In Isaiah, chapter five, verse twenty-four, “Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah teaches the doctrine of just retribution for sin. Rejecting God’s laws and despising His Word will result in people being given over to the consequences of their sin and to divine punishment.
“Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still,” as in verse twenty-five of this theme chapter. On the other hand, at the beginning of Hosea four, verse six, declares, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge.”
Today, those who hear and are familiar with God’s Word, and have grown within a godly environment, and choose to depart from it, knowing the truth, will have to answer to God themselves. Many people begin serving God as kids, going to the Sunday school, and learning about the Lord, while keeping the Ten Commandments. Then, as they mature and become older, that is where they begin to be enticed and learn other things that seem appealing to the eye but dangerous to the heart. The world and all it has to offer to the soul only draws them away from God and not towards Him. A castaway is a person who rejects God’s laws and injects worldly values.