June 7: The Spirit Poured Out, Part 1

“11Tremble, you women who are at ease, shudder you complacent ones…14For the palace is forsaken, the populous city deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks; 15until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high…” –Isaiah 32.11,14-15
Complacency is a scary thing. How many of us would have thought that sitting at home on the couch, eating some potato chips or mango and watching TV was something to be afraid of? Of course, here in Isaiah God refers to something much more serious. He is speaking to men and women who are so caught up in their own pleasure that they are unwilling to listen to His voice.
Many people in Israel at that time had become spiritually fat. Their lives revealed that their care was for themselves above all else. And the Lord warns them what the result of living in that way will be: destruction. The palace (the symbol of all wealth) will be forsaken; the populous city will be emptied; everything will be left barren.
Outside of verse fifteen, we must admit that this is where we all find ourselves. It is absolutely essential that we view our lives honestly – we live for ourselves (or at least we don’t choose to live them for God’s pleasure). But, this is all before verse 15; this is all outside of the influence of the Holy Spirit. For, God promises only judgment and barrenness in our lives and in the world until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high.
1. Why is it necessary for God to promise judgment outside of His Spirit being poured out?
2. Where do you see complacency in your life challenging your willingness to listen to the voice of God, to follow after His heart? Ask God to overcome that complacency in you.