今天我们继续接着前两天的讨论，看神向邪恶残暴的迦勒底人宣告的最后两个祸。第四个祸（15-17节）和迦勒底人实行的「焦土」政策有关，包括破坏森林和消灭动物。（两者都是神关心的──参申命记二十19和约拿书四11。）神说这种暴行本身包含着导至自己毁灭的种子：「你向利巴嫩行强暴与残害惊吓野兽的事必遮盖你……」（17节）。

五个祸患里面一再出现的主题是罪会毁灭罪人。这个主题在第五个、也是最后一个祸（18-19节）中再次出现。这个祸是指向拜偶像的人，揭露他那无法解释的愚蠢行为。「对木偶说：『醒起！』对哑巴石像说：『起来！』那人有祸了！」（19节）这句话指出拜偶像是十分有害的行动，因为牠破坏人的基本智慧。正如有人说：「拜偶像最糟糕的事情，就是在于那个拜偶像的人本身。」

我们眼前所看到的是历史的重演──人类仰望自己所塑造的偶像，来拯救自己免遭死亡和毁灭。这是多么可悲的事！除了神以外，我们不能将自己交托给任何其他的力量。世界一直在给我们许多教训，告诉我们什么是不该有的生活方式；来到这个地步，人类是不是已应该预备好接受主耶稣的道路呢？

Today we look at the last two woes which God pronounced on the evil and cruel Chaldeans. The fourth woe (vv.15-17) had to do with the "scorched earth" policy operated by the Chaldeans, which involved deforestation and the destruction of animals. (Both are a matter of divine concern - see Deuteronomy. 20:19 and Jonah 4:11.) Such outrage, says God, carries within it the seeds of its own destruction: "You cut down the forests of Lebanon - now you will be cut down! You terrified the wild animals... Now terror will strike you" (v.17, TLB).

The recurrent theme of the five woes, namely that sin recoils upon the sinner, sounds once more in the fifth and final one (vv.18-19). This woe is uttered upon the idolater and exposes the inexplicable folly of his practice. The words, "Woe to those who command their lifeless wooden idols to arise and save them, who call out to the speechless stone to tell them what to do" (v.18, TLB), demonstrate that idolatry is not something that is innocuous; indeed, it is deeply injurious because it destroys man's basic intelligence. As someone has put it: "The worst thing about idolatry is to be the one who practises the idolatry."

How sad that, right before our eyes, we see history repeating itself as, once again, humanity looks to the idols which it has set up in the world to save itself from death and destruction. We cannot trust ourselves to any other power but God - not even the United Nations. The world has had so many lessons in how not to live, you would think its people would now be ready to try the Way.