Over 2,700 years ago Isaiah, the prophet, wrote “judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter” (Isaiah 59:14). The foundation of any and every civilized society is truth. Relationships require truth to prosper and society is nothing more than the collective reflection of those relationships. Without truth there is nothing but chaos and confusion. Without truth we call evil good and good evil. Without truth every man does what is right in his (or her) own eyes and we become our own judges of what is or is not truth. That is, if it suits my purpose or interest then it is truth to me and what is truth to me may not be truth to someone else.
We need truth today as much as in any time. It is interesting to note that Isaiah lamented the rarity of this precious commodity in his day. Yet fallen man has always despised, rejected, and suppressed truth. Is it any wonder that Paul declared “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). Man’s resistance to truth is rooted in his rebellion against God for God is “a God of truth” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
In spite of the willful blindness of his own heart, man is not far from truth. Jesus Christ confessed before Pilate that “for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth” (John 18:37). What then is the truth? It is this – man’s sin has separated him from a holy God. That is truth. Christ suffered the wrath of God on the cross in full payment for that sin. That is truth. All who believe upon him will know the forgiveness of sin and be reconciled to God. That is truth. And, finally, we cannot be reconciled to one another until we are rightly reconciled to God. That is truth. All other truth begins and ends there.
Truth, indeed, is fallen in the street. But, it still speaks to those who will listen for it and submit to it. This truth is not an easy truth to embrace, but it is needful for our healing. Just as a doctor’s unwelcome diagnosis must first be known and accepted before treatment can begin, so it is with this truth. Listen to the God of truth for it is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). And this truth He speaks in love for our good.
From the Chaplain 