Tag: prophet isaiah

Wait for the Lord (Isaiah 64:1-9)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
    so that the mountains would quake at your presence—

as when fire kindles brushwood
    and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
    so that the nations might tremble at your presence!
When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,
    you came down; the mountains quaked at your presence.
From ages past no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
    who works for those who wait for him.
You meet those who gladly do right,
    those who remember you in your ways.
But you were angry, and we sinned;
    because you hid yourself we transgressed.
We have all become like one who is unclean,
    and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.
We all fade like a leaf,
    and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
There is no one who calls on your name
    or attempts to take hold of you,
for you have hidden your face from us
    and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;
    we are the clay, and you are our potter;
    we are all the work of your hand.
Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord,
    and do not remember iniquity forever.
    Now consider, we are all your people. (New Revised Standard Version)

Sometimes it feels like the whole world is messed up, with no resolution in sight. Everything is sideways.

In those moments, when I wonder if there will ever be glory after all the hardship and suffering, I come back to what I firmly believe and bank my life upon: God sees. God cares. God is still actively working behind the scenes in ways I don’t presently see. Truly, the invisible hand of God is looking after my life.

The ancient Israelites, in Isaiah 64, cried out for help because, although they could not see God, they trusted that somehow, someway, they were being seen. The prophet wanted God’s presence manifested in such a way that it would be recognized by both God’s people and God’s enemies.

The people cried out for mountains to quake, brushwood to burn, and water to boil. In other words, the people wanted the Lord to show up in a dramatic way. That’s neither a weird desire nor an offbeat prayer from God’s people. After all, the Lord has showed up and showed off with wondrous and awesome deeds for a long time in their history:

  • Divine plagues on Egypt forced Pharaoh to release Israel from bondage and go their own way
  • Divine deliverance brought them miraculously through the Red Sea
  • Divine judgment caused the waters to overwhelm the Egyptian army
  • Divine provision gave manna out in the desert
  • Divine presence was with the people as they entered the Promised Land
  • The Divine Warrior flattened the walls of Jericho and went before the people in fighting their battles

Indeed, God intervened with consistency. In today’s Old Testament lesson, there’s a qualification, a sort of prerequisite, which is given in order to realize God’s involvement: If the people want to see God move on their behalf, they will have to be patient and wait on the Lord.

Waiting. It seems to be the bane of many a person’s existence. Many people would rather do just about anything but wait. And yet, throughout the Bible’s Old Testament, people are exhorted to do just that: wait…

Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27:14, NRSV

Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light
    and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
    do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
    over those who carry out evil devices.

Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
    Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. (Psalm 37:5-9, NRSV)

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
    and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
    out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
    and steadied me as I walked along. (Psalm 40:1-2, NLT)

The psalmist, along with the faithful throughout the ages, can testify that patience with God is worth the wait. There is no answer to our dilemmas quite like that of God’s. And it’s really no use trying to cajole or manipulate God into acting sooner or quicker.

Although we are subject to time, God is above time, and is not subject to anyone’s clock. God will act when God will act, even if it seems painstakingly slow to us. Let’s not try to figure out God’s timetable. If Jesus wasn’t privy to the entire divine schedule, then what makes us think we’ll get a look at it?

“One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God.” Oswald Chambers

Perhaps we ought to look more at ourselves and consider our own thoughts and actions. Are we really ready to receive what God wants to give us? Why do we want what we want? Is it for God’s glory, and the common good of all persons, or simply for our own narrow purposes?

It would be better if we consider that God’s word and promises are more powerful than any struggle we go through along the way. If we know the promise is truly coming, and it’s based in divine words, we can wait for it patiently.

For the ancient people, God promised to be the God of Israel; the people needed to be reminded that God’s apparent “slowness” doesn’t translate to a “no” in prayer. God created the elephant who never forgets, as well as the goldfish who never remembers. Take a guess which one is God and which one is us.

Even though God can be disappointed with our sinful behavior, and may allow us to die like a withered leaf in autumn, the Lord’s purpose isn’t for our destruction nor our destitution. God’s anger only lasts a moment, but the Lord’s favor endures for a lifetime.

Almighty and gracious God, help me to become patient, as Christ was patient. Through your guidance, may I become more accepting of my circumstances, and others around me. Assist me to welcome difficult times with a patient heart, through Jesus my Lord, in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Divine Teacher and Leader (Isaiah 48:17-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Thus says the Lord,
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
    who teaches you how to succeed,
    who leads you in the way you should go.
O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
    Then your prosperity would have been like a river
    and your success like the waves of the sea;
your offspring would have been like the sand
    and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
    or destroyed from before me.

Go out from Babylon; flee from Chaldea;
    declare this with a shout of joy; proclaim it;
send it forth to the end of the earth;
    say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
    he made water flow for them from the rock;
    he split open the rock, and the water gushed out. (New Revised Standard Version)

A presupposition is something that is assumed in advance or taken for granted. In my own life, I live with the following basic presupposition: Christianity works. It stands behind my faith and confidence, informing everything I do.

I believe in a good God, who genuinely wants people to succeed in life, and will do whatever it takes to help us, doing what is best for us, for our own good.

God is our divine teacher and leader. The Lord is the One who gave Israel the Ten Words (commandments) and the Law to live by. Yahweh is the One who mercifully delivered the ancient Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, protected them in the desert, and led them into the Promised Land.

Furthermore, for the Christian, God the Father is the One who sent God the Son, Jesus, to be with us and amongst us as Teacher and Lord, leading us and saving us. God the Father and God the Son together sent God the Holy Spirit to be with us always – continually teaching us all things, reminding us of Christ’s teaching, and providing needed leadership for our earthly spiritual journey.

Every provision has been given for us to live into a successful life. Yet, in the case of both the Jews who originally heard Isaiah’s prophecy, as well as for many of us as contemporary believers, we have paid scant attention to the divine commandments – nor have we submitted to the divine leadership.

God is teaching and God is leading. We, however, are having difficulty in heeding the instruction and the guidance.

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
    O Israel, I will testify against you.
    I am God, your God…

You give your mouth free rein for evil,
    and your tongue frames deceit.
You sit and speak against your kin;
    you slander your own mother’s child.” (Psalm 50:7, 19-20, NRSV)

And God has furthermore stated:

“Hear, O my people, while I admonish you;
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!…

But my people did not listen to my voice;
    Israel would not submit to me…

O that my people would listen to me,
    that Israel would walk in my ways!” (Psalm 81:8, 11, 13, NRSV)

God desires the best for us and our welfare. The Lord wants us to experience happiness, prosperity, abundance, and blessing. Christianity works. Attention to the spiritual life brings success. Yet we keep working against ourselves through our ignorance of divine teaching and leading.

We could move freely and powerfully like a river – yet we continue to dam up the flow.

We could grow and gain strength like the waves of the ocean – yet we refuse to go out and set sail.

We could reproduce ourselves by making more disciples than the sand on the seashore – yet we are impotent.

We could endure by remembering the name of the Lord – yet there is no future without listening.

What must we do? Go out!

Just as the ancient Israelites went out of Egypt and left their bondage behind, so we are to go out and experience the redemption we have in Jesus Christ.

God is leading us to freedom. The Lord is teaching us how to live in this world as free people. But we must take the step of going out, of leaving, of walking the way of the pilgrim and sojourning into the successful life.

God has our backs. Just as the Israelites were taken care of in the desert with the sustenance of manna and with even water gushing out of a rock, so the Lord will care for you and me out in this scary world of ours.

God does what God does, not based upon what humanity does or doesn’t do, but because of God’s own decision and will. Since the Lord is always good, right, just, and loving, God acts in ways consistent with the divine nature.

Another way of putting the matter is that the spiritual life works, and Christianity works, because it is grounded in nature of God. When we reflect the image of God within us by using our words and our deeds toward mercy, grace, justice, and love, then we are synced with how the universe operates. And success in life is realized.

Even more than that, we are connected with the Creator – which makes all the difference as we try to continually navigate through this earthly life in ways that are right and redemptive.

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Beautiful Feet (Romans 10:15b-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.”

Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

“I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
    I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”

And Isaiah boldly says,

“I was found by those who did not seek me;
    I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”

But concerning Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands
    to a disobedient and obstinate people.” (New International Version)

“Beautiful” is not a typical description of anybody’s feet. That’s because feet are kind of gross. Feet stink. They get dirty and itchy; they’re often calloused and downright nasty looking. And no one comments that their feet feel good. People’s feet rarely feel that way.

It seems to me that feet are an apt metaphor for the bringing of salvation, of good news.

The Christian good news is this: There is salvation – forgiveness of sins – through Jesus Christ; and it is accessed by faith.

“Salvation” is a term which perhaps gets overused by Christians to the point that it becomes misunderstood and/or taken for granted. When that happens, it only becomes “meh” news and is no longer good news. For some, it’s a bit like feet – they’re there, but they hurt too much. We don’t think much about our feet until the corns, the bunions, or the toenails bother us. There’s a “meh” relationship to the foot.

In Christianity, the triune God has conspired within himself to bring us salvation. The good news is that God the Father has mercifully sent God the Son for the rescue of the entire world from sin, death, and hell; and Father and Son have further sent God the Holy Spirit to help us respond and live by faith.

Even back in the Old Testament, with the prophet Isaiah, such a merciful deliverance was predicted. Isaiah’s description of the life and rejection of the Suffering Servant wondered if faith would happen in response to salvation. Would they really see it as “good” news? Can feet really be beautiful?

Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1, NIV)

The Apostle Paul, knowing a thing or two about suffering, walking a lot of missionary miles with his feet, was confident that, indeed, faith is awakened in the hearing of the message. The message is good news, and it will be received. Good news has to be proclaimed before it can take hold.

So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17, NRSV)

Good news has to be announced up-close and personal. It takes getting on our two feet, walking across the street, across the room, or across the world to bring it. That’s because salvation is relational. The message of salvation is there amongst people; it has always been deep within them, as those created in the image and likeness of God.

The heavens are telling the glory of God,
    and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
    and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
    their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth
    and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4, NRSV)

In the book of Romans, we see Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians together in one church. Historically, the Jews were God’s people – the insiders – and the Gentiles were not a people, the outsiders. Now the Gentiles are included and are no longer outsiders. Not all the insiders were okay with this situation.

In the Old Testament, Moses predicted insider Israel’s overall response to this situation of feet walking amongst the Gentiles and announcing the good news of salvation.

They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God;
    they have provoked my anger with their useless idols.
Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people;
    I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles. (Deuteronomy 32:21, NLT)

The prophet Isaiah also spoke of Gentile inclusion into God’s saving activity; and the Jewish response to salvation for them:

I was ready to respond to those who didn’t ask.
    I was ready to be found by those who didn’t look for me.
I said, “I’m here! I’m here!” to a nation
    that didn’t call on my name.
I extended my hands all day
    to a rebellious people
        walking in a way that isn’t good,
        following their own plans.” (Isaiah 65:1-2, CEB)

This in no way is meant to be hard on ancient Israelites and the Jewish people. It is really a commentary on including others who are different, what God thinks about it, and the challenge this poses to those holding onto the status quo.

Throughout all of biblical history, into the past two thousand years of church history, and even today, those who consider themselves as God’s people, the insiders, tend to be blinded by the privileges bestowed on them by a gracious God. And they usually think of only one thing: To preserve their status and their spiritual monopoly by excluding others who are different.

It is a hardening of the heart – or maybe the calloused feet – that does not want to recognize that certain persons and people groups can be saved and included as God’s people alongside the rest.

Fortunately, the Apostle Paul, a Jewish Christian, longed for all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of God. He himself wanted to know Christ and “be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Philippians 3:19)

Salvation is neither attained through strict observance of the rules, nor by being a good or nice person. It is graciously given by the God who came and whose feet walked amongst us. Deliverance comes through an acceptance by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us – including people who others might consider as outsiders or unworthy of it.

From my vantage point, the feet that bring a gracious message of good news for all are truly beautiful.

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we give you humble thanks for your goodness and steadfast love to all kinds of people. We thank you especially for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days. Amen.

Good News Is for Everyone (Isaiah 56:1, 6-8)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice
    and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
    and my righteousness will soon be revealed….

And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.”
The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather still others to them
    besides those already gathered.” (New International Version)

Issues of identity

Ever since the Jewish people existed – for the past 4,000 years – there have been other people and other nations who have conquered them, displaced them, and have even tried to annihilate them altogether, several times throughout history.

A seminal experience for ancient Israel was when God’s temple was destroyed and the people taken into exile in Babylon. Generations later, many faithful Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild and reform under Nehemiah and Ezra.

Undergoing defeat, occupation, and oppression can and will do a great deal of psychological, emotional, and spiritual harm. And when it happens repeatedly, it’s easy to understand how any group of people might wonder: “Are we still God’s people? Have so many years of being in other places made us different? Who are we right now?”

These are questions of identity. For many Jews, since God allowed them to be conquered, because they did not obey the covenant, then now is the time to double-down on following the rules and proving they are truly God’s chosen people. So much so, that some (not all) insisted that their identity can only be maintained by radically separating themselves from everyone and everything foreign that is not Jewish. 

We can understand how a vulnerable people who have been attacked and conquered would be suspicious about welcoming outsiders. In fact, any sort of hospitality could be seen as a betrayal of their own struggle, and a deviation from their sense of community, identity, and integrity. 

Diversity and inclusion isn’t warm and fuzzy

So, when God comes along and shares a plan of bringing foreigners to the holy mountain, it’s scandalous. The people don’t see this as a wonderful moment of everybody getting to together, singing kumbaya, and letting bygones be bygones. Nobody in Israel is saying, “Lord, please let us gather together with a bunch of foreigners, strangers, aliens, and gentiles!”

Quite the opposite. Instead, they start circling the wagons to survive and maintain and preserve their Jewish identity. Isaiah’s message challenged the people to their core. It was not a popular idea – even coming from God – of including the other. Such change was a threat.

Welcoming strangers can be upsetting

Whenever I walk through neighborhoods in major cities and see banners in yards that say, “All Are Welcome!” and churches that emblazon that message on their signage, I wonder if they really understand what they’re saying. There are many folks who expect welcoming the stranger to feel good, to be rewarding and connect us to one another. There may be romantic notions of connecting with others with idyllic visions of new people folding seamlessly into who we already are.

The reality is typically much different than that. We are surprised and disheartened when others don’t think or act like we do, and having them around feels awkward. They’re upsetting the status quo and making the group into something I don’t like. It might be something like your crazy uncle who shows up on holidays and makes everything weird. 

The thing we must face and contend with is this: Strangers, foreigners, immigrants, and anyone different from ourselves, often bring God’s own message to us, coming in amongst us to disrupt and transform. Strangers bring strange practices; foreigners bring foreign worldviews; and different people bring different practices and ideas we aren’t familiar with. But why in the world would we ever be surprised that strangers are strange!? 

What in God’s name is going on?

On God’s holy mountain, people are gathered around values, ethics, and obedience. Community and being together with the Lord is defined by faith, and not by simply signing off on a list of approved beliefs and doctrinal statements. God makes it clear that faithfulness, even of foreigners, will determine who is brought into the house of prayer for all people. Deliverance is offered to those who walk the walk and don’t just talk the talk.

What’s more, deliverance does not involve revenge, nor assurances that bad things will never happen again. Instead, salvation means freedom to pray and be connected to God. This is what God wants. And so, the Lord will bring and gather faithful people from all over – both Jew and Gentile. They will all dwell together in God’s house with much joy.

An invitation for belonging

We find words in today’s text having to do with a sense of belonging: house, accepting, prayer, gather. Isaiah puts forth a compelling vision of life with God, where we belong and have community. At the heart of God is a hospitality which invites all kinds of people to come and enjoy the divine presence and being with one another.

At the time of Christ’s incarnation, the angels showed up and announced good news of great joy to all people. And yet, far too many persons, perhaps out of sense to guard against outsiders hurting them, turn this gracious message on it’s head by announcing bad news of great judgment to all people that aren’t like me and don’t think like me.

Christ’s Church has struggled through its history to invite and include the other, and to uphold this basic message of gracious good news for everyone.

From the Council of Jerusalem that met to decide whether one ought to become a Jew first in order to be a Christian (Acts 15), to withholding membership to African Americans in certain churches in the 20th century, to the just plain ignoring of the poor and marginalized in many places, we must be intentional and deliberate about reaching and ministering to all people.

The joy of salvation is that I do not need to jump through certain spiritual hoops to enter into Christianity, nor be a certain kind of person. The church is not an exclusive club of one particular sort of people based in race, gender, ethnicity, class, spiritual pedigree, or even certain preferences on issues. Through repentance and faith in Jesus, all may come to God.

All people have intrinsic worth as individuals created in the image of God, and therefore need the attention of Christians in bringing the gospel to them. It is much too easy to ignore people we do not understand and who are different from us, or to look down on those who do not agree with me on disputable matters.

When it comes to the good news of Jesus, having people out of sight does not mean we keep them out of mind. Too many people are often off the radar of many churches for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is because the poor and needy have to compete with the wealthy and powerful for attention. To intentionally reach and minister to a different class or generation or race requires much love and many resources.

How big is your inner space?

Jesus had a big enough inner space to accommodate prostitutes, drunks, tax collectors, and a whole variety of sinners. Do you and I have a big enough space to allow people in our lives who are not like us, without feeling threatened or insecure? The Pharisees feared being contaminated if having table fellowship with such people; the Sadducees were afraid of losing their religious power if the status quo was changed to focus on others; and the Zealots feared continued Roman domination if Jesus kept up spending his time in graciousness to all kinds of sinners. So, all the religious people killed him.

The gospel of Jesus is good news of great joy for everyone. We are to work together to propagate this message by having the shared purpose of evangelism to everyone without discrimination. When we engage in this critical endeavor together, there is tremendous joy. We are meant to gather on God’s holy mountain and share with all sorts of people.

Blessed Lord God, through your Son you commanded us to go into all the world and proclaim good news to every creature. Increase our faith and zeal, that we may more earnestly desire the salvation of all people.

We confess that our hearts are often indifferent and dull to your cry of mission. Forgive our callousness and judgmentalism toward others, and by your Holy Spirit fill us with a burning zeal to bring light into darkness. Give us loving hearts, sincerity of speech, and holiness of life.

Knowing that this world, as it is now, will not last forever, drawing to a close, may we by your Spirit’s prompting, support the mission of this church with our personal witness, our earnest prayers, and our sacrificial gifts. Grant that through us many may be included on your holy mountain, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reign as one God, now and forever. Amen.