Wednesday, 25 June 2014 "Comfort"
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins (Isaiah 40:1, 2)
Something major has changed here in the Book of Isaiah, which is why many or most scholars call this section beginning with chapter 40 "II Isaiah," because first Isaiah wrote in approximately 732 BC, and now this portion is around the time of 555 BC, and this is the word of God to now exiled Israel that they will soon be going home from their captivity in Babylon. Hence, the word of comfort, their time of punishment has come to an end. God will bring them home to Jerusalem. In these next16 chapters (40 - 55) are some of the most stirring, thrilling, powerful, moving portions in all of Scripture, and consequently we might spend yet another few days with Isaiah, also known as "The Prince of the Prophets," "The Shakespeare of Israel." His mastery of words and poetry and his soaring theology and majestic view of God are unparalleled in all of literature. I hope you might stand in awe of Isaiah as I do.
Remember, for the Sundays of July we will have only ONE worship
service - at 9:40
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Thursday, 26 June 2014 "My Favorite Verse in the Old Testament"
(29)God gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. (30)Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; (31)but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:29 - 31).
Verse 31 is my all time favorite verse in the Hebrew Bible. I read it and feel lifted; I meditate on it and am renewed. Israel had grown weary in their exile in Babylon, certain they would never be able to return home, and doubtful that God could ever really help them.
We've all been there - in one form or another, and yet the truth of this verse shouts "Victory!" "Courage!" "Strength!" Can you feel the eagles wings lifting you right now!! Amen.
Dan
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Friday, 27 June 2014 "A Brand New Thing"
Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43: 18, 19).
This is a shocking verse! Why? Because the idea of "always remember" is in the DNA of Israel. Every Passover meal is a call to remember the mighty act God did to deliver the Hebrews from bondage into freedom, and throughout their history Israel is reminded to remember - as are we Christians.
So, what's going on here with Isaiah? Isaiah is certainly keen on remembering; indeed, the Exodus motif is strong throughout his writings. But here, Isaiah is saying: "Don't let yourselves get stuck in the past, especially the recent past when you were taken into captivity, because God is about to do a new thing; God is about to take you back home!"
Life is a balance, isn't it - of remembering and forgetting? Remembering our heritage as the thing that holds us and gives us roots, but forgetting the hurts, the missed chances, the setbacks, the things that keep us from trying something new, that keep us from being open to the amazing things God has yet in store for us.
Keeping that balance is hard, isn't it? Which side of the balance beam are you tending toward right now? Is there something about the past that is like concrete to you? Are you open to the next new thing God has for you?
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