Isaiah 1-4 Recently, a group of men entered a submersible and set off to view the Titanic. One was a billionaire, but did he know the God of Isaiah? When the submersible imploded, what good would all of his wealth do him? Could he take that wealth into eternity?  

Isaiah, God’s prophet, is asking the Israelites and us that same question. What are we doing with the abundance of wealth God has given to us? Do we invest, hoard, share, or give it away? The nation of Judah was wealthy beyond words, but they were greedily seeking to gather more and more. Like them, we find that many of us do the same, but if God were to call us to eternity would we take that wealth with us? Remember the parable in Luke 16:19-31? The rich man discovered that all of his prosperity meant nothing in eternity. How about us?

Instead of wealth Isaiah advised them to promote justice for those oppressed, just as James reminded the early church; fulfill the royal law; love your neighbor as yourself. [James 2:8]