Isaiah 21

ScriptureIsaiah 21:3At this my body is racked with pain,pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;I am staggered by what I hear,I am bewildered by what I see.Observation - What does it say?This pain Isaiah is describing was caused by the terrible vision God gave him of the destruction of Babylon. The vision is harsh and violent, but very real. The prophet describes this vision and the others like it as “burdens,” for it is hard to bear such bad news. This news is so bad and shocking, that it literally causes Isaiah physical pain. Yet, the fact that this prophecy is recorded in scripture is evidence that Isaiah was still faithful to accept and declare this prophecy.Understanding - What does it mean?When hearing horrible news, whether it is that a loved one was diagnosed with a serious illness, that your company is planning layoffs, or that God is going to punish the ungodly, the tendency of many is to pretend they didn’t hear it. Rather than get anxious or panic, they choose to live in denial about it. Or, maybe they believe it but they don’t want anyone to talk about it because of the negative emotions and fear associated with it. They’d prefer to push the topic out of sight and just hope they don’t ever have to face it. Scripture isn't clear about it, but I could imagine Isaiah being inclined to do the same with this vision of Babylon.Isaiah had a difficult message to share, and even though it caused him physical pain to even think about it, and even though it would be incredibly unpopular with his audience, Isaiah still proclaimed the news.Believers must share the truth, no matter how difficult or unpopular it may be.Our message of the gospel, which God has entrusted to us the responsibility of declaring, is not always the easiest to share. Particularly when you have to help people understand that they have sinned and deserve eternal punishment in hell. It seems much more pleasant to just tell people God loves them and that they should believe in Jesus so they can be saved. But although more pleasant, the gospel doesn’t make any sense and neither does salvation, until people really understand what they are being saved from.Let me be clear. Unlike Isaiah's vision, the gospel is good news. Although it contains some hard truths, it's the good news, the best news! It's the news of God's love and salvation offered to all who would believe in Jesus. But, it's impossible to understand the goodness of God and of the gospel until you understand the weight of your own sin and the road to eternal suffering and torture in hell that your sin put you on.Life ApplicationShare the truth, even when it may be hard and not received well… especially when it comes to the gospel.God, please help us to be faithful with the gospel you’ve entrusted to us. Give us courage to share it, and help us to love them enough to share the whole truth. Amen.