Caution, this series should not be read by the religious legalists.

When God Offends Our Sensibilities

Scripture: Isaiah 20:1–6

“And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.” — Isaiah 20:2

Imagine seeing a respected prophet of God walking through town barefoot and stripped of his customary clothing. What would you think? Would you question his judgment, his dignity, or perhaps even his relationship with God? Yet Isaiah was doing exactly what God had instructed him to do.

For three years, Isaiah’s appearance served as a prophetic sign of the humiliation awaiting Egypt and Ethiopia. Judah had placed its confidence in these nations rather than in the Lord. God used Isaiah’s shocking appearance to expose the foolishness of that misplaced trust. His conduct violated ordinary expectations of dignity and propriety, but it did not violate God’s will. What appeared improper to people was actually obedience to God.

There is something here that deserves our attention. We sometimes confuse respectability with righteousness. We become so accustomed to certain religious customs, traditions, and expectations that we begin treating them as though God Himself established them. When someone steps outside those expectations, we may be quick to question their spirituality without first considering whether our expectations are biblical.

That doesn’t mean every unusual or offensive act is inspired by God. Isaiah acted under a specific divine command. Being unconventional is not the same as being obedient. But neither is being respectable necessarily the same as being righteous. Sometimes God’s truth confronts not only our sinful behavior but also our cherished assumptions about how godly people ought to behave.

We must be careful that our devotion to propriety does not become an obstacle to our obedience to God. After all, the question is not whether something offends our sensibilities. The question is whether it agrees with God’s Word and reflects His will.

Something to Consider: Have we become so committed to our religious expectations that we might mistake genuine obedience for improper behavior?

Sometimes God must disturb our comfort before He can awaken our conscience.

–Pastor Get Real