The word “woe” has been labeled by some as old and out-of-touch language, even unloving. However, it was used 99 times across scripture in both the Old and New Testaments. It was a declaration used many times by the Lord Himself. It defines something that will cause us grief. It is a denunciation of what is evil and will always result in calamity.

When Jesus used the word, He was primarily addressing issues within the community of faith for those who practiced evil under the guise of religion. The word “woe” is applicable today as we get ready to vote and align ourselves with the policies represented by our preferred candidate. Many of those policies have a “woe” attached to them.

Arriving at a place where the Lord would speak a “woe” to His Church did not just happen without a reason. It came through a process the Psalmist warned us about, “They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull” (Psalm 106:20). It is about what we worship.

In the depths of their delusion, Israel “Sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder” (Psalm 106:37-38). We are still shedding innocent blood today by abortion. The Lord would issue a “woe” proclamation to those who would affirm or vote for those who support such evil.

What caused the Lord to issue a warning of woe was because the Israelites had “Defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight” (106:39). What the Psalmist was saying in our context was our cultural acquiescence to evil is equivalent to sleeping with the enemy. It is spiritual adultery.

As a result of that spiritual adultery, “They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High” (Psalm 107:11). In the public square, and sadly at times within the Church, we can scorn the counsel of God thinking the choices we make are for “the greater good”, when in reality, how we choose to live and vote can become a rebellion against the truth of God when we depart from God’s word labeling our choices as accepting or inclusive.

We are living in a polluted nation where what is wrong is called right and what is right is demeaned and rejected. While the Church will prosper and increase in such times, we must not forget what would cause the Lord to issue a “woe” about our choices.

There is hope in all of this, “Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord” (107:43). The faithful ones will live to see God faithfully demonstrate His love and power in those who are wise and in tune with His heart. The choices about how we live and vote will carry a woe for those who choose to follow the idols of culture that grieve the heart of God. Our choices matter to God.