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!
NKJV
Listen
to what Matthew Henry (1662-1714) had to say about Isaiah 5:20, “Who confound
and overthrow the distinctions between moral good and evil, who call evil good and moral evil (Isa_5:20),
who not only live in the omission of that which is good, but condemn it, argue
against it, and, because they will not practice it themselves, run it down in
others, and fasten invidious epithets upon it - not only do that which is evil,
but justify it, and applaud it, and recommend it to others as safe and good. (1.)
Virtue and piety are good, for they are light and sweet, they are pleasant and
right; but sin and wickedness are evil; they are darkness, all the fruit of
ignorance and mistake, and will be bitterness in the latter end. (2.) Those do
a great deal of wrong to God, and religion, and conscience, to their own souls,
and to the souls of others, who misrepresent these, and put false colors upon
them - who call drunkenness good fellowship, and covetousness good husbandry,
and, when they persecute the people of God, think they do him good service -
and, on the other hand, who call seriousness ill-nature, and sober singularity
ill-breeding, who say all manner of evil falsely concerning the ways of
godliness, and do what they can to form in men's minds prejudices against them,
and this in defiance of evidence as plain and convincing as that of sense, by
which we distinguish, beyond contradiction, between light and darkness, and
between that which to the taste is sweet and that which is bitter.”
I want it to be understood clearly from the
beginning that I speak here not of the pornographic films that are made by
those who through violence force underage boys and girls to make these type
movies. Nor am I focusing on those who blatantly make what is known as kiddy
porn or child pornography. Be certain that it all is evil and trafficking
children in the porn industry is universally despised in every part of the
globe.
I want to focus on what is well known as adult
pornography. This section of pornography is the most lucrative in sales and
revenue earned and it has political power all over the world because people of
all walks of life and socioeconomic backgrounds support it. Some estimate that
the pornography industry worldwide is worth around 100 billion dollars. This
number demonstrates to us the power this industry commands.
How could adults of legal age engaging in consensual
sexual behavior be evil? This is a severe stumbling block to many people; it
was to me for such a long time. I was once of that mind. Although I thought I
knew the truth and was correct in my life’s direction, I believed that there
was not any harm to a person who viewed pornographic materials in the privacy
of their own home or hotel room. I did not connect or equate that behavior to
the destruction of my soul. Although our human definition of evil is morally
objectionable behavior, the majority of human beings find it very hard to place
this genre (if you will) of pornography into this objectionable category as
does the Word of God.
This industry has amassed billions of dollars today
from its meager beginnings of selling magazines and movies underground. It has
found its way into the mainstream of almost every society around the world.
Children are being bombarded from the very womb with pornographic images all
around them continually. Even the cartoons have become explicit in their language
and sexual references. The pornographic magazines can be found today in corner
stores, malls, and even grocery stores. The DVD’s can be purchased or rented in
many bookstores and almost all of the places like blockbusters, etc. All of the
cable and satellite providers offer pay per view X-rated movies and the movie
channels such as HBO, Showtime, and others carry many movies filled with
pornographic images 24/7. Every night on network television sexual images can
be found.
We have in many circles of the world begun to call
this evil good and this is what has opened the door for the industries huge
growth. A Prophet of YAWEH (Isaiah) wrote about what had become of the hearts
and minds of the people of Israel in a very similar manner way back around 700
B.C. He wrote in one section about how the people of Israel had gone into
captivity (that is physically they were enslaved by a more powerful nation) because
they had no knowledge and were judged by God because of their inability to
discern the difference between good and evil. You see the pornography industry
has one goal and that is to bring its users into captivity or enslavement to
their product because this is what produces repeat customers and builds their
financial empire.
“No
one will strengthen himself who lives in iniquity.” (Ezekiel 7:13)
Only when a person is brought to the place of seeing
pornography and the heart and mind that harbors it as sin and evil will
that person be at the starting point of healing. Jesus Christ is the Great
Physician and He only can wash a soul clean and give that soul new desires. If
you are as I once was (a person trapped and enslaved by this sin and evil) don’t
continue to rationalize your sinful behavior, but admit to yourself first that
it is sin and evil that
will dam your soul in the lake of fire forever, but repent and call upon my
Lord, Master, and Savior and He will deliver you from the hand of the destroyer.
Amen!!!
Sincerely in Christ,
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you
Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus
Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women
in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book will be available soon…
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