"The Senseless One"

Isaiah's prophecy next draws a contrast:  "The senseless one will no longer be called generous; and as for the unprincipled  man, he will not be said to be noble; because the senseless one himself will speak mere senselessness." (Isaiah 32:5, 6a)   Who is "the senseless one"?  As if for emphasis, King David twice supplies the answer:  "The senseless  one has said in his heart: 'There is no Jehovah.'  They have acted ruinously, they have acted detestably in their dealing.  There is no one doing good.'  (Psalm 14:1; 53:1) Of course, confirmed atheists say that there is no Jehovah.  In effect, so do "intellectuals" and others who act as if there were no God, believing that  they are accountable to no one.  The truth is not in such ones.  There is no generosity in their hearts. They have no gospel of love. In contrast with genuine Christians, they are slow to provide  for needy ones in distress or fail to do so entirely.

Many such senseless ones come to hate those who champion God's truth.  "His very heart will work at what is hurtful, to work as apostasy and to speak against Jehovah what is wayward."  (Isaiah 32:6b)  How true this is of modern-day apostates!  In a number of countries in Europe  and Asia, apostates have joined forces with other opponents of truth, speaking outright lies to the authorities, with a view to having Jehovah's Witnesses banned or restricted   They may manifest the spirit of the "evil slave," of whom Jesus prophesied: "If ever that evil slave should say in his heart, 'My master is  delaying," and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that the does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites.  There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be." -Matthew 24:48-51.

In the meantime, the apostate causes "The soul of the hungry one to go empty, and he causes even the thirsty one to go without drink itself."  (Isaiah 32:6c )  Enemies of truth try to deprive the truth-hungry people of spiritual food, and they try to keep thirsty ones from drinking the refreshing waters of the Kingdom message.  But the final outcome will be what Jehovah declares to his people through another of his prophets:  "They will be certain to fight against you, but they will not prevail against you, for 'I am with you,' is the utterance  of Jehovah, 'to deliver you.' " -Jeremiah 1:19; Isaiah 54:17.

From the middle years of the 20th century, immorality has openly run riot in the lands of  Christendom. Why? The prophecy foretold  one reason:  "As for the unprincipled man, his instruments are bad; he himself has given counsel for acts of loose conduct, to wreck the afflicted ones with false sayings, even when someone poor speaks what is right." (Isaiah 32:7)    In fulfillment of these words, many of the clergy in particular have adopted a permissive attitude toward marital sex, cohabitation of the unmarried ,m homosexuality-indeed, "fornication and uncleanness of every sort."  (Ephesians 5:3)  Thus, they  "wreck" their flocks with their false sayings.

In contrast, how refreshing is the fulfillment of the prophet's next words!  "As regards the generous one, it is for generous things that he has given counsel; and in favor of generous things he himself will rise up." (Isaiah 32:8) Jesus himself encouraged generosity when he said:  "Practice giving, and people will give to you.  They will pour into your laps a fine measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing.  For with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you in return."  (Luke 6:38)  The apostle Paul too pointed  to the blessings that come to generous ones when he said:  "Bear in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, when he himself said, 'There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.' " (Acts 20:35)  Genuine Christians are made happy, not by gaining material wealth or social prominence, but by being generous-in the same way that their God, Jehovah, is generous.  (Matthew 5:44, 45)   Their greatest happiness is found in doing God's will, in generously giving of themselves in order to make known to others "the glorious good news of the happy God." -1 Timothy 1:11.

Next time: Conclusion of "The Senseless One"

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind, 2000