Isaiah 5:18-21 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

18Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit
and pull sin along with cart ropes,
19to those who say, “Let Him hurry and hasten His work
so that we may see it!
Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come
so that we may know it!”
20Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who turn darkness to light
and light to darkness,
who replace bitter with sweet
and sweet with bitter.
21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.

With Cords of Deceit

What we have here is a description of people who are addicted to sin, who sin against God and other humans willfully, deliberately, and habitually. They are those who pile sin upon sin right in the face of God, knowing full well that what they are doing is wrong, that it is hurtful to others, but choosing to do it anyway out of sinful and selfish and lustful desires. And, in order to justify their sin, they may contrive all sorts of justifications (excuses) for their sins, perhaps minimizing them, or presuming God will not judge them.

Mocking God

In this case, they are those who mock God and his commands, testing to see if God will actually do what He said He would do. They continue in deliberate and habitual sin for the purpose of defying God, for the purpose of provoking Him to anger. For they are the defiant and unruly who do not believe God will judge them, that He will punish them for their sins. Since it had not yet happened that God would bring judgment on them, they defied Him to do so in an insolent manner. And there are people today who absolutely do this.

Good and Evil Swapped

Many of those there are today who call evil good, and good evil. They claim that because God is loving, kind, and merciful, that he will not judge those who profess faith in Jesus, even if they continue living in sin and not in obedience to the Lord. And they falsely accuse those who teach the truth of the gospel of those who are teaching lies, which they call “works salvation.” But what they call “works salvation” is what Jesus taught, that if we come after Him, we must deny self, die to sin daily, and obey God in practice.

So, those who pacify others in their deliberate and habitual sin, they regard as being loving and kind. But those who teach that by faith in Jesus Christ we must take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow our Lord in obedience to His commands, in practice, or we do not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God, they call mean, hateful, unloving, and unkind. But lying to people to make them feel good, or so they will like us, is not kind. It is selfish. Telling them the truth is what is truly kind and loving.

Wise in Their Own Eyes

There are people who take a “My Do It” approach to Christianity, who interpret the Scriptures to their own advantage and who take matters in their own hands rather than surrendering their lives to the will and purpose of God for their lives. Many of them have adopted a watered down diluted “gospel” message which makes no requirements of them to repent of (turn from) their sins and to obey God with their lives. Or they create in their own minds the “god” they want to serve who does not judge them in their sins.

Or they may believe that God does intend that we forsake our sins to follow him in obedience, but they make it optional, recommended only, but not enforced. Or they make excuses upon excuses for why they are not yet free of their slavery to sin, sometimes blaming it on other humans who they feel did not do their job properly, rather than taking full responsibility for their own behaviors. And, although they know the right way, and what the Scriptures teach, they will find ways of justifying their own sinful habits.

The Gospel Message

But by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in Him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Mocking God and His Word
An Original Work / August 8, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Your Heart

An Original Work / October 24, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Tenderly He speaks, softly so.
Gently He calls – His will to know.
Won’t you invite Him in your heart?
Humbly accept Him now.
Bow before Him with contrite heart.
May you obey His will.
Seek Him with all your heart and soul,
And your heart, His Spirit fill.

Jesus died to free you from sin,
Giving you new life to begin,
Walking with Him ev’ry hour,
Obeying His commands.
Won’t you trust Him to be your Lord?
His grace you can’t afford.
Freely He gives you peace within,
When you turn from all your sin.

Live for Him ev’ry passing day.
Meet with Him; read His word and pray.
Serve Him in the way He leads you,
Doing all that He says.
Do unto others as you would
Have them do unto you.
Love them with Jesus love within you.
Your hearts to God be true.