Isaiah 65:5b - Bad Social Distancing, Part Two

 "Social distancing" is a misnomer because people don't make people sick, germs do. It would be more accurate to talk about "germ distancing."

Actually, "spiritual distancing" is a more deadly problem. It assumes that distancing ourselves from "lesser" people will make us morally healthier.

The prophet Isaiah summarize this kind of "spiritual distancing":
“Don’t come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!” (Isaiah 65:5a, New Living Translation, 2015)

God's immediate response to this "spiritual distancing" is described in the same verse:
“These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.” (Isaiah 65:5b, NLT) It's like spending a hot summer afternoon in a hog confinement, and the smell never quite leaves one's sinuses.

By distancing ourselves from others with a "holier than you" attitude, we create a distance between ourselves and God.

It's not that God creates distance between Himself and people, but He acknowledges the distance we ourselves have created. As Isaiah explains,

“It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.” (Isaiah 59:2, NLT)

Fortunately, God doesn't leave us distanced from Himself. God is a just God, and justice is putting things right again; restoring life to what it should be.

“15 Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. 16 He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him. *** 20 'The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins,' says the Lord.” (Isaiah 59:15, 16, 20, NLT)

I'm not just embarrassed, Lord. I'm truly sorry for creating distance between myself and others by acting superior. It just proves how much I'm the one needing your compassion and mercy. I look to You to restore my relationship to You and to others. In Jesus' name, Amen.