Well, a good Monday morning to you. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and especially able to get together with God's people and worship the Lord together and be edified and encouraged by not only the Word of God and the worship of God, but the fellowship with God's people.

That's a great blessing that God gives to us. Well, this morning, before we look at today's Bible reading schedule and the passages for the day, let me just mention something. I started doing these devotional broadcasts during COVID, so it's been four years since I started doing this.

Originally, the plan was just to do these devotionals to help people in the church I pastor to make connections and to get some encouragement from God's Word as we're dealing with those lockdowns and then trying to figure out how to navigate the whole COVID thing.

But then that daily word of encouragement just became an ongoing part of the ministry and it expanded to the point where now I'm doing this every day, at least Monday through Friday, and then broadcasting it out through sermon audio and on YouTube and Facebook Live and even through emails to subscribers and so forth.

One thing that I have never done in any of the broadcasts is ask for any kind of contribution. So Faith Baptist Church and Sterling has provided all of the resources through these four years for these broadcasts, all the equipment, the service for live streaming, and everything that's involved in the expenses.

I just thought it would be prudent, not only for the sake of our local church and its resources, but for those who are benefiting from these devotionals, to suggest that you consider supporting the Morning Light broadcasts in some way, just a one-time gift or ongoing if you want to.

But that would be so helpful to our church if you're not already giving to Faith Baptist Church, but you're benefiting from these devotionals. It would be helpful to us. Now, let me clarify that any giving that is offered through the Morning Light devotionals, it goes to Faith Baptist Church for the support of the medium ministry that allows us to do this.

So it's not anything I'm going to get out of that, and I could care less about getting it out of it. But just for the sake of the church's ministry and being able to continue this. So in the lower left-hand corner of your screen, there's a link to the church website and a location where you can give.

And there's a little tab or a little box on that page that says Morning Light devotionals. And if you just click on that, then it'll lead you through how you could give. So again, if the Lord so directs you and you're so inclined, then God bless you for it.

And we'll be most grateful. Well, anyway, getting on to the most important part of the broadcast. The scripture reading for today is in the book of Isaiah, chapters 18 and 19, and then verse 21. And I want to zero in on a few verses in chapter 19 that give us some insight into indicators of a failing society.

How can we know when a once prosperous, blessed society is in a state of decline? Well, we get a few indicators here, and I just want to share these with you. It says in chapter 19, verse 11, Surely the princes of Zone, the princes of Zone are fools.

Pharaoh's wise counselors give foolish counsel. Well, one of the indicators of a failing society is that wise men are either silenced or they are displaced. They're so marginalized in society that their voice is unheard.

Nobody wants to listen to what truly wise men have to say. And you know, who are the truly wise? Well, you know, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So you can take it from there, if you will.

But, you know, I'm grieved over our society, and I'm sure you probably are too, by the seeming lack of wisdom that is offered to those who are in leadership. And I grieve to think that our leaders have surrounded themselves with people who are really fools.

And we could get into illustrations of that. There's no point. You get the idea. You know that that's the case. So when the princes are fools and the wise counselors, quote unquote, give foolish counsel, that's indicating that a society is in serious decline.

And then in verse 13, it goes on to say, The princes of Zone have become fools. The princes of Noph are deceived. They have also deluded Egypt, those who are the mainstay of its tribes. So the foolish counselors give foolish counsel to the princes who become foolish, and then they lead the entire nation in a direction of folly.

Now, here's an interesting insight in verse 14. Where did this happen? You know, why did this happen in Egypt? And, you know, where does this come from? Well, verse 14 says, The Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst, and they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.

So you get the indication here that the folly that has consumed the wise counselors, so to speak, and the leadership of the land is actually a form of the Lord's judgment. The Lord sends this perverse spirit.

And then in verse 15, it says, Nobody can do anything about it. Nobody is going to do anything about it. It says, Neither will there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, palm branch, or bulrush may do.

There's nobody who's going to do anything to change that when the Lord has purposed it, that when the Lord has mingled this perverse spirit in the midst. Now, am I saying there's always a one-to-one correspondence, that when a nation is in a state of decline and foolish people rule and reign, that there's no turning back?

No, I wouldn't suggest that. I think there is oftentimes plenty of opportunity for repentance and turning to wise counsel and following and heeding that wise counsel. And it is for that that I think we should pray, those of us who are God's people.

Pray that God in his grace would bring a spirit of revival, of turning away from folly and turning to the wisdom of God's precepts. Well, Heavenly Father, we pray to that end today. We think in our own nation of an upcoming election and all the politics that's involved and the machinations and the counsel that's being offered and accepted and followed.

And Lord, how desperately we need wise leaders who listen to wise counsel. Would you, in your mercy and in your grace, send such a turning to our land, we pray. And we ask this in Jesus' name and for his sake.

Amen. All right. Well, listen, have a good rest of your Monday. Hope your week gets off to a great start. May the Lord bless you. Good day.