Isaiah 5:14
“Therefore Shoel has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.”
Sheol is an Old Testament word for the abode of the wicked in death. The New Testament uses the words “Hades,” “Tartarus,” and “Gehenna.” Although different words are employed, they all refer to the final resting place for those who reject Christ, and as a result die in their sins. Isaiah gives a sobering picture when he writes, “Sheol has enlarged itself…” Suggesting that the boundaries of hell are expanding because of the unwillingness of people to respond to the call of God and the cries of the prophet. There are a few things we need to keep in mind.
First, hell is expanding because people are refusing to turn to the only one who can rescue them from its eternal flames. At the same time, sin was running rampant and people were choosing to live as though there are no consequences for their choices or behaviors, Isaiah and others were boldly and faithfully calling people to come to God. Today things are much like they were in Isaiah’s day. People are calling evil good and good evil. People are receiving awards and national recognition for self-seeking, destructive choices, while those who stand for righteousness are being carted off to jail. They are warned to reconsider their stand against what is clearly forbidden in Scripture. Those who refuse to respond to the call of the Gospel of Christ, will ultimately stand before God and receive just compensation for a life ruled by self. It does not have to end this way. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Past failures and present acts do not keep a person from eternal life. If you are willing to receive Christ, you will be pardoned, rescued, set free and given the free gift of salvation.
Second, hell is expanding because it was never God’s intention for anyone to end up there. Hell was created for Satan, as a place to keep him eternally imprisoned, as retribution for his sin against God and man. Heaven was designed for mankind. Jesus declared that His Father’s house is filled with rooms and He was going to prepare them for us (John 14:2). The work of the cross is like a doorway into eternal life, for all who will walk through it. For a person to end up in hell they must refuse the inner work of the Spirit, the constant opportunities to come to Christ, the pleadings of their friends and family, and the very work the church was left on the earth to accomplish.
Don’t let Sheol expand its borders any farther. If you have not given your life to Christ, do so right now. Pray something like this,
“God, thank you for the cross where Jesus died for me. I ask you to forgive me of my sin and accept me as your child. Help me to leave my sinful ways and begin to follow you. In Jesus name…
Pastor Jim
The Christian life is like a journey. It begins when we put our trust in Christ for salvation, and ends as we cross the finish line entering into glory. In an age of high-speed travel, we often endure the journey for the sake of the destination. I have sat next to people on airplanes who were “white knuckling” the arm rests. I could tell they hate the idea of flying, but it was a necessity in order to reach their destination. The Christian life is not like that. The journey is as important as the destination. Walking, because it is such a slow means of travel, allowed for fellowship, life lessons, and teaching times to take place between Jesus and His disciples. He desires the same for us. As we go through life, we should see each day as a walk with the Lord. A walk in which we can commune with Him and learn from Him. Here in Ephesians Paul exhorts us on how to walk and what paths to take as we journey with Jesus toward glory.
“The Branch of the Lord” is a messianic title, meaning it is a description of Jesus our Savior. This phrase is used often by the prophets to speak of the work of Christ.
Isaiah is warning of coming judgment. The people had left the ways of God; perhaps thinking the Word of God was antiquated. Instead of being a nation that shone as a light to the world around them, Judah had become like all the other nations. Morally, spiritually and ethically, the people who were called by God to be a light, looked all too similar to the world around them. Isaiah points out one of the main contributors to their downfall,
The Church was designed by God, purchased with the blood of Christ, birthed by the work of the Holy Spirit, and plays a very important role in the life of the growing Christian. It is no wonder the devil spends so much energy trying to keep us from church. Many have had their feelings hurt by the way they were treated at church. For some the church put expectations upon them, making them feel as though they were only valuable because of their talents or treasures. Others have felt neglected. They have gone to church for a period of time, and when things became difficult, they felt as though they were abandoned. All of us have had the weekly struggles that make it difficult to even attend. When Sunday morning comes along, the kids wake up sick, we get in an argument with our spouse, or we are simply worn out from a long work week. The list of oppositions to simply getting in the door of our church is longer than my fingers can type. I think it is critical to remember, the reason there is so much opposition to regular attendance is because of the valuable role the church plays in your life and Christian growth.
Tragically, God is blamed for many of the atrocities committed by man. I say tragically, not because God cannot or will not defend Himself, but because as long as we blame God for what men do, we will fail to find a real solution to the problem. The chief wrong in this world is the heart of man. We see this demonstrated daily in the horrific actions reported on our TV screens. We hear of power hungry people oppressing others, in pursuit of their own ambitions. This happens everywhere on the globe. Sometimes, it is in a far away land where a political vacuum has allowed for the strongest force to take over, other times it happens locally where a person uses the tragedy in someone’s life for their own personal gain. Wherever and whenever it happens, it screams to us that the chief problem in our world is the heart of man.
If it were possible to travel back to the time of Isaiah, I think we would be surprised by how religious the people were. At the temple in Jerusalem, sacrifices were being offered and the priests were busy about the work of the Lord. The hilltops throughout the land were laden with altars, and homes were filled with religious images. Prayer was perhaps at an all time high, and religious music filled the air waves. To an outside observer, it might seem that all was right in Israel. The problem was, although the people were passionately religious, they were not in a relationship with God. Isaiah wrote to explain the problem was with sin, and that religious activity is not the cure.
Prayer is the great privilege of the Christian. With it, we are given access to the throne of God. Every care, no matter how small, can be cast at His feet. Every mountain, no matter how large, can be removed through prayer. Prayer was a daily activity in the life of Christ. He rose early for prayer; stayed up late into the night praying. He prayed before making decisions, facing obstacles or simply to give thanks to the Father for what He had provided.
There are a host of strong motivators that drive a person to action. Fear of what may come will often lead a person to behave in an unhealthy manner; lying, hate, and worry are often a byproduct of fear. Money can be a strong motivator. People will work themselves to the bone, and even sacrifice their families, to get a little more, because of the false security a savings account brings. Of all the motivating factors in life, none can compare to what will be done for love.
When I was a child, my family lived in a house located at the bottom of one hill, and the top of another. Whenever one of the neighbors up the street would wash his car, a flowing river would form in the gutter outside the house. I can vividly remember using the debris to create obstacles, rapids, and even dams. I would run up the street with small plastic boats filled with passengers and drop them into the river. As they traveled downstream, they would be tossed about by the currents heading towards the rudimentary dam designed to stop them. Often, the flow would become so strong the dam would burst, sending the toy boat and its occupants rushing toward a large drain that went deep underground to the sewers. Frantically, I would run after the small boat, hoping to rescue it from impending doom. Whenever I read Paul’s description of the world, found in Ephesians 2, I am reminded of those toys heading toward destruction, and my frantic attempts to rescue them. Paul describes every person who has not yet received Jesus Christ, as being like a dead body floating downstream, and heading for eternal loss. He also describes God as the great Savior, who reached down to rescue all who will cry out to Him.
Jim Gallagher 