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.
-Isaiah 5: 20

At first, it makes me go, “woah.”

Then, it makes me go, “woe”.

The news, that is. Violence. Injustice. Bad people doing bad things. It seems to never end, this battle between good and evil.

Here’s the craziness we’re in: Which side is good and which is evil? It depends on who you ask.

Take ICE, for instance. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement engaging in raids all over the country.

Where some see heroic defenders of national borders, others see an agency whose methods have crossed ethical lines—arresting people here legally, detaining those seeking status, operating without transparency or accountability.

At first the difference in perspectives shocked me. Then it crushed me.

So I went to scripture.

In Isaiah 5, the prophet is relaying God’s words. At first Israel was faithful, but then it descended into violence and injustice from the top down. Here, Isaiah relays 6 woes:

• Woe to greedy land barons.
• Woe to those who would rather party than pay attention.
• Woe to those who call down divine judgement on others.
• Woe to those who confuse evil for good.
• Woe to those who are foolishly “wise to their own eyes”.
• Woe to those who pervert justice.

That’s quite a list. It was directed at a specific people at a specific time, but like all prophecy, the words echo down through history and speak to us.

I see myself in some of these, but it’s that fourth one that really hits me.

How do you know if you’re confused? About good and evil. How does a person ascertain that they are on the right or wrong side of justice, of God?

We keep coming up against this. Today is no exception. Your next door neighbor may be cheering for the very thing that is bringing you to tears.

Here’s how God handled things in Israel, back in Isaiah’s day. God sent in foreign countries, like Assyria and Babylon, to tear the whole thing down.

God didn’t send a flood this time, which is good. But thousands were sent into exile. Israel was decimated. Jerusalem was eventually rebuilt, but it was never the same.

And the discord continues.

My instinct is to double down. Surely I know the difference between good and evil. But damn it, if my next-door neighbor is just as stubborn in opposition to the way I see it, how can our nation possibly survive?

This is the point in my devotions where I do a clever turn and present Good News.

Not today. Today I’m sitting with Isaiah’s woes. I’m praying, and listening, and refusing to look away. I feel rock solid in what my faith tells me, but the confusion still feels like a stone in my chest.

Right now, my hand is over my heart. Not in a pledge to my country, but as a plea for guidance.

Holy Spirit, heal the divisions out there,

and keep me honest

in here.

Have a great week,

Mitch