Woe To Those Who Call Evil Good…

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, those who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

My Inspiration

Facebook Posts

I enjoy seeing photos of friend’s families, animals, fun times, etc. Those things put a smile on my face and help me know there are still good things and people in this world. Also, I love the banter between friends and the silly memes that make me laugh. Being able to create groups or events is a plus in my book. So many positives can come from social media and a whole lot of negatives. Personally, over the past few years, especially the last year and a half, I’ve been intentionally keeping time spent on Facebook to a minimum.

You might be wondering why I feel the need to limit myself from something that makes me happy. One reason is that it can become too much of a distraction in my daily life. Unfortunately, too much of a good thing can quickly turn into a bad thing if we don’t keep, whatever it is, in check.

The second reason is as much as, if not more, important than the first reason, but I can’t give them both number one status. The second reason is the one I want to discuss most, so ranking it number two is just for an easy transition.

Instead of a place to connect, it has become a place to spread false information, a place to offend or be offended, a place to prove your beliefs are correct, and any who oppose them deserve to be taken down a peg or two.

It doesn’t matter how limited my time spent on Facebook becomes; EVERY TIME I give it a look (it takes a maximum of 30 seconds), I see a non-factual political post or a meme misquoting Scripture.

How do I know them to be non-factual? I give it “a google” or “a bing” or a “youtube.” Do you get the point? I research myself. I read more than one article, and I like them to be from multiple sources. As for Scripture quotes, if the meme is accompanied by “Book,” “Chapter,” and “Verse,” I open my Bible (I have the NASB downloaded on my phone) and read for myself, and not just the verse in the quote but also all the verses in context to the particular passage.

If I give it a ten-minute look, I will see the same meme at least fifteen times. The people I see posting these non-factual memes are a mixture of all mindsets. But the ones that disturb me the most are the Christians posting Bible quotes that have the wording rearranged or sometimes re-worded entirely. Here is a screenshot of the post that is the source of my inspiration today.

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In most instances, this would be a post I give a glance at as I scroll past. Still, upon seeing this particular post multiple times in my very brief session on FB this morning, I looked a little longer and felt God wanted me to question this and spend a little time in my Bible for the answer.

Also, in most instances, I would do the research, tuck some new bits of knowledge under my belt, or journal my thoughts to my private journals. But, today, God told me this is a discussion all Christians should be having with themselves and Him.

“The Day Will Come”

First: This meme is a misquote because the Bible does not include the words; the day will come. This wording implies an actual time in the history of humanity when evil was not being called good or good was being called evil, not to mention the other examples in verse twenty alone.

Second: The misquote implies that it will be the unsaved, the non-believers, that call evil good and good evil. However, Chapter 5, read in its entirety, clarifies that God’s people are the recipients of His message.

Third: The question the meme asks, “You think we are there yet?”. Asking this question suggests we aren’t there now or haven’t been there since the scene with Adam and Eve.

Christians Woe To Us

If you have read Isaiah 5 and understand that this message was God talking to His people (Jews), you should also know that it has now become a message to His people today, Christians; ALL BELIEVERS.

Have Christians not been using clever and deceptive words to blur moral issues and excuse their sin since the fall in the Garden of Eden? Yes, they have. And Christians have continued into 2021, looking at their sins and calling them good and looking at the good in others and calling it evil. So what Isaiah is describing here is a deep state of moral confusion. And he is saying woe to us Christians, not the world.

Christian, if you have not read this chapter or if it’s been a while, it would serve you well to do so soon. Reading it today has inspired me to do a deeper in-depth study of the chapter.

Social Media

For today though, I want to focus on the inaccuracy of the things we see and believe as factual on social media and what it does to us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I use FB as an example because it is the only social media platform that I use.

Maybe you feel your use of social media is not an issue in your life. If you truly believe that, then carry on. If you’re unsure of the effect it possibly could be having on your life, then ask yourself some questions and answer yourself truly.

Questions To Ask Yourself

After spending a few minutes on social media, am I happy, angry, fearful, or worried? Do I feel peaceful, loving, more kind, or am I more bent on being right? Have I spent a few minutes of my day trying to bring someone a little laughter or even just a smile, or have I spent those minutes trying to “bring someone down” because their political/religious views don’t line up with mine?

Do I want the people who see my posts to feel loved, heard, and understood, or do I want them to feel judged, guilty and condemned? Am I using social media to bring separation or connection? Do I try to offend, or am I easily offended? What, where, who is the source I seek to gain wisdom and knowledge? As Christians, the only correct answer to the last question should be God and His Holy Word, not social media.

These are all questions I’ve asked myself, and when I answered truthfully, I realized if I was going to stay on the one social media platform that I use, then I needed to modify a few things. It’s the same with television or video games, food, alcohol, sex, money, or anything we let distort and separate us from the truth in God’s word. The evil is not in the “thing” but the user of the thing.

Our Actions Are Our Responsibility

Christians, every action we take in life, every decision we make, even if we make our decisions flippantly, is either going to be used for good or bad, in our lives or the lives of those around us. It is our responsibility to make sure God’s Word is not being misused or misquoted. We should not, without verifying it for accuracy, share a Bible verse on social media. We shouldn’t share anything without checking it for truth first, but especially Bible quotes.

What Does God Say?

Martin Luther once said, “The Bible is like a lion; it does not need to be defended; just let it loose, and it will defend itself.” God is the author of the Bible; He holds all copyrights. Therefore, subtracting or adding to it is forbidden. If you do, you make yourself a liar (Proverbs 30:6).

John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Bible is not merely the Word of God; it IS God.

Hebrews 4:12: For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God has much to say about His Word and how serious He takes it. I encourage you to spend some time reading what He has to say on the subject. We deceive ourselves when we think sharing a meme simply because it’s a Bible ‘quote’ without checking it for accuracy is a good thing when in fact, God says it’s an evil thing.

Summary

There are many examples of Facebook posts that I could have used as an example of false information for this blog post. However, this is the one God brought to my attention today. It’s not just Scripture misquotes; it’s everything we read or see. We should not believe anything until we’ve done some research on our own. Unfortunately, the spreading of false information has become such a problem, and finding the truth is complicated. But we can find the truth if we really want to.

On tonight’s nightly news, they did a bit on how to teach our teens not to believe everything they read or see on social media and how to do the research to determine if it’s factual or not. I don’t find it coincidental that God laid this on my heart on the day it was to be a topic on the nightly news. But I do find it sad.

Searching for the truth is essential. Lies and misinformation fill us with fear, worry, anxiety, and anger. God is truth. We should strive for truth in all we do, even on social media.