
Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good: A Call to Discernment and Truth
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 5:20 – “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
In Isaiah 5:20, the prophet Isaiah confronts a society that has blurred the lines between good and evil. Through this powerful verse, God warns against a world that reverses moral and spiritual truths, a problem we still grapple with today. Isaiah’s words challenge believers to stand firm in truth, discern right from wrong, and resist the pressures of a culture that often glorifies what is harmful and diminishes what is good.
Today, we’ll explore the importance of this call to discernment in Isaiah 5:20 and how it echoes throughout Scripture. By examining other similar verses, we’ll understand how critical it is for us to remain rooted in God’s truth in a world that sometimes seeks to redefine it.
I. Understanding Isaiah’s Warning
Isaiah’s message in chapter 5 serves as a solemn warning to the people of Israel, who had turned from God and compromised His standards. They had become morally confused, distorting what was right and wrong. This “woe” is both a warning and a judgment upon those who are misleading others by misrepresenting God’s truth.
Isaiah describes a society where moral and spiritual decay have taken hold. People had come to a place where they saw no harm in their actions; instead, they celebrated and justified their sins. In Isaiah’s time, just as in our world today, this confusion brought harm to individuals and society as a whole, inviting God’s righteous judgment.
II. Calling Evil Good, and Good Evil
Isaiah’s message is relevant because the problem of moral inversion—calling evil good and good evil—persists in every generation. When people dismiss God’s standards, they inevitably begin to create their own. This reversal not only confuses individuals but also disrupts society by creating instability in moral values.
Example of the Pharisees
In the New Testament, Jesus Himself encounters this inversion of values. In Matthew 23:27-28, He rebukes the Pharisees, saying:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”
The Pharisees were guilty of calling their own hypocrisy righteousness, covering up sin while presenting a veneer of holiness. By elevating their traditions above the word of God, they obscured true faith and led people astray. Jesus’s rebuke echoes Isaiah’s words, revealing that when we redefine truth and overlook our own sin, we fall into the same trap of “calling evil good.”
III. The Role of Discernment
In Isaiah 5:20, God’s warning underscores the need for discernment—the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood. Romans 12:2 reminds believers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds so that we “may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Paul calls us to a mindset rooted in God’s Word, aware of the dangers of conforming to the world’s standards.
Example of Discernment in the Early Church
The apostle John also emphasized the need for discernment in his letters. In 1 John 4:1, he writes: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
John understood that false teachings and misrepresentations of truth were a constant danger to the church. Like Isaiah, he urged believers to carefully evaluate what they hear, keeping their faith aligned with God’s truth.
IV. Standing Firm in the Truth
The call to reject evil and cling to good is a constant theme throughout the Bible. In Amos 5:14-15, God urges Israel to “seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you.” Here, Amos conveys that pursuing goodness leads to life and a close relationship with God. But when people follow evil, they separate themselves from His blessings and guidance.
Similarly, Paul instructs the Romans in Romans 12:9: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
In these verses, “hating evil” and “clinging to good” are commands to actively resist moral decay and uphold integrity. Paul recognizes that following God’s standards is not a passive endeavor; it requires a deliberate choice to reject what contradicts His Word.
Example of Daniel
The story of Daniel and his companions in Babylon is a powerful illustration of standing firm in truth. Daniel 1:8 tells us that Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s meat.” Daniel’s determination to honor God’s standards rather than the expectations of the Babylonian culture exemplifies a commitment to biblical truth in a foreign land. Like Isaiah’s audience, Daniel faced a society where God’s standards were disregarded, yet he chose to stand firm and remain faithful.
V. Living Out the Call to Righteousness
Isaiah 5:20 is not only a warning but a call to action. As believers, we are called to reflect God’s light in a world that often prefers darkness. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, teaches us in Matthew 5:14-16 that we are “the light of the world” and should let our light shine before others. This means living out truth in our actions, words, and decisions, even when the world around us might push us in the opposite direction.
Philippians 2:15 emphasizes this when Paul urges believers to be “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Just as Isaiah warned against blurring good and evil, Paul reminds us to live with integrity and to be “lights” in the midst of moral confusion.
Conclusion: A Commitment to God’s Standards
Isaiah’s warning in Isaiah 5:20 calls us to stand firm against the moral and spiritual confusion of our time. While society may change its definitions of good and evil, God’s Word remains our unwavering standard. Through the examples of Jesus, Paul, and faithful individuals like Daniel, we see that God’s people are called to live by truth, not by the shifting morals of culture.
As we leave today, let us remember that, like the Israelites, we too are responsible for upholding God’s standards. Let’s commit ourselves to discernment, test everything against Scripture, and have the courage to resist any redefinition of good and evil that contradicts God’s Word. In doing so, we can bring light into a world that desperately needs the truth, and honor the God who is steadfast and unchanging.
May we be guided by His Spirit to discern right from wrong, seek good, and reject evil, for the sake of His glory and the good of all. Amen.
Leave a Reply