Year 8, Day 365: Isaiah 15

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Isaiah 15 begins a two-chapter section on Moab.  It’s interesting to note that the passages in this chapter are devoid of any sense of justification or satisfaction.  In fact, all of the verses have a focus upon the mourning being done in Moab.  This might seem strange coming from a Hebrew prophet.  After all, didn’t the Moabites harass the Hebrew people on their way into the Promised Land?  Didn’t the Moabites join up with the enemies of Judah from time to time and come against the Hebrew people?  What cause does Isaiah have to join in their mourning instead of look upon the righteous and deserving judgment?

It’s truly hard to say why Isaiah focuses on their mourning.  If I had to guess, it is because of the role that Moab played in David’s story.  Ruth, David’s grandmother, came from Moab.  Moab was the place where David’s kin went to go in the time of famine.  While Moab may not have been a great friend of the Hebrew people, the reality is that the greatest Hebrew king was one-fourth Moabite.

It could also be that Isaiah remembers the Moabites for who they should have been.  The Moabites are the descendants of Lot.  They came from the same general stock as Abraham.  They had every chance at relationship with God as Abraham and his family had.  Yet, they turned their backs on God.  They went their separate ways, never to look back.  Isaiah could be mourning what could have been – even should have been.

Regardless of why Isaiah has taken this approach, the reality is that Isaiah mourns with them at the Assyrian devastation.  When righteous judgment comes, we should never stand in opposition to it.  That doesn’t mean that we have to celebrate it, either.  It does good to recognize it, even honor it, but still mourn at its reality.

As a teacher, when one of my students tells me they got in trouble at home, I don’t usually gloat over them and tell them how stupid they were.  [Occasionally I do, but only hen I have a good relationship with he student and only when what they did was really dumb and they already know it.]  Normally how I respond is to recognize the action that was done, understand why the punishment is fair, and then tell the student that I am sorry they are having to deal with these consequences.  It honors the lesson being taught by the parents while still demonstrating compassion to the student.  I think that is what Isaiah is doing here as well.  It is a lesson we could all stand to learn.

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Year 8, Day 364: Isaiah 14

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Reading Isaiah 14 is all about perspective.  Consider the facts.  In Isaiah’s lifetime, he has seen Israel go into captivity.  He has seen Assyria come to the gates of Jerusalem, only to be thrown back by a plague.  He’s also seen how Babylon will become a thorn in the side of the people of Judah.  He’s prophesied that the Hebrew people will go into captivity under Babylon.  It’s not a very pretty picture.  Isaiah has seen much in his life to make him doubt – or at least be skeptical of – God’s provision.

This chapter, and many others in this book, show Isaiah defying expectations.  Isaiah isn’t focused on the horrible reality of captivity.  He isn’t doubting God and His provision.  Instead, he’s looking further down the road.  He’s seeing through the eyes of God, not the eyes of a human.

From God’s perspective, the captivity of the Hebrew people isn’t that big of a deal.  It’s seventy years of a national lifespan that reaches many centuries.  As we know from history, the Hebrew people are able to find favor among their Babylonian and Persian captors, even!  Life is all about perspective.

There’s another set of perspective that’s important to have.  Much of this chapter deals with prophesied death of the Babylonian king.  This chapter talks about how the great king will not be able to escape death.  Death will come to claim him just like it comes to claim everyone else.  What this teaches us about perspective is we may all have our day, but everyone’s day eventually ends.  The best and the worst kings will eventually be claimed by death.  The best and the worst paupers will also be claimed by death. 

At the end of the chapter, what is there to learn?  It is important to remember to live by God’s perspective instead of our own.  Death will eventually take us; we only have so many years to live.  Yet, God is even the God over death.  In Him, we can know restoration.  In Him, we can know genuine life.  He can take us in our worst and restore us to bring us into new life.

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Year 8, Day 363: Isaiah 13

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Today is another signature passage from a major prophet.  No, this one isn’t signature because it is a classic or because it is familiar and oft-quoted.  This one is classic because it is a passage on wrath and destruction.  Today Isaiah proclaims destruction on Babylon.

Reading too much of the prophets – especially the major prophets – can lead to a case of thinking that God is a hateful and vengeful God.  Centuries of Christian history was spent under this kind of thinking.  Millions of Christians have conceived of a God who sat upon His holy mountain looking down upon the earth just looking for someone to do something worthy of being smote.  After all, this chapter tells us that the Lord is mustering an army for war, that we should wail for the cruel nature of the coming day of the Lord, terror and pain will seize the people caught in His coming wrath, that the land will be made desolate, that people will be scarcer than gold, and that the cities will be obliterated to the only things that will live there will be wild animals.  The truth is that even in this list, I am sure that I missed something.

There are two – probably more, in reality – major points that need to be used to put context around these passages.  The first one is the big one.  Remember that this is the same God who created us and who sent His Messiah to redeem and restore us.  God’s bigger picture is that of love, caring, and compassion.  Yes, God is powerful enough to smite the whole world and bring it to its utter destruction.  God can – and will – do away with he universe in its entirety.  But that isn’t God’s final say or His final play.  God’s ultimate voice will be that of love, grace, and compassion.

The second thing to remember is the bridge to these two diametrically opposed concepts.  How can a God whose bigger picture is one of grace and love be the same God who threatens complete and utter destruction?  The answer is easy, and most of us should have experienced the answer in our own life.  How can a parent, who is commanded by God to love their children, punish a child when they do wrong?  How can a teacher, who is hired to teach children for the purpose of growing them into well rounded citizens of life, ever fail a student?  The answer is that true love contains joy when things go well, mentoring when small issues arise, and consequences when things go too badly.

What is love if there is no subtle guiding and mentoring?  What is love if there are no consequences and judgment?  If you remove those things, all you really have is a recipe for creating entitled self-centered people.  In order to have true love, you must have the joy of celebration and the sorrow of consequence.  You must have the positive reflection as well as the concerned critique.  Love is not always comfortable, but love is always directing people away from evil and towards good.

That’s why God is so intent to get the message of impending punishment judgment out.  He is not so much interested in making sure people get what they deserve as He is interested in correcting the culture that He sees happening.  The Hebrew culture has been spiraling away from righteousness for decades – if not centuries.  The Assyrians had come to bring God’s judgment and took it too far.  The same thing is true for the Babylonians.  As God Himself says, it is time to humble the proud the hard way, because they won’t listen to the other.

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Year 8, Day 362: Isaiah 12

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In Isaiah 12, the focus continues to be on the day of the redemption of the Lord.  Isaiah continues to look forward to the day when the Lord calls His people out of exile to return to Him.  Isaiah speaks about it with words of celebration and joy, as one might expect.

There is one very important detail in the midst of this short chapter that shouldn’t get missed.  The focus of almost every verse except the middle is on the Lord.  The people will give thanks to the Lord.  God is our salvation.  He is our strength.  We are to give thanks to Him and sing praises to Him.

This is not surprising.  The people have just come back from exile.  They are being allowed to return to a normal life.  Why wouldn’t they thank the Lord?  After all, aren’t human beings most teachable once they have hit rock bottom?  When you’ve sunk as far down as you can and you begin to rise up, doesn’t it make sense you would thank the one who is behind the change in fortune?

That makes sense, until you remember the past of the Hebrew people.  Remember the exodus out of Egypt?  The people cried out because they were being oppressed by Pharaoh.  God saved them.  He saved them spectacularly, even!  He brought them out of Egypt and planned for them to go into the Promised Land.  Unfortunately, the people complained about God in the desert.  They weren’t happen with the situation at Mt. Sinai.  They weren’t happy with God’s provision of manna.  They weren’t happy with the water they had to drink.

The reality is there are people who have a predisposition to rejoice and thank God.  There are people who have a predisposition to be grumpy and complain all the time.  I thin this is even true about generations.  There are generations of people who appreciate hard work and are genuinely thankful.  There are generations who are spoiled and entitled and tend to grumble when they don’t have everything perfectly so.

The lesson we learn in this chapter is to be a people who are thankful.  Remember God.  Remember what He has done for us.  Remember how He has saved us, provided for us, and loved us even when we did not deserve it.  Sing His praises, for He is our God and worthy of praise.

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Year 8, Day 361: Isaiah 11

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From the perspective of the church, Isaiah 11 has much to say about what the Messiah looks like when He comes.  This chapter is even used by some of the New Testament authors when speaking about Jesus as the Messiah.  The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.  The wolf will lay down with the lamb.  They shall not hurt or destroy on my holy mountain.  All these verses and more are used in the discussion of the Messiah.

Having said that, these verses were written in their own context prior to being applied to the Messiah.  Isaiah has watched Israel be taken away into captivity.  These verses are written as the people of Judah also wonder about their own fate.  Will they too end up in exile?

Through Isaiah, God tells the people that there will be a righteous leader who comes and pulls the exiles back to the Promised Land.  This person will lead fairly.  He will create rules and regulations that are good for the people, not good for the leaders.  Just as there was an exodus out of Egypt, God will once again create a nation of His people out from under the oppression of a worldly nation.

As much hope as these verses give, reading through the chapter today there is a focus on the stump of Jesse.  Obviously, the stump of Jesse is a way of referring to David’s lineage.  What hit me was the concept of a stump.  In order to have a stump, a tree must be chopped down – or perhaps fall over because of its own lack of health.  In order for there to be a stump, the tree died.

This is deeply meaningful, because God brought it out.  God laid the axe at the foot of the tree.  God brought Assyria to dominate over Israel.  We don’t see it in Isaiah, but God will bring Babylon to dominate over Judah.  God can deal with rebellion.  He’s done it over and over again.  God is quite skilled at taking mature trees that are rotten and turning them into stumps.

This realization simply adds power to the concept of the remnant.  God can turn the tree into a stump.  God can also cause a new shoot to grow up out of the stump.  God may execute punishment and judgment, but that doesn’t mean He’s done with us.  There is always repentance and forgiveness.  There is always room for rebirth.  We may have to deal with the consequences, but God is not a God who shuts the door and walks away.  With God, even in the midst of judgment, the door is still open.

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Year 8, Day 360: Isaiah 10

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There is a single phase in this chapter that summarizes the entire chapter. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness.  This is a chapter that deals with judgment.  However, this is a chapter that also deals with the reasons behind the judgment.

What has upset the Lord enough to bring the Assyrians upon Israel to take them into captivity?  Their leaders write unfair decrees.  The scribes write oppression in their words – probably meaning laws, specifically.  The do not allow the needy to find justice.  They rob the poor.  They do not care for the orphan and the widow. Because they are taking advantage of the helpless, they will themselves become helpless.

After Israel, much of the remaining chapter has to deal with God’s perspective on Assyria. God is not happy with Assyria at all.  He has brought them into the area to prove a point to the inhabitants.  However, Assyria has gone to far.  They have not acknowledged God.  They believe that they are being successful by their own might and through their own power.  They are arrogant in their work.

They are actually doing the exact same thing that the Hebrew people are doing to deserve judgment.  The Assyrians are ignoring God and leaning upon their own strength.  In order to be righteous, God pronounces judgement upon the Assyrians as well.  They may be the dominant power now, but they will not last forever.  Their own day of judgment will come because they have ignored the Lord.

This brings us into the concept of remnant.  Isaiah tells us that God promises that a remnant shall return.  Of course, we must realize that while millions are taken away into captivity, only tens of thousands will return.  Those who learn the lesson God has set before them will return.  Those who focus upon God and look to Him for strength – even in the midst of great oppression – will find respite in Him.

This chapter is all about righteous judgment.  The people are deserving of the punishment.  But the punishment isn’t the end.  There is a hope.  There is a promise.  To those who learn the lesson and demonstrate to God that they understand what He desires will receive the hope and promise and return to the land God has promised them.  There is punishment, but it is not the end.  The end is true restoration in relationship with God.

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Year 8, Day 359: Isaiah 9

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Isaiah 9 is a chapter of great contrast.  We are told of hope in the first half, an incredibly familiar passage to people who worship God during this season of Christmas especially.  We are told of destruction and rejection in the second half of the chapter, a chapter specifically aimed at the northern kingdom of Israel.  Two contrasting images from God’s people: one filled with hope and another filled with darkness.

In the section with hope, focus in on how much depends on the Lord.  God multiplied the nation and filled it with joy.  God has broken the staff of the oppressor when they have come upon Judah.  It is the zeal of the Lord that will bring about His leadership and rule.  True hope and true light come from God above.

On the other hand, we have the rejection of the northern kingdom.  God no longer takes joy in them.  Why are they rejected?  They have a proud and arrogant heart, for starters.  They did not turn to the Lord when they were oppressed.  No matter what God did to them to get their attention, they sought for hope elsewhere.  They are foolish, godless, and workers of evil.  They fight amongst themselves and are only united when they have a greater common enemy.

What is God’s point in all of this contrast?  It isn’t like the people of Judah were better than the people of Israel.  They all were full of sin and rebellion.  The difference is that the people of Judah could be turned and reminded about God.  The people of Israel would have none of it.  The people weren’t better, but their hearts could be turned.

What a wonderful reminder on this day of the Lord.  As a day where people are remembering that the Lord sent His savior into the world, what is the status of my heart?  Am I willing to turn back to the Lord and remember?  Or am I focused on my own selfishness that I don’t really care?  Will the Lord receive my repentance or will He no longer take joy in me because I don’t even desire to repent.

The correct choice seems clear.  We don’t need a hard heart.  We need a heart that is capable of being turned.  We need a heart that recognizes our need for a savior.

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Year 8, Day 358: Isaiah 8

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In this chapter, God makes it clear to the Hebrew people that God is not happy with them.  In fact, Good is so unhappy with them that He is planning on destroying Israel and allowing Assyria to destroy Judah “up to its neck.”  We know from history that Assyria does go up to the doors of Jerusalem before turning back.

The point in this text, though, isn’t what is going to happen.  The point is why.  What is it that the people are doing to annoy the Lord so much that His anger is raised against them?  Why would God seek the destruction of His own?

The answer is simple.  The people have learned to depend upon their leaders instead of the Lord.  They have learned to judge the world by their own standards instead of the Lord’s standards.  They have determined right from wrong according to their own definition instead of adhering to the Lord and His definition.

God wants us to rely upon Him.  He wants us to see Him as the source of our strength and as our salvation.  He wants us to rely upon His wisdom when determining right from wrong.  He wants to be the center of our life, not something in the periphery.

The Hebrew people are not doing this.  They will be sent into exile for it.  Israel will be sent into captivity under Assyria (and in the future, Judah will be made captive by Babylon) until they have learned to look to the Lord instead of their own strength and understanding.

At the end of this chapter I find several expressions that fit right in with why God’s so angry with His people.  God tells Isaiah to bind up His testimony and to seal His teaching among the disciples.  It may seem odd to hear God tell Isaiah to but and seal up His Word, but God is letting Isaiah know tat the people aren’t willing to receive it.  Why should God’s Word go out and fall on deaf ears and closed hearts?  What’s the point of evangelism if nobody is listening?  In fact, if nobody is listening, is it even evangelism?

God also tells Isaiah that He will be a stumbling block to people.  Not only will people not be willing to listen to His words and adhere to His ways, they will stumble over them.  God’s ways will be things that drive people away from Him instead of pull people towards Him.  God is telling Isaiah that there are times and places where people will reject God not because of their own choice but because they actively disagree with God and His ways.

In the end, Isaiah lived in a sad time.  He lived in a time when God’s people were turning away from God and rejecting Him.  They were rejecting God because of who God is!  They were rejecting the very character of God.  This is why the Lord brought Assyria out against them.

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Year 8, Day 357: Isaiah 7

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In this chapter, we hear about two kings who desire to come up and challenge Israel. Naturally, it is not at the request of God.  Therefore, God plans to thwart them.  This chapter is about reassuring the king of Judah that he doesn’t have anything to fear.

God is not often in favor of fearing the unknown.  God tells His people to fear Him all the time, but that is a fear in awe of what the Lord has shown He can do.  There is no point fearing the unknown.  There is no point worrying about what might happen.  God is a God of hope who drive away fear.  He wants us to live in the surety of His promise, not in fear of what might be.

In fact, look at the promise that God gives.  In the time that it takes for a virgin to conceive and give birth and to know right from wrong, the kings who have come against Judah will themselves be enslaved!  There s some debate as to how much time this is, but a fair estimate is between two and four years.  If done quickly, conception and birth can happen in under a year.  Then it takes a year or two for the child to begin to know right from wrong.  If done properly, Hebrew engagements often lasted a year if not two years.  Then there would be conception, birth and the time required to take for the child to grow old enough to know right from wrong.

The actual time isn’t as important as what God is promising.  God knows that it is easy to fear in this situation.  There are armies marching towards the land of Judah and they are an imminent threat!  God knows differently, though.  There is no reason to fear.  Assyria will come along and take both of these rebellious nations into captivity.

What God is telling the people of Judah, though, is that they will need to be a little patient.  There isn’t going to be any instant gratification.  The people will have to defend themselves, which they will be able to do.  Then, they will have to wait for Assyria to come onto the scene and fight the other nations.  We aren’t told this in Isaiah 7, but the Hebrew people will need to endure Assyria quite literally coming all the way to the threshold of Jerusalem before turning back and leaving the people of Judah alone.   But God knows that the people of Judah will be safe from both this imminent threat as well as the threat from Assyria.  God knows; we simply need to trust Him.

There’s one more point that is fun to bring out in passages like this.  What’s good for the goose is also good for the gander.  Here are these two nations that come together and desire to take over Judah.  Because they attack, they weaken their own nation’s ability to put up a good defense.  Their men are weary from the campaign.  When Assyria comes, the toll of their petty wars will mean that they won’t be able to resist Assyria.  They come in war, not realizing that they are simply inviting Assyria in to their backside in doing so.  Sometimes our own aggressive selfishness sets us up for loss instead of gain.

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Year 8, Day 356: Isaiah 6

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Isaiah 6 is iconic in many different ways.  Naturally, it is iconic because it is often referred to as the calling of Isaiah, although based on the beginning of Isaiah 1 it would seem that Isaiah was already a prophet before the events of Isaiah 6.

One of the iconic parts about this chapter is Isaiah’s reaction when He meets God.  He immediately expects death, confessing that He is an unclean man dwelling among people who are also unclean.  There are no less than two great messages that we can learn from this. 

First, Isaiah confesses His uncleanliness!  Isaiah doesn’t try to hide it.  He doesn’t try to explain it away.  He certainly doesn’t blame other people for it.  What Isaiah does is acknowledge its presence.  What a fresh breath of maturity!

Second, Isaiah expects judgment to come.  He doesn’t run.  He doesn’t blame God.  He’s got a realistic understanding of who he is and how inadequate He is to be standing where he has found Himself.  He expects judgment to come swift and fast.  Again, how mature!

God does something unexpected here.  We always here the wives-tales about how people in the presence of God die a fast death because God cannot tolerate the presence of sin.  Based on this passage, that’s completely bogus!  God may not tolerate the presence of sin, but that doesn’t mean God smites the sinners!  No, God provides a means for Isaiah’s atonement.  Just like God will do with Jesus, God finds a way for people who dwell in sin to still be able to dwell with Him.  God ultimately wants relationship.  How could He ever hope to have relationship if He never tolerated the presence of sinners?

Then, God commissions Isaiah.  For people that know me, my response to this passage often sounds like a broken record.  Listen to the words that God gives to Isaiah about His mission.  He is to tell the people, “Keep on hearing but don’t understand.  Keep on seeing but don’t perceive.  Your mind is dull, your ears are heavy, and your eyes are blind.  But don’t change, because if you do you’ll be healed.”

What is this all about?  God is telling Isaiah to be prepared to preach his heart out and get little effects.  He is preparing him to be called to a task that will see little fruit.  The reality is that people want to be who they are.  They aren’t interested in change.  They don’t want to be something that God wants them to be.  They want to justify their own actions with their own logic and stand high on their own understanding.  That’s the mission into which God commissions Isaiah.

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Year 8, Day 355: Isaiah 5

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Isaiah 5 returns us back to the standard chapter among the prophets.  Through Isaiah, God tries to explain to Israel what is wrong.  God tells them how they were cared for, loved, and cherished.  He tells them how they were planted in the perfect spot, which had been prepared just for them.  He tells them how He provided them with opportunity after opportunity.  There was so much love and potential!

The opening section of scripture is then followed with a section about the coming judgment.  God promises that since the people did not prosper when they had every reason to prosper, that He is sending a nation against them to judge them. 

I love when I hear people take sections of scripture and use verses like these to talk about how mean and uncaring this proves God to be.  It only proves our own hypocrisy!  After all, when we have something that breaks, doesn’t work like it is supposed, or otherwise doesn’t live up to our expectations, how often do we throw it out or replace it with a better version?  Is God being all that unreasonable here?  Absolutely not!  If I have labored long and hard to get something to work, I am either going to fix it, toss it and start over, or replace it!  It isn’t mean or uncompassionate at all!  It is how things work.

Look at what it is that the people are doing that is upsetting the Lord.  First, they are adding house to house and field to field.  In other words, some people are taking over other people’s resources.  The rich get richer while the poor get poorer.  That angers the Lord.

Another thing they are doing is chasing after strong drink and pleasure.  They are after the party.  They want the sensation of fun and new and exciting.  What does the Lord say about this?  They don’t see where the hand of the Lord is at work.  They aren’t even looking at the deeds of the Lord.

This is why God promises exile to His chosen people.  They had every advantage to make the best of life.  Yet, they turn away from Him and care more about their own life and their own passions than His.  They corrupt justice and pervert fairness.  Instead of taking their bountiful provision and making the world a better place, they horde God’s provision and turn their back on the world.  Why wouldn’t God want to judge them?  Why wouldn’t God want to judge others like them?

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Year 8, Day 354: Isaiah 4

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Whenever I get to short chapters like this one, especially when I’m reading through the major prophets, I always check to make sure the online Bible I’m using loaded properly.  To say that short chapters in the prophets are rare is an understatement.

Combine this idea with what is being said.  This is a chapter looking ahead to the future promise.  This is a chapter that speaks about the restoration of holiness among God’s people.  Take note that the chapter on this particular topic is so short.  Put these two concepts together and see what your mind tells you.

First, note that God doesn’t feel the need to elaborate on the good stuff.  It is good enough to know, “When you get there, you’ll like it.”  It’s like a birthday party.  Nobody tells the guest of honor much about it, but everyone knows that it is going to be a mighty fun time.  God doesn’t need to waste words telling us that it’ll be worth being a part of.  That much goes without explanation.

Second, learn what this tells us about humanity.  Given the scope and sequence of the major prophets, we need a ton of words of warning.  We need to be scared.  We need to have danger and destruction spelled out to us in as many different ways as possible.  We must have our attention drawn to the consequences of sin.  Whether we aren’t smart enough to get, don’t care enough to get it, or too short-sighted to get it the reality is that we need help getting it.  We need help realizing that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Third, learn what this tells us about humanity.  Ever watch a movie where nothing bad happens?  Ever read a story where the plot never has a moment of crisis?  Ever pick up a book where tension is not one of the author’s significant tools in writing?  Human beings thrive on tension and danger and destruction.  It’s what gets our attention in the first place!  If God wants to get our attention, He needs to talk about blowing stuff up, people dying, enduring plagues, suffering under war, etc.  All the great storytelling devices that Hollywood has used for the last fifty years are all devices that God has known about since He created us.

What do we learn today?  First, God doesn’t need to talk about how great life with Him will be.  It will be great.  Trust me.  Second, human beings focus best on the parts of the stories that involve struggle.  It hits us where life matters with us.  God knows this, too.  That’s why Isaiah 4 is so short.

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Year 8, Day 353: Isaiah 3

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In this chapter, Isaiah continues with God’s promise of the removal of favor.  Their needs, like bread and water, will be removed.  Their leaders – religious, military, and political – will be removed so that they have to lead themselves however they can.  Their sense of community will be removed.  It is a promise of dark days ahead in almost every sense of the word.

Why does this happen?  There are many reasons.  Naturally, the major reason is that they are no longer following the ways of the Lord.  Their sins have led them astray.  Since they are no longer following the Lord, the Lord feels no need to provide.

Within this, though, there is a greater expression.  I love verse 9.  Isaiah tells us that they are proclaiming their sin instead of hiding it.  Their faces don’t even bear their guilt.  They have no shame.  They no longer know right from wrong.  They are living as they please simply for the sake of living as they please!

God knows that we cannot live up to the Law.  That doesn’t mean He lowers His standards, but He does realize that we aren’t going to be perfect.  He cares about our humbleness and our honest recognition of sin. 

What offends Him is not just sin, but arrogance within our sin.  We should know our sin and it should shame us.  We should desire to minimize the effects of our sin, not boldly proclaim them upon our faces and our lives.

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Year 8, Day 352: Isaiah 2

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Continuing in the book of Isaiah gives us another grand vision.  The contrast between the opening image and the images that bookend it are striking.  In this image, Isaiah speaks about the coming mountain of the Lord.  At that time, nations will come to the Lord to learn His ways.  They will give up violence and warfare in exchange for community building.  It will be a great time of peace.

I genuinely believe that we are still looking forward to that vision.  Yes, there are people who say that the vision found fulfillment in Christ.  When Jesus came, judgment and wisdom did come from Jerusalem.  The Gospel of Christ did spread out into the nations and Gentiles turned to the Lord.  However, there are certain elements that remain unfulfilled.  Humanity has yet to give up its violent ways.  We still look for our own gain rather than look to the betterment of the community.  Wherever God’s hand is at work, we will find glimpses of the ultimate fulfillment of His plan; however, we will only know that fulfillment in the end when God has triumphed over his enemies and even death.

After we see this wonderful vision of our future in God, Isaiah returns us to his present.  The people have rejected the Lord.  They are searching for other idols to worship and idolize.  They have fallen from their Lord.

What I love about this chapter is that we know there is a path from our present reality to God’s future promise.  The laws of time mandate that there is a path from where we are to the great mountain of the Lord.  We have every reason to hope.

Isaiah doesn’t pull any punches, however.  The path from the present to the great future goes through humbleness.  Or pride must be brought low.  Our idolatry must be disclosed.  Our passions must be redirected back to Him.  We must be made to realize the futility of our self-centeredness and our idolatry.  Only then will we be primed to reach for and appreciate what the Lord desires to give to us in full.

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Year 8, Day 351: Isaiah 1

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I love the book of Isaiah.  I love the time of the prophets.  Outside of the Gospels and the Genesis-Exodus story, these are the books of the Bible that feel the most real.  The prophets saw the reality of creation, felt the ideal of creation, and tried their best to bridge the gap.  The prophets tried to call people back to the Lord’s ideal. 

In a sense, they were the very precursor to Christ.  They tried to teach their people to live like God wanted them to live.  They tried to show the people how to live through their example.  The only thing they couldn’t do was die for their sake as Christ did because they weren’t the very Son of God.

From the perspective of Christ and His teaching, the prophets were the forerunners to the Lord.  From Elijah to john the Baptizer, we have a long line of people who tried to look, see, and promote change.  There is much I have in common with these prophets.

In reading this chapter, the thing that leaps out at me is the vanity of the worship of the people.  Through Isaiah, the Lord speaks to the people about their existence.  They are a nation falling apart.  They have been ravaged by the nations around them.  Their wealth is gone.  Their splendor is but a memory.  There’s not much left that resembles the greatness of David and Solomon.

The question is why.  Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 1:10-17.  The festivals of the Lord are a burden to Him.  A burden!  That which should be pleasing to the Lord burdens Him.  The people are coming before the Lord in practice only.  There is no meaning there.  There is no purpose.  They are going through the motions and God is tire of it.

That’s why He tells them in in Isaiah 1:11 that he has had enough of their sacrifices.  What are they to God?  Why would He delight in the blood of anything if the heart of the donor is not dedicated to him?

This reminds us of the key to relationship with the Lord.  Was David perfect?  Absolutely not!  In fact, he didn’t even try to put on a good show.  David was honest.  He was real.  Where He succeeded, He gave credit to God.  Where He failed, He owned the responsibility.  His heart was always in it. 

That’s what God is asking from His people.  They don’t need to be perfect.  They can be forgiven.  But their heart does need to be in it.

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Year 8, Day 350: Song of Songs 8

Theological Commentary: Click Here

We lose this book on a strong note.  The relationship is restored.  Forgiveness and repentance have both been extended.  Husband and wife now look upon each other as they should.

We hear a powerful phrase in this chapter.  Love is strong as death.  There is not much in this world more powerful than death.  Eventually, death takes us all.  Interestingly, the same is true for love.

Have you ever been in love and tried to convince yourself that you weren’t?  It doesn’t work.  We cannot govern love with logic.  We cannot force love to do that which it doesn’t want.  If love takes root within us, we will feel its effects.

Love is a powerful force in our life.  When we think about the fact that God is love, we might argue that there is no greater force in life than love.  We must be careful with love, though.  With great power comes great responsibility.

This is why we hear once again about the abjuration to be careful when we awaken love.  Love is wonderful and powerful, but the force of love is strong.  We should take care to awaken love only when it can be directed along a godly path.  When we can, as this book has taught us, there is no stronger connection between people. 

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Year 8, Day 349: Song of Songs 7

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Today, the reconciliation continues.  In fact, the reconciliation grows and brings about maturity.  There is a greater understanding that comes after the reconciliation that draws us even closer to one another.  Solomon is a new man, looking upon his bride with a new perspective.

One of my favorite things to do in the latter chapters of Song of Songs is to compare the changes in what Solomon praises about his bride.  Early in the book, when Solomon was still looking ahead to marriage, he largely praises her physical prowess.  He praises her looks and her shape in anticipation and obsession.  Some of that still remains, but Solomon also looks elsewhere.

For example, Solomon now lifts up his bride’s belly and compares it to a heap of wheat.  That’s an odd comparison.  However, a heap of wheat is sustaining.  It is nourishing.  It is more than just pleasing; it is useful.  Solomon desires his bride not just for how she looks but what she brings to his life.

As another example, in this chapter Solomon now speaks about his bride’s head as being her crown.  Before, Solomon spoke about her hair and lips and the beauty it brings.  Now, he values her mind.  Now, he thinks f her as a queen and not just a trophy. 

Solomon has grown through the conflict to see her in a new and deeper light.  There is a maturity here that isn’t present in the earlier chapters.  There is a perspective here that is new and refreshing, adding layers of depth to the relationship.  The conflict of the earlier chapter has been able to strengthen the marriage, not weaken it.

To be fair, though, it is important to understand the danger of conflict in a relationship.  We shouldn’t go out looking for strife because we believe that strife and conflict makes us stronger.  Sometimes conflict destroys completely.  Sometimes strife kills.  Conflict and strife are like hunting dangerous wild game.  Often, the payoff is amazing.  Every once and a while, though, the hunter becomes the hunted.  We shouldn’t fear conflict and strife because when overcome it makes us stronger, wiser, and more mature.  At the same time, we should respect the danger of conflict and strife, realizing that it does also have the power to kill and destroy.

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Year 8, Day 348: Song of Songs 6

Theological Commentary: Click Here

In today’s reading, we hear that the relationship has been restored.  Once more the bride and the groom share intimacy.  The distance has been forgotten and forgiven.  Once more love excites passionately.

I believe that this part of the book is even better than the first part.  In the first few chapters, the excitement was real, but it was easy.  A bride and groom should be dripping with passion and excitement.  It is good, but it is also easy.  Here in this chapter we see the fruit of work.  Relationships are hard and full of work.  It’s often the love and unity that follows tension that is far sweeter than relationship that is easy.

There are two things that must be present in reconciliation.  First is what we heard yesterday.  The offending party must be repentant.  There must be an understanding of wat went wrong and there must be a desire to change.

The second thing that must be present is the willingness to forgive by the offended party.  In this chapter, Solomon is happy to return to normal.  He’s happy to let go of the offense of his wife and dwell in the joy that forgiveness brings.  Solomon is willing to let go of any hurt feelings to dwell in joy and love.

Relationships are a ton of work.  They are full of give and take.  They are full of sin, repentance, and forgiveness.  That’s also what makes them strong and full of love and joy.  Only when a marriage is filled with two people who understand these dynamics will it grow strong and be filled with unbreakable bonds.

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Year 8, Day 347: Song of Songs 5

Theological Commentary: Click Here

This chapter is often thought of as a dream.  After all, the bride is sleeping, but her heart is awake.  That sounds like the setup for a dream to me.

What is the point of this situation, dream or not?  We see reality in the relationship.  The groom comes to his bride, but he’s locked out.  The bride makes excuses for why she can’t come to the door in a hurry.

The reality is that all relationships have moments of cooling.  It is a natural cycle within the marriage for things to seem normal, even bland.  Human beings find places of normalcy.  In fact, as much as we claim to love excitement, the truth is that many of us crave a normal day where things go as planned.  Normal, unexciting times in a marriage are just an outcropping of humanity.

That being said, normalcy should never equate to uncaring.  A stable relationship is not a cold relationship.  While we may not always have excitement, we should never be distant, either.  That’s where the bride shows she’s gone wrong.  When the relationship grew stable and normal, she allowed it to create emotional distance.

The great thing about this chapter is that it also shows a repentance of the heart.  The bride comes out of the expression of distance and immediately begins to praise her groom.  She refocuses upon the qualities that her groom brings to life.  When she becomes aware that she has allowed distance to grow out of normalcy, she brings herself back into the relationship with a new passion.

Relationships cycle.  It is entirely normal.  We need to be careful the normal doesn’t become distant.  When it does, like all sin in life, we repent and try again.

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Year 8, Day 346: Song of Songs 4

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Yesterday we got to hear about the bride’s anticipation of the groom.  Today we hear the opposite.  Today is about Solomon and his anticipation of his bride.  The themes are still the same, however.  Love should be memorable.

When Solomon speaks of the bride, he flatters her with images.  He compares her to fawns frolicking in a field.  There is a mystic and innocence in that image.  He compares her to the tower of David.  That speaks to her wisdom, her steadfast nature, and her regal nature.

Notice that Solomon also paints a very memorable image of her face.  Her lips are scarlet, speaking to her passion and his fascination for her.  He compares her hair to leaping down the slopes of a mountain.  Her eyes are doves, soft and calming.  Solomon gives us an image of what has captured his attention.

Solomon doesn’t stop there, however.  Solomon demonstrates how captivated he is by his bride.  She is like a locked garden, waiting to be experienced by only the person allowed in.  He compares her to expensive and rare spices, speaking to her unique and pleasing nature.

What is the point of all of this?  Solomon paints a memorable picture.  How do we know it is memorable?  Solomon’s bride invites him in to partake of her.  His bride allows him to quench his obsession.

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Year 8, Day 345: Song of Songs 3

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Love should be memorable.  Yesterday, when we were looking at the passage we talked about obsession.  In the middle of love, it is our focus.  When we are apart from our love, we should long to be together again.

That is what is going on in this chapter.  In the first half, the bride wakes and is apart from her groom.  She longs to be with him.  She is in love.  Her thoughts go to him and what it feels like to be with him.  She sets out to seek him.

Notice that when she does set out, she does it reasonably.  She tries to wait but is unable to do so.  She then goes out to the watchmen.  She asks if they have seen her love.  They haven’t, but she doesn’t go far until she finds him.  She longs for her obsession, but in her obsession she still acts rationally.  Love should be no excuse for irrationality.

In the second half of the passage, we hear the bride speak about her groom as he comes to her.  It is the wedding day, and Solomon, the groom, comes adorned as such.  There is pomp and circumstance.  As was said in the beginning, love should be memorable.

Notice how love is protected.  Solomon comes with men dressed for war.  Nothing will get into the way of this love.  The wedding will go as planned.  Solomon will be with his bride and it will be memorable.

Look how Solomon comes.  He comes in a litter made from the cedar of Lebanon.  It contains silver and gold.  The cloth within is purple, a sure sign of royalty.  Again, we see that love is celebrated and memorable.  The wedding, the obsession of love, will be remembered by all.  In its memory, it is also inspirational.

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