From the Shadows
Isaiah 13:11b-12
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
Isaiah 13 provides a graphic vision of the destruction of Babylon that doesn’t go too well with a morning cup of coffee, but there’s a double-sidedness to verse 12 here that struck me immediately. God’s warning that “people will be more rare than fine gold” is an indictment against every society that turns toward evil. Think of it: what happens to sinful souls when they reject their Creator to pursue the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life? They become inhuman— more like beasts and less like men—more instinctive and less distinctive—more material and less spiritual—more of the earth and less divine. So a society full of souls who choose the darkness rather than the light is not a society of men, but a society of silhouettes.
Christian, remember: to be a righteous person is to be a real person, a rare person, and a radiant person. So shine like gold today in your shadowy world. Radiate the glorious, unblemished splendor of God’s holiness in all you do.