“They hatch adders’ eggs; they weave the spider’s web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched.” Isaiah 59:5
October 19, 2026
We live in a therapeutic culture. Moral reality has been banished to the church house. Commercials could lead us to believe that the right medicines can make us all happy. In Isaiah’s day Israel was in a miserable state of affairs. Judgment for rebellion against God was upon them. The root problem was the sinfulness of the people, not their need for a mood alteration. Within each of us, not just ancient Israel, is what the apostle Paul calls a law inside us (Rom. 7:21). All are infected with it, believer and unbeliever. The difference is without Christ sin carries the unbeliever downstream to eternal condemnation. The tragedy is the contagious nature of sin and its deceptive, evil influence. The enemy, sin, dwells within the human heart. In vivid language, Isaiah tells us that, without God, all that man does is touched by his sin. Even a gift to charity can be polluted by pride. Copperheads and poisonous spiders, not a flattering picture. Human nature is not pretty. This doesn’t mean we are all as bad as we could be. But we are as bad-off as we could be. The only hope for any of us is to repent of our unbelief and receive Christ. This brings with it the overcoming power of the Holy Spirit.
H
Reflection:
What does it mean to you that this is the situation within the heart of all people including you?
(Question taken from The NIV Serendipity Bible)