In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. – Isaiah 2:20

Today's Scripture Reading (March 7, 2023): Isaiah 2

Mark Twain commented, "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." I like the quote because it assumes that each of us has a reason for being here, something that I strongly believe, but that reason is not always readily apparent to us as we journey through life. And often, we think things are important to us that really aren't, and we have things that should be important that we do not treat as important. I know that is true in my life; I regret some things that have taken my time, while others should have received more time and effort from me than I could allocate to the task.

Maybe the tragedy of life is that while the first of Mark Twain's important days, our birth, is automatic, the second of his important days is not. And sometimes, it takes us a long time to figure out why we were born, and I believe for some of us, that day never comes. We never figure out why we are here, present in this world, and what it is that God placed inside of us that needs to be accomplished by us. Instead, we give ourselves to things that often do not deserve our attention.

In the 1970s, Larry Norman penned his apocalyptic hit "I Wish We'd All Been Ready." In the song, he writes that "a piece of bread would buy a bag of gold," a line that is supposed to come from Revelation 6:6. The idea is that when Jesus comes back, everything will be turned upside down. The things we thought were important will prove to be unimportant, and the really important things will be beyond our ability to address.

It seems that Isaiah is making a very similar prophecy here. Israel had spent their money and time worshipping idols that were far from their reason for being. And the time would come when these same idols of gold and silver would be cast away; what was once important would become the possession of the moles that rule the fields and the bats living in the caves. These animals are often seen as pests by farmers. But the real question is, when that day comes, will we be any closer to understanding what is important, and will we know our reason for being?

Our reason for being begins with the understanding that God created us and our purpose can only be found in a relationship with him. We will never know why God wanted us here unless we get that relationship straight. We will continue to spend our time and money on unimportant things that eventually will become the property of the animals of the field because they are beneath our attention.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 3