Isaiah 34

Whoa, scary chapter! No wonder lots of people read the Bible (especially the Old Testament) and get the idea that God—while He may graciously be biding His time—is out to “get us” in the end. In fact, this chapter is so scary that it (and lots of other chapters in Isaiah) got completely cut out of the Revised Common Lectionary, used by many (if not most) mainline Protestant churches. If you attend such a church, that means you will never hear this chapter of the Bible read in worship. Ever.

That would be a shame.

This is the “Romans 1″ of the Old Testament. That is, it is the chapter that speaks plainly about the wrath of God and what it is. We tend to overlook that little detail as we get caught up in the horrific description of what follows God’s wrath.

First of all, what is God’s wrath? Let’s briefly look at Paul’s description in Romans: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them… Therefore God gave them over in in the sinful desires of their hearts… Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts… so God gave them over to a depraved mind…” (Rom 1:18-19, 24, 26, 28)

Clearly, Paul writes that the “wrath of God” revealed from heaven is God’s giving up on people. His “wrath” isn’t some sort of punitive anger; it’s surrender. When there is nothing more that can be done for His wicked children, God surrenders Himself to the choices they have made and “gives them up” to the consequences of their choices.

Did you notice that Isaiah describes God’s wrath in the exact same way? “The Lord is angry with all nations; his wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter.” (vs 2) We read this verse, and we get all hung up on the part that says “He will totally destroy them,” but there is not a period at the end of that sentence! The last part is just as important; it describes how God “destroys” them—He “gives them over” to slaughter. He gives up. He surrenders. He lets go.

Many Bible commentators believe that Isaiah was prophesying about the end of the world in this chapter and that these events are connected with those described in Revelation 8 and 9. And just before those end-time events, Revelation 7 says that God has had four angels “holding back the four winds of the earth” in order to prevent the catastrophic consequences of sin until all His faithful children have been sealed. Once that has occurred, God is again depicted as “releasing” (or “letting go” of) these winds, and that is when calamity ravages the Earth.

What if God’s judgment isn’t about punishing anyone? What if it’s about finally allowing sin to work its own destruction—something that God has been holding back in order to give time for salvation? What if the last thing God wants to do is let go?

I’m sure any parent who has lost a child can resonate with the idea of never wanting to let go. I don’t think God wants to let go either; that’s why He begs and pleads and threatens and yells and screams and promises and waits. But, in the end, if He has children who are hell-bent on leaving Him, God will eventually let go.

If we insist on having our way, He will surrender.