Isaiah 24:1-3

¹ Watch! Yahveh, about to lay the land waste and about to demolish it, and he will twist her surface, and he will scatter her inhabitants. ² And the people will be like the priest; like the slave, so his master; like the female slave, so her mistress; like the buyer, so the seller; like the lender, so the borrower; like the creditor, so to whomever he lends. ³ The land will be utterly laid waste, and it will be utterly plundered, because Yahveh has spoken this word.

when the big one strikes

When disaster strikes, it knows no social status. It knows no economic barrier. Those who have more, only have more to lose. Isaiah predicts a time when the people will experience a disaster of epic proportions, and no one’s insurance will cover it. They cannot even “get religion” to see them through this, because Yahveh himself is the author of it.

The ultimate message here is that such a time is coming for the planet. We build up structures and barriers for ourselves, keeping us out of harm’s way. But, deep in our minds is the thought of “the big one” that all these measures are useless to prevent. The big one is God’s judgment and destruction in hell, and when it strikes it will not be extinguished until it has destroyed everything. The only protection against the big one is the God who is bringing it. So, the prophet pleas with his people not to forget this God of judgment, because he is the only one who can protect anyone from it.

LORD, we choose to fear and love you, our Father, bringer of judgment, and protector from it.