Flagrant Idolatry

For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent. They will not seek the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. [Isaiah 9.13] 

I am going to pull this verse out of its context because what it says is a valid principle in any setting.

In the greater context of all the Bible, punishment is the just reward for disobedience. Punishment for disobedience is defined in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 both generally as "cursed," and specifically as sicknesses, diseases, droughts, plagues, hunger, thirst, nakedness, defeat, exile, and etc.

Why would people still not repent after experiencing punishment?

Let's start off with the fact that man is fallen by way of what took place in the Garden of Eden. Man is stubborn and stiff-necked as a species.

But also, man is ingenious. With his "made in the image of God" capabilities, man has increasingly and successfully acquired vast (albeit compared to God, still limited) knowledge of his environment. With this limited knowledge, man has uncovered the underlying "mechanics" of many curses to the point that he has become satisfied that "natural" phenomena account for them. Armed with this limited knowledge, man has proudly denied the role of disobedience as the cause of curses and instead, attributed curses to purely natural or happenstance occurrences.

Man's ingenuity, in his "fallen" condition, therefore does not require him to repent but simply to remediate. In modern times, this remediation is seen in every day life in the household idols of debt, insurance, medicine and technology. Consequently, these idols level a relentless financial toll upon their subjects; they impose inordinate burden to meet their ever-increasing demands. In contrast, God says, "I am Your Healer, Provider, etc..." But, instead of repenting to God, people choose instead to toil under the heavy handed task masters of debt, insurance, medicine and technology.

In light of the previous paragraph, what is infinitely worse is that people acclaim debt, insurance, medicine and technology as "gifts from God" for remediation of their "troubles" (otherwise defined as curses and punishment in the Bible) further alienating themselves from even the notion of their need for repentance. All the while, the New Testament attests in detail that Jesus Christ suffered man's punishment on the Cross. 

To remediate man's troubles with debt, insurance, medicine and technology instead of repenting and turning to God in faith for the blessings Jesus Christ secured on the Cross is flagrant idolatry! And yet, people will still not repent.

Father, I want to be found repentant! I want to treat myself and my "troubles" only with repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Forgive me for turning to the worthless idols of debt, insurance, medicine and technology because of my impatience and faithlessness toward You and Your Word (Jesus Christ). May I be strengthened to reject the artificial wealth, artificial protection, artificial health and artificial intelligence of debt, insurance, medicine and technology respectively and instead seek ONLY the blessings of wealth, protection, health and intelligence offered through the blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross. So be it!