A Spoonful of Sugar

How many times have you heard someone say, “Alright, I’ve got some good news and some bad news; what do you want to hear first?” It seems that we are always trying to find the good with the bad. As Mary Poppins says, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”

Often the prophets of the Old Testament are thought of as the bearers of ‘bad news.’ Ahab referred to Elijah as “the troubler of Israel.” I guess it goes to show just how predisposed we are to sin that when someone speaks out for the Lord against our sin and His judgment we see that as something bad. Let’s face it the human race is comfortable in the muck and mire of sin. Yet God’s message of judgment often also brings the promise of salvation for those who repent of their sin.

The prophet Isaiah would be for some the bearer of bad news. Isaiah prophesied the coming destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel which he lived to see fulfilled; he also spoke of God’s wrath that would come against the southern kingdom of Judah who was following in the evil footsteps of their brothers. But interwoven throughout Isaiah’s message is the promised hope of God’s salvation for all who trust in Him.

Isaiah’s name means “the salvation of the Lord.” God calls upon His people to come and reason together with Him about their sin. God does not want to destroy His people; the Lord wants to lovingly restore them as a righteous and holy people. Unfortunately, many were unwilling to sit down and have a heart to heart talk with God (see Isaiah 1:18-20).

Right from the beginning Isaiah brings the good news that God wants to cleanse His people from their sins and restore them to a right relationship with God. And that’s not all. Before the judgment and wrath of God is revealed, the prophet Isaiah is shown the fulfillment of God’s salvation, not in a picture of Jesus as the Lamb of God, but of the ultimate triumph for all who repent and return to the Lord.

• In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
  Isaiah 2:2 (NIV)

Before God shows Isaiah the cross He shows him the New Jerusalem where God’s presence will fill the city and people from all nations will come to Him. We who believe in Christ are among those who have been cleansed of our sin and will enter into that city.

One of the best ways to live today in a way that is pleasing to God and not succumb to temptation and the evil that surrounds us is to remember the future. God will dwell with His people. That’s a spoonful of sugar that will help us take the medicine of God’s judgment upon sin. We can escape His wrath and be welcomed into His presence. That’s good news!