Isaiah 26:9
Author: Steve Amato
Keywords: bible study,bible, isaiah

Translations: 简体中文 繁體中文

## Learning Righteousness through Judgment

Isaiah 26:9,10
My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD.

While Christians yearn for God, the wicked have no such feelings. Indeed they disdain even the thought of God. "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts." Ps 10:4 Being gracious to wicked people generally leads to them taking advantage of you and not learning righteousness. For the wicked to come to faith, it's seemingly better that they experience God's judgment, the consequences of their sin, imprisonment or the like so that they may learn to fear God and learn justice. It's an essential concept prerequisite for all who would come to be saved. Then when they are repented let them be shown grace. That's generally how God deals with people in the Bible. Israel becomes wicked. God brings judgment. They repent. God shows grace.

The so-called "wicked" whom Jesus ministered to were largely those who were repenting of their wickedness. While those he disdained were the religious elite who refused to repent. To them he spoke harshly and in his parables he portrayed them as those who would go to hell. The unrepentant primarily need to learn of God's justice in light of their sinfuless. The repentant need to learn of God's grace which Jesus procured for them on the cross, providing eternal salvation through the forgiveness of sins.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
Sep 05,2002