The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain; but Moab will be trampled in their land as straw is trampled down in the manure. – Isaiah 25:10

Today's Scripture Reading (April 3, 2023): Isaiah 25

There are a lot of considerations that go into the idea of what seems right. And often, they are calculations that we make without even consciously thinking about what is right or wrong. Maybe one of the most foundational calculations concerns the result of the action under consideration. Is the action going to leave me in a better place? What about the possible detrimental consequences of the action? And since few things are all good with no bad, what are the predicted possibilities of the outcome?

If we are going to do something illegal, considering the possible outcomes become the most crucial consideration. When I was fresh out of High School, I worked nights in a local department store. Many things about the job were slightly illegal, or maybe a better word might be dishonest. In good weather, especially during the summer, there was very little to do during the night, so we sat around playing cards, watching television, or whatever else we wanted to do. If a supervisor happened by, which rarely happened, someone would walk through the store whistling a tune, the sign that it was time to get back to work. It was a low-risk activity, but it was also a reasonably low reward.

The store would also occasionally plant money in the store, an attempt to see if we would take the money or turn it back into the store. We knew, and so we always turned the money in. Taking the money would have been a much higher-risk activity.

The most important consideration is often the one to which we give the least attention; what does God think of the action? Maybe there is an upside from a human point of view, but is God on our side in the decision? It is something that I know some struggle with, although most of the struggle seems to be in the direction of "how can I get God to say that what I want to do is alright?" What are the types of arguments I have heard? The most common is some variation on "everyone lies on their resume (they don't), so if I am honest, I am putting myself at a disadvantage?" Or "my boss takes advantage of me, so me taking advantage of the company just evens the field?" God will understand, right?

Isaiah makes this observation. God's hand is on his mountain. God's hand gently guides those who serve him. But he tramples Moab and those who stand against him. So, while we are considering our options and what seems right, maybe the question we need to ask is, do we want the tender touch of the guiding hand of God, or would we prefer to be the ones trampled under his feet? The choice is really all ours.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 26