those who have been drawn to God through love and grace should be thankful they learned the easy way rather than through judgment.

Evidence: The sermon says, 'I had much rather learn the easy way than the hard way.'

Obey God rather than man

Summary: When human laws conflict with God's law, Christians must side with God, recognizing Him as the ultimate judge, lawgiver, and king.

Evidence: Acts 5:29 and Isaiah 33:22 are cited; the sermon concludes, 'we must side with the sovereign God of heaven and earth.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:06:43Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:43:10Z

Clean Transcript

Reasons for Judgment

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

The title of the message today is Reasons for Judgment. Reasons for Judgment. Notice Isaiah 24 beginning with verse 1. "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest, as with the servant, so with his master, as with the maid, so with her mistress."
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"As with the buyer, so with the seller. As with the lender, so with the borrower. As with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away. The haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also was defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."
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There is a principle in Scripture, and it is simply this, that God never leaves Himself without witness. God witnesses to us both positively and negatively. For instance, we are told in Acts chapter 14 in verse 17, "Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." The very fact that we have fruitful seasons, the very fact that we have seasonal rains, and are enabled to enjoy the fruits of our labors, is witness to God's gracious and kind and providential blessings in our lives. The Bible does indeed teach that God causes the sun to shine upon the just and the unjust alike. So positively speaking, all we have to do is look around us and we can see the witness of God to us. For instance, the Bible says in Psalm 19 verses 1 through 5, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge."
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"There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run the race." So Psalm 19 tells us basically if we look around at God's creation we can understand that there is indeed God and that it is a positive witness to us. But God not only witnesses to us positively, He also witnesses to us negatively. If you would hold Isaiah 24, we're coming right back there, but look in the book of Romans chapter 1 and you will see what I'm talking about when I say the negative witness of God. Romans chapter 1 beginning there with verse 18. The Bible says this, Romans 1 verse 18, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it to them."
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"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." But note, if you would, verse 18, the Bible explicitly says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against them." Notice, here is God's wrath, here is God's judgment. So here is a negative witness concerning God. Now it's important to note that there are always reasons behind God's judgments. The Bible tells us in the book of Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 33 that God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
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In other words, God is not some mean old man upstairs somewhere sitting there just waiting to hurt someone. No, no. The Bible says that God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. In other words, there is a specific reason why God sends His judgment. We can also say that there are general reasons for God's judgment and there are specific reasons. There are specific sins that warrant specific judgment. Judgment is always an act of God. It may surprise you to understand that judgment in the Bible is referred to as God's special treasure.
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Let me show you that. Look in your Bibles, holding Isaiah 24, but to Deuteronomy chapter 32, Deuteronomy 32, and look at verses 34 and 35. Deuteronomy 32, verse 34. Look what God asks. Deuteronomy 32, verse 34, "Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up among my treasures?" What is it that's laid up in store with God? What is it that is sealed up among His treasures? Verse 35, "To me belongeth vengeance and recompense."
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"Their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste." So God then says that judgment is indeed His special treasure, and when God sends it, it will come and it will come in haste. Now if you'll go back to Isaiah 24 and look at verse 1, we know that judgment is indeed the work of God because the Bible says so very explicitly.
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Notice, "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof." Let me give you the comment of Matthew Henry upon verse 1 of Isaiah 24, he said this, "The earth is stripped from all of its ornaments and looks as if it were taken off its basis. It is made empty and waste, as if it was reduced to its first chaos."
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"Tohu and Bohu, nothing but confusion and emptiness again, without form and void. It is God that brings all these calamities upon the earth. The Lord made the earth and made it fruitful and beautiful for the service and comfort of man now makes it empty and waste for its creator is and will be its judge. He has an incontestable right to pass sentence upon it and an irresistible power to execute that sentence. It is the Lord that has spoken this word and he will do the work. It is his curse that has devoured the earth."
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"The general curse which sin brought upon the ground for man's sake and all the particular curses which families and countries bring upon themselves by their enormous wickedness. See the power of God's curse, how it makes all empty and lays all waste. Those whom he curses are cursed indeed."
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Now I want you to note even Matthew Henry pointed out the fact that there are general curses and there are special curses. And he said very plainly that it is God who not only made the earth but it is also God who is very capable of destroying the earth and if he so chooses remaking it according as he desires.
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Now if you look in verse 1 again, "Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty." Now the word earth here has been variously interpreted. There are some scholars that say that the word earth here just simply refers to what you and I would call the land of Palestine or the land of Canaan. And so therefore they're saying that this judgment is restricted to that area. There are others who will interpret the word earth and say no, the word earth here has a much broader significance and it actually refers to the entire world. You and I both know that the land of Canaan has indeed been the recipients of God's judgment many times. If you try to restrict the word earth in verse 1 just to the land of Canaan, then you have to remember a certain simple truth, and that is this, that God is immutable. God does not change. Malachi 3:6 he says, "I the Lord change not." Now if we say then that the word earth in verse 1 is limited to the land of Canaan or the land of Palestine, at the same time we must admit that any nation that sins as that land did, God has the absolute right to judge it in the same way.
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Why? Because God is immutable. God does not change. His justice is exactly the same. So, either way you interpret the word earth, you're going to come out with the same application that God is still able and righteous in His judgment of any nation and any portion and any part of the earth as well as the entire earth itself.
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Now, if you look in verse 2, you'll find out the general reason for such judgment and devastation. He says, "and it shall be as with the people, so with the priest, as with the servant, so with his master, as with the maid, so with her mistress, as with the buyer, so with the seller, as with the lender, so with the borrower, as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him."
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Now, it's interesting that verse 2 here includes persons of all ranks, kinds, and conditions. And what is God saying? God is saying it doesn't really matter who you are, where you are, or what you do, you will still be the recipients of these judgments.
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Now, it is true in one sense of the word that common calamities happen to all without respect. An earthquake, for instance, will destroy the house of a rich man just as easily as it will destroy the house of a poor man. It'll destroy the intellectual. It'll destroy the ignorant. And it is true that diseases affect all of us. You don't have to be poor to get certain diseases. You don't have to be rich to receive certain germs.
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No, it just simply happens to all of us. And what God is saying is this: the whole land was corrupt, all the people from the least to the greatest were perverted, and therefore God's judgment was going to fall upon all of them, every class, every kind, and everyone was going to lose it all. Now we understand in some judgments, for instance, the poor are usually the first affected, especially when famine is around. But usually, it's the rich who are kidnapped and held for ransom. You don't ever usually kidnap a poor man. In other words, there are certain judgments that affect certain classes at certain times, but that judgment eventually affects everyone. Now, so God is saying that He's going to judge the earth. He's telling us why, because everyone is corrupt.
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Look in verses 3 and 4. Ask yourself this question. How serious will God's judgments be? Here's how serious they will be. The Bible says in verse 3, "the land," whether you're talking about the earth as a whole or the land of Canaan, "the land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, for the Lord hath spoken this word, the earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish." Now, what God is doing in verses 3 and 4 is confirming what He has already said in verse 1.
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When this judgment comes, it will not be an accident. It will not be the work of Mother Nature. It will be the work of God. God expressly states that He is going to empty the land, empty the earth, and that God has purposed it, God is determined to do it, and it shall be done. God will rid the land of all of its inhabitants, and the riches of that land will be stolen, looted, and taken.
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles back to Isaiah chapter 6, because you must remember that when God called Isaiah to preach, God told him this was going to happen. So if you look in Isaiah chapter 6 verse 8, notice what God tells Isaiah. Isaiah said in Isaiah 6 and verse 8, "Also I heard the voice of the LORD saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I, send me." So Isaiah volunteered to go.
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And he said, "Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I," watch what he asked. "Then said I, Lord, how long?" That is, how long shall I go? How long shall I preach?
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He the Lord answered, "until the cities be wasted without inhabited and the houses without man and the land be utterly desolate and the Lord have removed men far away and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land." So God is saying look, it's all going to be taken away. Now I want you to go back to Isaiah 24 and remember what I told you by way of introduction. And I'm going to show it to you from the Scripture. There are indeed general curses. There are general judgments. But there are also special and specific curses and special and specific judgments. Look what God says in verse 5. I want you to understand that special sins deserve special judgments. Isaiah 24 look in verse 5. God says here's why he's judging the earth: "also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant." Then he says, "therefore hath the curse devoured the earth." Now it's important to note that these three sins have caused the earth to be defiled.
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The word defiled is also translated as polluted, profaned, and corrupted. You could say that the earth also is polluted, or it is profaned, or it is corrupted.
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Now we know according to the scripture, that generally speaking, the earth was placed under a curse because of what you and I would say, general sin, that is a sin of rebellion against God. In fact, if you look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 3, notice this general curse, Genesis chapter 3, and notice if you would please beginning there with verse 17. Genesis 3 verse 17, "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth of thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground, for out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and in dust thou shalt return." Note if you would, here is a general curse placed upon the earth because of man's sin.
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If you would turn over to the New Testament, to Romans chapter 8, once again you'll see how this plays out. Romans chapter 8, and let's begin reading there in verse 19. Romans 8 and verse 19. Here it is in the New Testament, Romans 8 verse 19. The Apostle Paul writes, "...for the earnest expectation of the creature." And by the way, when you see the word creature right here in this context, it is the word creation.
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So you may read it like that. He says, "for the earnest expectation of the creation," that is the world, "waited for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who had subjected the same in hope. Because the creature or the creation itself," that is the world, "also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know," here's the same word, "that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." So very obviously when man sinned, the whole earth was placed under a curse or under a judgment of God. This is what you and I would call a general curse, because it was a general sin in that sense of the word.
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However, there are specific sins that merit and deserve specific judgments. And God has specifically said that these are the sins that pollute the land to such an extent, it causes the land to vomit out its inhabitants thereof. I want you to turn back to the book of Leviticus chapter 18. I want you to see what God said about all of those pagans, those heathen, those wicked individuals, that lived in the land of Canaan. And when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He put a sword in their hand and said, you go into the land of Canaan and you kill all of these wicked inhabitants. Now, I want you to notice what the Bible says. Look in Leviticus chapter 18 and verse 24. God is telling His people, "defile not ye yourselves in any of these things."
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"For in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you. Watch carefully. And the land is defiled, therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomited out her inhabitants." In other words, the pagans who were there, in all of their wickedness, in all of their perversity, defiled the land and polluted and corrupted the land to such an extent that even the earth was sick of them and wanted to vomit them out as well. It's interesting if you will find in the Bible the sins which God specifically say defile a land. That is, these sins pollute the land.
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For instance, look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 3. Jeremiah chapter 3, Isaiah, Jeremiah. Look in Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse 2. Here is a passage that will give you another illustration of the land being defiled. Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse 2. This sin is spiritual whoredom or idolatry. God says in verse 2, Jeremiah 3, "Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lain with. In the ways hast thou sat for them as the Arabian in the wilderness, and thou hast polluted thy land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness." So idolatry pollutes the land. Very clearly God says that. It corrupts the land. It defiles the land.
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Let me ask you, think about this. Do you think God is pleased with the mosques and the Hindu temples that dot our landscape in this country? No. The Bible says it defiles, it pollutes the land. Why? Very obviously, because it's not the worship of the one true and the living God who's revealed himself through Jesus Christ. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 35. Let me show you another specific sin that pollutes and defiles the land. Look in Numbers chapter 35 and let's begin reading there verse 30.
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Now I'm just trying to set the stage and get you to thinking and asking yourself this question: Is our country defiled? Is our country polluted and corrupted the way the land of Canaan was? Look in Numbers chapter 35 and let's begin reading there with verse 30. Numbers 35 and notice if you would please verse 30. God says, "Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses. But one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover, you shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. And you shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land until the death of the priests. So shall you not pollute the land wherein you are."
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Now watch, "for blood it defileth the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not therefore the land which you shall inhabit wherein I dwell. For I, the Lord, dwell among the children of Israel."
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Now, what is another specific thing that defiles and pollutes the land? Failing to put a murderer to death. You think for a moment of all the murderers that have been set free from the prison system only to murder again. God says that a murderer is not to have life in prison, which means usually he can be out seven years. He's to be executed. And God says it defiles the land. Failing to execute a murderer pollutes, defiles, and corrupts the land. And the interesting thing is this. Everything that God says under the old covenant that pollutes and defiles the land is the same thing that pollutes and defiles the land under the new covenant. There are specific sins that pollute and corrupt and defile the earth wherever you live. Those sins are still the same.
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Pollution in this country is not from not going green, it's from going black. It's for sin and rebellion and wickedness.
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Now, I want you to look in Isaiah 24 and verse 5 again because my message today is to show you the three specific sins that God says pollute the land, and defile the land in such a way as to merit specific judgment. Isaiah 24 and verse 5, he says, "the earth also was defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because," here's why the earth is defiled, "because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant." First, I want you to note that Scripture says they transgressed the laws. Now the Hebrew word for laws is the word Torah, which has reference to the law of God. The word Torah literally means authoritative instruction or authoritative direction. When the Bible says that God has given us His law, it means that God has revealed to us that which He would have us to do.
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How He would have us to act. He tells us what we may do. He tells us what we may not do. The great advantage that Israel had over all the other nations was this. God had given them His law. He did not give it to the Assyrians, or the Egyptians, or the Hittites, or the Jebusites, or the Hivites. No. He only gave it to Israel.
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That's why in Romans 3, verses 1 and 2, the Bible asks this question. "What advantage then had the Jew or the Judahite, the person who lived in Judah, or what profit is there of circumcision, much in every way, but chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God." They had the Word of God. They knew what God required. In Romans 9, verses 4 and 5, the Apostle Paul said it like this, "...who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all God blessed forever." So God had given Israel His law. There was no question about what Israel should or should not do. God spelled it out.
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Let me just put it to us very pointedly. There is no question as to what we should or should not do. God has spelled it out. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, and I want you to see how God praised His law and showed the great advantage that Israel had. Notice, if you would, Deuteronomy chapter 4, beginning there with verse 6. Look what he told them. Deuteronomy 4, verse 6. In fact, let's read verse 5. Deuteronomy 4, verse 5.
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God says, "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me," Moses is writing, "that you should do so in the land whither you go in to possess it. Keep, therefore, and do them. For this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous, as all this law which I set before you this day." Now notice if you would what the Bible says. It is God's law, it is God's word that is our wisdom. It is God's law and God's word that is our understanding. It is God's law and God's word that sets us apart from all the other nations.
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How many would prefer to live in China? Or Africa? Or Russia? Do you realize as corrupt and perverse as we are in America, there is at least still a smattering of God's law in this land. There is still a smattering of understanding. God says, this is your wisdom and your understanding.
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Now what did Israel do? God had given them his law, says this is how I would have you to live, this is what I want you to do, this is what I do not want you to do, and yet they particularly violated that law over and over and they did so in many different ways. The land literally reeked with immorality, idolatry, tyranny, and degradation. And some of the rulers seduced the people into so much sin as their sin abounded over and above that which the pagans committed. For instance, in 2 Chronicles 33 and verse 9, the Bible says this, "So Manasseh," that is King Manasseh, "so Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err and to do worse than the heathen whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel."
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I got news for you folks. That's got to be pretty bad. For someone to have had the law of God and then to turn and do worse than the heathen did whom God kicked out. I want you to turn to Psalm 106. We don't have time to read the entirety of Psalm 106. But Psalm 106 concisely and succinctly gives you many of the sins of the children of Israel, and how they defiled the land, violated the law of God. But I want you to look in Psalm 106, beginning there in verse 36.
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Here is just a very brief explanation. Psalm 106, and notice if you would please, beginning there with verse 36. Notice what the scripture says. "And they served their idols, which were a snare unto them, Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood."
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"Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a-whoring after their own inventions." So hereafter God had given them His law, and said, You are to worship Me, and only Me, I want you to know they turned their backs upon God, did everything that God said not to do. Please understand that violating God's law is a cause for severe judgment. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5 verses 7 and 9. I want you to look.
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Think about the immorality in our land. Think about the idolatry in our land. Think about the corruption, the perversion, the wickedness. Think of Washington, D.C. Think of Atlanta, Georgia. Think of any state capital.
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Now I want you to look at something. Look in Jeremiah chapter 5 beginning verse 7. Look what God says. "How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses. They were as fed horses in the morning, every one neighed after his neighbor's wife."
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"Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" You know, most today, even in this enlightened land that we live in, think it is a small sin and of little consequence to sin against God and to violate His law. That's why adultery is rampant. That's why whoremongering and fornication is prevalent. That's why thievery, stealing happen every day, murder. They think it's a light thing to sin against God. They never understand that it is an affront to the sovereign God of heaven and earth to thumb their noses at God and act as if God had not spoken and act as if God did not even live.
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They have absolutely no regard for God's person or God's Word. Sin is an assault upon God's majesty and an affront to His holiness. And God said, I will judge for these things. What did He say? They've transgressed My laws. They've broken My Torah. I told them what to do. They would not listen. I want you to look in Jeremiah 29 and verse 23. I could quote this verse, but I want you to see this. I want you to see the seriousness that God uses in His attitude toward those who violate His law. Look in Jeremiah 29 and verse 23. Jeremiah 29 and verse 23.
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God says, "because they have committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbor's wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them, even I, knowing them, witness, saith the Lord." Because they committed villainy in Israel. In other words, you're vile. You're a villain. You're wicked. Why did God destroy the land? Because they transgressed His laws. That's the first reason. That in itself is reason enough to destroy America. We violated His laws. But let's go on. Isaiah 24 and verse 5 says this, "The earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws," here's the second sin specifically, "changed the ordinance." Wow!
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Now the Hebrew word for ordinance is also translated as statute or ordinance or decree or law. The word relates to the civil enactments prescribed by God and basically everything that would relate to a holy, godly, obedient and just life and just society. So the word actually relates to justice and righteousness. Again, let me give you just one simple paragraph from Matthew Henry. He says this, "they have changed the ordinances of revealed religion. Those of them that have had the benefit of that, they have neglected the ordinance, so some read it."
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"They have made no conscience of observing them. They have passed over the laws in commission of sin and have passed by the ordinance in omission of duty."
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Now, let me just point out what he's saying. It is true that anyone may violate an ordinance by transgressing and rebelling against it. It is true anyone may not keep an ordinance by omitting it or forgetting it or failing to do it. But that's not what the Scripture says. The Scripture says in verse 5, they transgressed the laws and changed the ordinance. Now here's my question. Who has the ability to change the ordinance? Who has the ability to change laws and statutes? The answer is government. Governmental power. You must remember that government basically is force. And if you have the power, you may force people to do things that normally they would not do. A few years back, some of you may remember, I preached two messages which I entitled, Civil Rulers and Idolatry. And I took you through the Scripture and I showed you that every idolatry began with civil government. It always began with a king.
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I don't care if you're talking about Solomon. I don't care if you're talking about Jeroboam. I don't care if you're talking about Ahab. I don't care if you're talking about Omri. It all began with a king. Civil government is the one that changes the ordinance. Corrupt civil government, perverted civil government, humanistic civil government wants to play God. And an unbiblical civil government always replaces God's law with man's law.
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Go back in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel chapter 8. I know that you're familiar with this passage, but I want you to see it. It's here in black and white. You remember in 1 Samuel chapter 8, Israel wanted a king so that they might be like other nations. Well, they asked Samuel to make them a king. So look in 1 Samuel chapter 8, and let's begin reading with verse 6. "But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee." Now look what God says. "For they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."
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"According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even in this day wherewith they have forsaken me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore, hearken unto their voice, howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them."
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Now God says, you want a man instead of me? Fine. Here's the kind of man that you're going to get. Notice if you look at verse 10. "And Samuel told all the people, told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked him a king, and he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before him. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, captains over fifties, and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers."
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"And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed in your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants and he will take your men's servants and your maid's servants and your goodliest young men and your asses and put them to his work and he will take the tenth of your sheep and you shall be his servants."
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What kind of ruler would change God's law? A man. And that man is not going to be satisfied with what God has said. He wants it all. Let me tell you, you cannot understand 1 Samuel chapter 8 unless you understand it as a transition from one law structure to another. God says, I have been your king. What does a king do? He rules by his law. Fine. You change kings, you change laws. A king rules by his law. A king's law is the extension of his person. And when Israel changed from God to a man, they basically changed from God's law to man's law. And consequently, that's why God says you're going to be His servants, you're going to be His slaves.
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In our day and time, most of us would be happy if the civil government only took 10%. I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. I want you to see how plainly this is stated in Scripture. Look in 2 Kings chapter 17. Remember now, I told you, you cannot understand 1 Samuel 8 unless you see it as a transition from one law structure to another. I told you that a king rules by his law. If God is our king, he's ruling by his law in our lives. If man is our king, he's going to try and enforce his laws upon us. Now look what God says in 2 Kings chapter 17, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. 2 Kings 17 verse 7. Watch.
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"For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods." Now let's stop right there. I want you to note that the children of Israel sinned against God. How did they sin against God? Well, the scripture tells us in verse 7, they feared other gods. Well, let's ask another question. How do we know they feared other gods? What was the evidence that they had feared other gods? Well, look in verse 8. After he said, "and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes," that is, the laws of the heathen, "whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made." Ah! They walked in the laws of the heathen, and they walked in the laws of the kings of Israel, which they had made. In other words, they traded God's law for man's law. They're no longer following God.
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They're no longer fearing God. If you feared God, you would obey His law. They never feared God. They feared man, and therefore, they walked in the laws of the heathen and in the laws of the kings of Israel. Why? Because a king rules by his law. And when the king came upon the throne, he said, I'm God, you'll do what I say. And if that's not clear enough, look if you would please in verses 18 and 19. Here it is stated very plainly again, 2 Kings 17 verse 18, "Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight."
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"There was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Here it is. And Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made." What did Judah do? The same thing Israel did. Threw God's law away and walked in the laws of the kings of Israel. Judah changed the ordinance just like Israel changed the ordinance. She swapped God's law for man's law.
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Now once one changes laws, for all practical purposes, the former law is repealed and nullified. Now listen to me. I know it is impossible to repeal and nullify God's law. I understand that. But it can be repealed and nullified in the sense that you no longer pay attention to it, you no longer heed it, and you act as if it was no law. That's what sin and rebellion does. It looks at God and basically says, I make my own law.
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You don't tell me what to do. I do what I want to do. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Micah, chapter 6, a minor prophet. I want you to look what the Bible says there, Micah chapter 6 and verse 16. And in the book of Micah, right after the book of Jonah, Micah 6 and verse 16, look what God says. Omri, as you're turning there, I will tell you, Omri, King Omri was the father of Ahab. Look in Micah 6 and verse 16, God says, "For the statutes," that is, the laws of Omri, "are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab. And you walk in their councils," that is, in their laws, "that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof a hissing."
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"Therefore you shall bear the reproach of My people." Now why is God saying that He judged Israel? Because they traded His law for man's law. Why did He judge Judah? They traded God's law for man's law. They listen to the law of man, not the law of God. Do you realize the sins of America are exactly the same sins of Israel of old? We've not only transgressed God's law, we've changed the ordinance! Wow! We fail to obey God's law. We fail to recognize God's sovereignty. We fail to recognize that God is King and that God has the absolute right to tell us how to live and how not to live.
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If you'll go back in your Bibles to Isaiah 24 in verse 5, here's a third thing that God sends specific judgment upon the land for. Not only for transgressing the law, not only for changing the ordinance, but also for breaking the everlasting covenant. He said the earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they've transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Now the word covenant here is the word berith in the Hebrew. It is a word that is used for those covenants by which the Lord who adopted his people promised that he would be their God. Now how in the world do you break such a covenant? And the answer is that they foolishly refused and rejected God and despised Him and His overtures of grace and love. They mocked His prophets. They mocked His messengers. Their attitude and actions demonstrated conclusively that they did not want Him to be their God.
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They chose idols for themselves. In fact, turn to Jeremiah 44. I just read this this week. You're talking about a wonderful illustration. Look in Jeremiah 44. God has sent Nebuchadnezzar against the land of Judah. He's destroyed it. Many are taken away captive. Many have died. And now the people disobey God. God told them not to go into Egypt, and yet they go into Egypt. And they just disobey God left and right. Look in verse 11, Jeremiah 44, "Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. And I will take the remnant of Judah, and have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt, to sojourn there. And they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt. And they shall even be consumed by the sword, and by the famine. And they shall die from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine, and they shall be in execration, and in astonishment, and in curse, and in reproach."
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"For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. So that none of the remnant of Judah which are gone in the land of Egypt to sojourn there shall escape or remain, that they should return to the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return. For none shall return, but such as shall escape."
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Now watch, "then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods. And all the women that stood by, a great multitude of all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done we and our fathers, our kings, and our princes in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem."
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"For then had we plenty of vittles, and were very well, and saw no evil. But since we have left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things and have been consumed by the sword and by famine. And when we burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her and pour out drink offerings unto her without our men?" Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, "The incense that you burn in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem you and your fathers your kings and your princes and the people went in"
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"did not the Lord remember them and came it not in his mind so that the Lord could no longer bear because of the evil of your doings and because the abominations which you committed therefore is your land a desolation and an astonishment and a curse without inhabitant as at this day." Now let me just point out what's happening here. These people had sent to Jeremiah and said pray for us, we will obey whatever God says. Jeremiah came along and said, alright, here's what God says, don't go into Egypt. Then they said, God didn't say don't go into Egypt, we're going into Egypt. They went into Egypt and they took Jeremiah. Then Jeremiah tells them, look, the reason you're in Egypt is because you were idolaters, you were whoremongers, you were wicked, you were wrong.
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They said, oh, we know one thing, as long as we were in Judah, and we poured out our drink offerings and made cakes for the Queen of Heaven, we had it good. And that's what we're going to do down here. Jeremiah, I can see him now, putting his hand on his forehead and says, Dummies, don't you know that's why God drove you out of Judah to begin with? And now you're going to do the same thing here? And guess what? God sent Nebuchadnezzar down to Egypt and destroyed them again.
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Now, I'm just simply pointing out, here were a people that had a covenant with God, and they deliberately and purposely turned their backs upon Him. Knowingly, willingly, they chose themselves other gods. It is called the everlasting covenant because it ought to have been perpetual and inviolable and to be enforced in every age. It was to be transmitted with uninterrupted succession from father to son that it might never be effaced from the memory of man, but to be kept pure and entire. And so when God calls it this, He's representing to them their treachery, their vileness, their wickedness in turning their backs deliberately upon Him.
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It was a monstrous act of treason. I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Oh, watch this carefully. Hebrews chapter 10. And notice if you would, beginning there of verse 28. Hebrews 10 verse 28. Look what the Scripture says. Hebrews 10 verse 28. "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses." Look at the next verse. "...of how much sorer or worse punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy to trodden underfoot the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and have done despite unto the Spirit of grace."
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"For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord, and again the Lord shall judge his people." There are many in this country that profess to be Christians. In fact, this country is usually referred to as a Christian nation. And yet most even professing Christians trample the Son of God under their feet. They ignore, ridicule, and mock and disregard the sinless Son of God. If God was angry with those people who sinned in the land under types and shadows, how much more angry? This is the argument. How much sorer or worse punishment should we be thought worthy? Who have trodden under our feet the fulfillment and reality? The Son of God Himself. If God destroyed them for sinning against types and shadows, how much worse should our judgment be? Who sinned against the fulfillment and the reality of those types and shadows. For these three reasons, God said, I'll destroy the land.
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They've transgressed my laws, they've changed the ordinance, and they've broken the everlasting covenant. Now let me make a couple of applications. I want you to listen carefully. It should be evident that as a people, as a nation in America, we have transgressed God's laws, we've changed the ordinance, and we've broken the everlasting covenant. We have done exactly like those in Israel. We have sinned in exactly the same way.
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You could say that we are indeed the children of our fathers. And in Zechariah 1 and verse 4, here's what God cried out to the people. He said, "Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings. But they did not hear, nor did they hearken unto the Lord their God." What did he say? Be ye not as your fathers.
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Don't be stubborn like they were. They refused to hear. God is telling us we cannot be like them if we expect the blessing of God. The second application is this, since we have sinned knowingly and deliberately against revealed light, against the Son of God, is it any wonder that we're cursed and the earth is defiled? Is it any wonder that we're experiencing the judgment of God? Let me tell you, the question that we must ask is not are we under God's judgment. We are. The question we must ask is this, why has God not already destroyed us completely?
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He would be just in doing so. We've sinned exactly the way those people have sinned. There's a third application and I don't have time to really go into it. In one sense of the word, you've got to remember, there is indeed hope in judgment. You remember, God said, I've given you the valley of Achor for a door of hope, and Achor refers to judgment. Some of you will remember Senator Everett Dirksen. I don't remember too much about him, but I do remember one thing that he said. Some of you will remember it.
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He said, when I feel the heat, then I see the light. Now what he meant by that was, he kind of did what he wanted to do until the people just irritated him and bothered him and bombarded him and they put the heat on him and said, when I feel the heat, then I see the light. Dirksen probably did not realize he was expressing a biblical principle when he said, when I feel the heat, I see the light.
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For we are told in Isaiah 26 verse 9, listen, "With my soul have I desired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me I will seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. In other words, when we feel the heat, we begin to see the light. When we feel the heat of God's wrath and God's judgment, we begin to understand this is no accident.
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This is not Mother Nature. This is the act of Father God, the Sovereign God of Heaven and Earth. The fourth application is this. Many who already bow and worship to the One True and Living God through Jesus Christ should be thankful that we have been drawn unto Him through His love and grace and mercy and not through his judgment. I had much rather learn the easy way than the hard way. And God can teach us either way. The last application is this.
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I do not care what any president of the United States of America says, what the Congress declares, or what a Supreme Court justice states. We, as God's people, can never give up the one true and the living God as our God, nor can we ever give up His law. Isaiah 33 and verse 22 tells us, "for the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King, He will save us." God is God, no matter what the Supreme Court says, no matter what legislation Congress passes, no matter how many executive orders the President issues, God is still God and His law is still law. And we have to come down to what the Apostle Peter said in Acts 5 and verse 29. We ought to obey God rather than man.
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And when there's a conflict, we must side with the sovereign God of heaven and earth. For He is God and His law is truth. Why did God judge Israel? They transgressed His law. They changed His ordinance. And they broke the everlasting covenant. Reasons for specific, particular judgment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We ask that You would help us and teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. And Father, give us grace that we may determine in our hearts we will never forsake Thee. We will never bow to false gods. We will never give up Thy law, and we will always serve and worship only Thee, through Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the power of Thy Spirit. And we ask, Father, in all things, that Thou wouldst be glorified in our lives. Give us grace and mercy, Lord. Give us repentance and faith. Give us obedience. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask, amen and amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:06:43Z

Reasons for Judgment

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver expounds Isaiah 24:1-6 to explain that God's judgment is not arbitrary but comes for specific reasons. He argues that God witnesses both positively (through creation and blessings) and negatively (through wrath and judgment). The sermon identifies three specific sins that defile a land and provoke divine judgment: transgressing God's laws, changing the ordinance (replacing God's law with man's law), and breaking the everlasting covenant. Weaver applies these principles to modern America, asserting that the nation has committed the same sins as ancient Israel and is therefore under God's judgment, yet there is hope if people learn righteousness through judgment and return to God.

Opening

The title of the message today is Reasons for Judgment. Reasons for Judgment. Notice Isaiah 24 beginning with verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 24:1-6

"Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest, as with the servant, so with his master, as with the maid, so with her mistress." "As with the buyer, so with the seller. As with the lender, so with the borrower. As with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away. The haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also was defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."

Introduction: God's Witness and Judgment

God never leaves Himself without witness, both positively through creation and blessings, and negatively through wrath and judgment. Judgment is God's special treasure and always has reasons.

Scripture Reading — Acts 14:17

"Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 19:1-5

"There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run the race."

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 3:33

doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. In other words, God is not some mean old man upstairs somewhere sitting there just waiting to hurt someone. No, no. The Bible says that God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:34-35

"Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up among my treasures?"

What is it that's laid up in store with God? What is it that is sealed up among His treasures? Verse 35,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:34-35

"To me belongeth vengeance and recompense."

The Certainty and Scope of Judgment (Isaiah 24:1-4)

God will make the earth empty and waste; judgment affects all classes of people. The devastation is total and is the direct work of God, not an accident.

General vs. Specific Curses

There are general curses (like the curse on the ground in Genesis 3) and specific curses for particular sins. Specific sins defile the land and provoke specific judgments.

First Specific Sin: Transgressing the Laws

Here is just a very brief explanation. Psalm 106, and notice if you would please, beginning there with verse 36. Notice what the scripture says.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:36-39

"And they served their idols, which were a snare unto them, Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood." "Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a-whoring after their own inventions."

Now I want you to look at something. Look in Jeremiah chapter 5 beginning verse 7. Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:7-9

"How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses. They were as fed horses in the morning, every one neighed after his neighbor's wife."

Second Specific Sin: Changing the Ordinance

The second reason is changing the ordinance—replacing God's law with man's law. This is done by civil government, which usurps God's authority and imposes human statutes.

Third Specific Sin: Breaking the Everlasting Covenant

The third reason is breaking the everlasting covenant by rejecting God and choosing idols. This is a deliberate, treasonous act that brings severe judgment, especially under the new covenant.

Applications for America

Reasons for Judgment

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	AiAq-QjnuDI
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 075: Genesis — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	85

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: God's Witness and Judgment: God never leaves Himself without witness, both positively through creation and blessings, and negatively through wrath and judgment. Judgment is God's special treasure and always has reasons.
The Certainty and Scope of Judgment (Isaiah 24:1-4): God will make the earth empty and waste; judgment affects all classes of people. The devastation is total and is the direct work of God, not an accident.
General vs. Specific Curses: There are general curses (like the curse on the ground in Genesis 3) and specific curses for particular sins. Specific sins defile the land and provoke specific judgments.
First Specific Sin: Transgressing the Laws: The first reason for judgment is transgressing God's Torah—His authoritative instruction. Israel violated God's law despite having the great advantage of receiving it, and America has done likewise.
Second Specific Sin: Changing the Ordinance: The second reason is changing the ordinance—replacing God's law with man's law. This is done by civil government, which usurps God's authority and imposes human statutes.
Third Specific Sin: Breaking the Everlasting Covenant: The third reason is breaking the everlasting covenant by rejecting God and choosing idols. This is a deliberate, treasonous act that brings severe judgment, especially under the new covenant.
Applications for America: America has committed the same three sins and is under God's judgment. Believers must not be like stubborn forefathers, should recognize judgment as a call to learn righteousness, be thankful for grace, and resolve to obey God rather than man.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Judgment is always purposeful and from God

God does not afflict willingly; judgment is His work and comes for specific reasons, not as random calamity.

Lamentations 3:33 says God 'doth not afflict willingly'; Isaiah 24:1 says 'the Lord maketh the earth empty.'

Transgressing God's law defiles a land

Violating God's Torah—His authoritative instruction—is a direct affront to His majesty and brings severe judgment.

Jeremiah 5:7-9 asks, 'Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord'; Psalm 106:38 says 'the land was polluted with blood.'

Changing the ordinance is a governmental sin

Only civil government has the power to change laws; when it replaces God's law with man's law, it leads to tyranny and idolatry.

1 Samuel 8 describes the transition to a human king who takes and imposes his own statutes; 2 Kings 17:19 says Judah 'walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.'

Breaking the covenant is deliberate rebellion

Rejecting God's covenant and choosing idols is a knowing, treasonous act that brings desolation.

Jeremiah 44:16-17 shows the people willfully choosing to burn incense to the queen of heaven despite God's warnings.

New covenant judgment is more severe

Those who trample the Son of God and count His blood unholy deserve worse punishment than those who sinned under the old covenant.

Hebrews 10:28-29 argues from lesser to greater: if they died without mercy under Moses' law, how much sorer punishment for despising Christ?

America is under God's judgment

Because America has committed the same three sins as Israel, it is experiencing God's judgment, and the only question is why complete destruction has not yet come.

The sermon states, 'the question that we must ask is not are we under God's judgment. We are.'

Scripture References

Isaiah 24:1-6: Primary text; describes God making the earth empty, the reasons for judgment (transgressing laws, changing ordinance, breaking covenant), and the resulting curse.
Acts 14:17: God's positive witness through rain and fruitful seasons.
Psalm 19:1-5: The heavens declare God's glory as a positive witness.
Romans 1:18-20: God's wrath revealed as a negative witness; creation leaves men without excuse.
Lamentations 3:33: God does not afflict willingly.
Deuteronomy 32:34-35: Judgment is God's treasure; vengeance belongs to Him.
Malachi 3:6: God's immutability means He judges all nations by the same standard.
Isaiah 6:8-12: Isaiah's commission to preach until the land is desolate.
Genesis 3:17-19: The general curse on the ground because of Adam's sin.
Romans 8:19-22: The whole creation groans under the curse, awaiting deliverance.
Leviticus 18:24-25: The land vomits out its inhabitants because of defilement.
Jeremiah 3:2: Idolatry pollutes the land.
Numbers 35:30-34: Bloodshed defiles the land; failure to execute murderers pollutes it.
Romans 3:1-2: The advantage of the Jews was having the oracles of God.
Romans 9:4-5: Israel received the law, covenants, and promises.
Deuteronomy 4:5-8: God's law is Israel's wisdom and understanding before the nations.
2 Chronicles 33:9: Manasseh made Judah do worse than the heathen.
Psalm 106:36-39: Israel served idols, sacrificed children, and polluted the land with blood.
Jeremiah 5:7-9: God asks if He should not avenge Himself on a nation for adultery and idolatry.
Jeremiah 29:23: God witnesses against those who commit villainy and adultery.

Historical References

Matthew Henry's commentary on Isaiah 24:1: Quoted to explain that the earth is stripped of ornaments and reduced to chaos by God's curse.
King Manasseh: Cited as an example of a ruler who made Judah do worse than the heathen (2 Chronicles 33:9).
King Omri and King Ahab: Mentioned as kings whose statutes Israel kept, leading to desolation (Micah 6:16).
Senator Everett Dirksen: Quoted saying 'when I feel the heat, then I see the light' as an illustration of learning through judgment.

Important Quotes

The earth is stripped from all of its ornaments and looks as if it were taken off its basis. It is made empty and waste, as if it was reduced to its first chaos.

Matthew Henry's vivid description of the totality of God's judgment, emphasizing the reversal of creation.

God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

Establishes that God's judgment is not arbitrary but has specific reasons, countering the view of God as capricious.

To me belongeth vengeance and recompense.

Quoted from Deuteronomy 32:35 to show that judgment is God's prerogative and treasure.

They have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

The central text (Isaiah 24:5) listing the three specific sins that defile the land and provoke judgment.

When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Isaiah 26:9, used to show that judgment has a redemptive purpose—to teach people righteousness.

We ought to obey God rather than man.

Acts 5:29, the concluding application that believers must side with God's law when it conflicts with human authority.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does God witness to us both positively and negatively, and why is it important to recognize both?

[Context]

The sermon opens with the principle that God never leaves Himself without witness, citing Acts 14:17 and Romans 1:18.

[Question]

What are the three specific sins listed in Isaiah 24:5 that defile a land, and how are they evident in our society today?

[Context]

The core of the message identifies transgressing laws, changing the ordinance, and breaking the everlasting covenant as reasons for judgment.

[Question]

In what ways does civil government 'change the ordinance' by replacing God's law with man's law, and what are the consequences?

[Context]

The sermon argues that only government has the power to change laws, using 1 Samuel 8 and 2 Kings 17 as examples.

[Question]

How does the new covenant make the sin of breaking the everlasting covenant even more serious, according to Hebrews 10?

[Context]

The argument from lesser to greater: if old covenant violations brought death, how much worse for trampling the Son of God?

[Question]

What does it mean to 'learn righteousness' through God's judgments, and how can we respond rightly to national or personal calamities?

[Context]

Isaiah 26:9 is cited to show that judgment can be a teacher; the sermon asks why God hasn't destroyed America completely.

[Question]

How should Christians navigate the tension between obeying civil authorities and obeying God when laws conflict?

[Context]

The final application cites Acts 5:29 and Isaiah 33:22, emphasizing God as ultimate lawgiver and king.

Applications

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