Prophet of woe !

Thursday March 10, 2022

Prophet of woe !

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who change darkness into light, and light into darkness, who change bitterness into sweetness, and sweetness into bitterness ! Isaiah 5.20

We don't like those who give us bad news or predict a dark future. "Don't speak to me of misfortune !" we sometimes say superstitiously. Or to ward off these fatal predictions, we exclaim : "Go away, prophet of woe !"... Isaiah could be qualified as a prophet of woe, given the number of times he addresses the Israelites, starting with l expression : “Woe to you who…”. But if he speaks to them thus on behalf of God, it is not to cast a curse on them but to warn them of a danger. It is as if he were saying to them : “If you continue to behave in this way, this is what will happen to you…” He thus warns those who, obsessed with wealth, think only of accumulating fields and houses. In the same way, he warns alcoholics, those who are dishonest, those who think they are more intelligent than others, those who reverse moral values ​​or even unbelievers.

We realize how these warnings are still current. How many freely chosen behaviors lead many of our contemporaries to misfortune ! God warns us about how we conduct our lives. By turning to him, by taking his Word seriously, we set out on a path where he can bless us. Because he loves us and he wants our happiness !

Bernard Grebille

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Proposed reading : Book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 5, verses 8 to 30.

Source (Live Today)