Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - WordAction - The Foundry Publishing House of Kansas City, Missouri, United States - The Global Church of the Nazarene for Monday, 27 November 2017 "Yes, We're Rebels" by Duane Brush - Isaiah 1:1-9Isaiah 1:1 This is the vision of Yesha‘yahu the son of Amotz, which he saw concerning Y’hudah and Yerushalayim during the days of ‘Uziyahu, Yotam, Achaz and Y’chizkiyahu, kings of Y’hudah:
2 “Hear, heaven! Listen, earth!
For Adonai is speaking.
“I raised and brought up children,
but they rebelled against me.
3 An ox knows its owner
and a donkey its master’s stall,
but Isra’el does not know,
my people do not reflect.
4 “Oh, sinful nation,
a people weighed down by iniquity,
descendants of evildoers,
immoral children!
They have abandoned Adonai,
spurned the Holy One of Isra’el,
turned their backs on him!
5 “Where should I strike you next,
as you persist in rebelling?
The whole head is sick,
the whole heart diseased.
6 From the sole of the foot to the head
there is nothing healthy,
only wounds, bruises and festering sores
that haven’t been dressed or bandaged
or softened up with oil.
7 “Your land is desolate,
your cities are burned to the ground;
foreigners devour your land in your presence;
it’s as desolate as if overwhelmed by floods.
8 The daughter of Tziyon is left
like a shack in a vineyard,
like a shed in a cucumber field,
like a city under siege.”
9 If Adonai-Tzva’ot had not left us
a tiny, tiny remnant,
we would have become like S’dom,
we would have resembled ‘Amora.
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We romanticize rebels. They inhabit our cultural narrative. In popular fiction, it is the rebels who typically have the moral high ground against the exploitation of the corrupt empire. Apart from the author-guided morality of these tales, rebellion in real life quickly gets murky. One person’s freedom fighter is another’s terrorist. There are evils in our world that should be rebelled against, but self-proclaimed liberators may quickly become exploiters if given the opportunity. Human moral authority, apart from God, all too often is tainted by sin. This was the issue that burdened the prophet Isaiah.
The people of Judah were rebelling against the ultimate, unshakable source of moral authority, “the LORD . . . the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 1:4). Rebellion against God is the very definition of sin. They had abandoned their covenant relationship with God, forsaken His laws, and worshiped false gods. Their rebellion was already bringing suffering. Had they gone too far to return?
Rebels can be restored, but it requires they lay down their weapons, confess their crimes, submit again to authority, and display real transformation through changed lives. It is reassuring to remember that God, the righteous judge of all rebels, is also merciful. ---
Hymn for Today: "I, Lay My Sins on Jesus" by Horatius Bonar
1. I lay my sins on Jesus,
The spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all, and frees us
From the accursed load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus,
To wash my crimson stains
White in His blood most precious,
Till not a spot remains.
2. I lay my wants on Jesus:
All fullness dwells in Him;
He heals all my diseases,
He doth my soul redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus,
My burdens and my cares;
He from them all releases;
He all my sorrows shares.
3. I rest my soul on Jesus,
This weary soul of mine;
His right hand me embraces,
I on His breast recline.
I love the Name of Jesus,
Emmanuel, Christ, the Lord;
Like fragrance on the breezes
His Name abroad is poured.
Come to judgment, come away!
4. I long to be like Jesus,
Meek, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus,
The Father's holy Child;
I long to be with Jesus,
Amid the heavenly throng;
To sing with saints His praises,
To learn the angels' song.
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Thought for Today: It is for Adonai our God to show compassion and forgiveness, because we rebelled against him.(Daniel 9:9)
---Please pray: For the Christians in the Eurasia Region who are persec-cuted for their faith.
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