Fear of Impending Judgment

Isaiah 33:10-16

10 "Now I will rise," says the LORD;
"Now I will be exalted,
Now I will lift Myself up.

11 You shall conceive chaff,
You shall bring forth stubble;
Your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
12 And the people shall be like the burnings of lime;
Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.

13 Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might."

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:

"Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?"

15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

16 He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.

This warning to Israel is also for all who read and hear these words.  God will rise up in judgment after allowing sin to run its course as He did before the flood where Noah was saved (Matthew 24:37-39, 1 Peter 3:20-21) as a sign for us of deliverance in Christ.  God will always be seen as exalted and great in His works of severity and goodness (Romans 11:22) in judgment and mercy.  He must get all the glory from our lips as well.  Those disobedient and disbelieving are as leftover chaff from the good wheat which is burned, and the illustration of burned bodies here is a foreshadowing of the lake of fire prepared for heavenly rebels and those who follow in like suit (Matthew 25:41).  What then?  Hear what God says!  He calls those near and far to hear all He has done from the pages of scripture and especially for those nearby to give Him the glory in acknowledging His omnipotence over all.  Sinners who hear and understand, who do not turn a blind eye and deaf ear, these will fear their future as much as he hypocrites who say Lord, Lord, but do not follow that word (Matthew 7:22-23).  The fear of eternal punishment is not to be downplayed or ignored as if a taboo subject which might drive away those hearing God’s word in the gospel, rather it is the heart of the good news to know what one is being saved from to truly understand what they can be saved to.  The Lord expects His people to live righteously and care for his neighbors as the greatest commandments summarized for us in Mark 12:30-31 as our reminder.  That means dealing honestly with others in all things (especially matters of money), not oppressing or using others for our own gain, but refusing bribes and listening to stories of abusing people and evil subjects in general.  We are to be righteous and holy because He is if we are truly His.  Then we have God’s blessings of protection in His good providence, not when we live in opposition to His word and will for us as Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are made and saved to do.  There is no fear of impending judgment for those truly in Christ, but there is accountability for our lives nonetheless (1 John 4:18, 1 Corinthians 3:14-15).  May we who are His people, Jew and Gentile, then live in such a way as to glorify and honor God for His great mercy of forgiving grace to exalt His name because we have been spared the impending eternal punishment of His righteous judgment.  Amen!