Year 9, Day 26: Isaiah 42

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While reading Isaiah 42, it sometimes feels backwards.  After all, Isaiah 42 starts with a hopeful look towards the Lords anointed.  Then it speaks to reasons to praise the Lord.  Finally, it turns to a rebellious Hebrew people who refuse to listen to Him.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to speak about the rebellion, turn to hope, and then praise God?

Remember the point of the prophets, especially the major prophets and especially the early prophets.  The prophet’s were the people of God through whom the Lord spoke when He needed to get the attention of the people and draw them into repentance.  Specifically with Isaiah, this prophet gets to look at the fall of Israel, deal with that event, warn about the near fall of Jerusalem, and then begin to pick up those pieces.  Isaiah was a prophet leading up to the exile of the northern kingdom and show serious concern about the exile of the southern kingdom.

In this light, Isaiah does want to give hope.  Even in the midst of sinfulness, God looks for a time when the sinfulness will be overcome and repentance will happen.  He longs for a time when the people will be ready for a good leader – ready to be led the right way.  He waits for the time that the people will desire to be led by someone who will not grow weary in doing what is right.  People often talk about how the world needs good leadership, and it does.  We often forget that good leadership can only exist when there are people who are willing to embrace it and promote it.

This brings us to the praise of God.  He is the one who brings peace to us.  He is the one who makes all things new.  He is the one who is worthy of our praise.  He is the one who fights for us.  He is the one who brings light into the darkness.  We should indeed praise Him!

After these great passages of hope, why then would Isaiah turn to the rebellion of the people?  Why would Isaiah end here after such a great start?  The answer is simple.  The earlier sections are a look into the future.  The job of the prophets is to remind us of the present reality.  There is hope coming.  There is hope in the future.  But the reality is that the Hebrew people were in rebellion.  They were headed down a bad path.  They needed to be held accountable and shown their sin.  They need to be brought to a place where they can compare what could be or what will be with what actually is.  That is why Isaiah ends with the rebellion of the people.

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