Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.” Isaiah 1:2
The candy machine was just down the hall from my college room. The proximity of this electronic goody store posed three specific problems. The first was the way the loose change in my pockets wandered, completely on its own, exchanging itself for dark chocolate. The second problem was the racket the machine made ev- ery time it delivered a treat, easily within earshot of our room. Worst of all, however, was the noise we heard when the vending machine failed to deliver what the hungry student had expected.
I can still hear the sound of angry young men, banging on and cussing at this mindless thief, trying to get their candy bars . . . or trying to get even. Late into the night, my roommate and I could hear the clamor. The next year we moved way down the hall. You know the frustration of not getting what you’ve paid for. You slip your hard-earned money into the slot believing that you’ll be rewarded, but you do not get what you expect. The stock market, the man who comes to fix your leaking pipes, or the Snickers® bar you can see through the glass but never get to eat—faithful investments, disappointing returns.
There may be no expenditures more sizable than the investment we make in our children. From the time they arrive home from the hospital, our life becomes a non-stop sequence of self-denial on their behalf. We sacrifice time, energy, and money for these little ones.
And frankly, because of this investment, we have expectations. Why shouldn’t we? We’ve paid a dear price. We’ve scrimped and scraped. We have said no to ourselves so we could say yes to our child. It’s a good kid we’ve “bought,” and it’s a good kid we expect to get. Except for one thing. Our children cannot be bought. They’re not a Milky Way® bar or a portfolio of hot stock opportunities. They are not for sale, and nothing we can do will guarantee any success.
The opening words to the book of Isaiah chronicle Israel’s rebellion: “Oh sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, . . . depraved children!” (v. 4). And guess who the frustrated father was? Who could have been the one these “children” fought against?
Give up? It’s the almighty Creator of the universe, the sovereign God.
If you have kids with a mind of their own, we’re in excellent company as frustrated dads. Even God’s children shook their fists at their Father.
And do you know what God did with His wayward children? No, He didn’t squash them under His thumb. Instead, He warned them of the natural consequences of their foolishness (see vv. 4–7), He appealed to their sensibilities (see v. 18), and He promised to bless and forgive them if they obeyed (see vv. 19–20). Like the lost son’s waiting father (see Luke 15), He patiently loved them so much that He lingered long enough for their defiant hearts to be drawn back to Him.
Do you have a rebellious child? Do you have a friend who is suffering under the ominous weight of this indescribable pain? Let these words be an encouragement. Let them bring you hope. Let these words heal you. Warn your child, appeal to your child, love, and forgive your child. Then wait. This is exactly what God did, and it’s what He expects of you.