What lessons can we learn about God's justice from Isaiah 47:6? “I was angry with My people; I profaned My inheritance, and I delivered them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke.” What We Notice Right Away • God openly acknowledges His righteous anger toward His own people. • He sovereignly hands them over to Babylon as an act of discipline. • Babylon abuses that privilege, showing no mercy, even to the elderly. • The verse sits in a larger oracle promising Babylon’s downfall, proving that God will judge the very tool He used. Lessons About God’s Justice • God’s justice begins at home. – His holiness will not overlook sin in His covenant people (1 Peter 4:17; Hebrews 12:6). • Divine discipline never negates His covenant love. – Even while “angry,” He still calls Israel “My people” and “My inheritance” (Isaiah 43:1). • God may employ imperfect agents to carry out perfect purposes. – Babylon served as “the rod of His anger” (Isaiah 10:5-7). • Instruments of judgment remain accountable for their motives and methods. – “You showed them no mercy” highlights Babylon’s cruelty; therefore God will judge them (Jeremiah 50:10-15). • Justice balances both sides: correction for the sinner, condemnation for the oppressor. – Habakkuk 1–2 mirrors this tension: God uses a nation for discipline yet vows to punish its arrogance. • No offense escapes divine notice, even mistreatment of society’s most vulnerable. – “On the aged you laid a very heavy yoke” evokes Proverbs 14:31; God defends the weak. Living Truths to Embrace • Take sin seriously; God certainly does. • Trust that any hardship under His hand is measured, purposeful, and temporary (Lamentations 3:31-33). • Refuse to rationalize cruelty, power-grabs, or exploitation; God will settle all accounts (Romans 12:19). • Rest in the certainty that every injustice—whether committed by God’s people or their adversaries—will face His perfect, timely judgment (Psalm 37:1-6). |
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