"God Pause Daily Devotional" The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, 13 June 2016 with Scripture Isaiah 65:1-9

"God Pause Daily Devotional" The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, 13 June 2016 with Scripture Isaiah 65:1-9
Isaiah 65:1 “I made myself accessible

to those who didn’t ask for me,

I let myself be found

by those who didn’t seek me.

I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’

to a nation not called by my name.

2 I spread out my hands all day long

to a rebellious people

who live in a way that is not good,

who follow their own inclinations;

3 a people who provoke me to my face all the time,

sacrificing in gardens and burning incense on bricks.

4 They sit among the graves

and spend the night in caverns;

they eat pig meat

and their pots hold soup made from disgusting things.

5 They say, ‘Keep your distance, don’t come near me,

because I am holier than you.’

These are smoke in my nose,

a fire that burns all day!

6 See, it is written before me;

I will not be silent until I repay them;

I will repay them to the full,

7 your own crimes and those of your ancestors together,”

says Adonai.

“They offered incense on the mountains

and insulted me on the hills.

First I will measure out their wages

and then repay them in full.”

8 Here is what Adonai says:

“As when juice is found in a cluster of grapes,

and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,

there is still some good in it,’

so I will do likewise for the sake of my servants,

and not destroy them all.

9 I will bring forth descendants from Ya‘akov,

heirs of my mountains from Y’hudah;

my chosen ones will possess them,

and my servants will live there.

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In my ceaseless efforts to always be "right," I often assume righteousness for myself while denying that attribute to others. This chapter of Isaiah reminds us that righteousness belongs to God and God alone. That means that my duties--and yours, my brothers and sisters--are derived from God's Word alone and not from any rites or regulations that we make up for ourselves--or for others. God's Word tells us that in every cluster of grapes there is a blessing. No matter the mess we make of things, God is always making all things new. And for that we can certainly give thanks and praise.
God, come to us anew in this season of turbulence and division and draw us out of ourselves towards you and towards each other. Amen.
Chris Enstad
Pastor, Elim Lutheran Church, Robbinsdale, Minn.
Master of Divinity, 2000
Isaiah 65:1 I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, "Here I am, here I am," to a nation that did not call on my name.
2 I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;
3 a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and offering incense on bricks;
4 who sit inside tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat swine's flesh, with broth of abominable things in their vessels;
5 who say, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you." These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.
6 See, it is written before me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their laps
7 their iniquities and their ancestors' iniquities together, says the Lord; because they offered incense on the mountains and reviled me on the hills, I will measure into their laps full payment for their actions.
8 Thus says the Lord: As the wine is found in the cluster, and they say, "Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it," so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah inheritors of my mountains; my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall settle there.[New Revised Standard Version]
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