Tag: prophet isaiah

Becoming Holy (Isaiah 4:2-6)

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

And that’s when God’s Branch will sprout green and lush. The produce of the country will give Israel’s survivors something to be proud of again. Oh, they’ll hold their heads high! Everyone left behind in Zion, all the discards and rejects in Jerusalem, will be reclassified as “holy”—alive and therefore precious. God will give Zion’s women a good bath. He’ll scrub the bloodstained city of its violence and brutality, purge the place with a firestorm of judgment.

Then God will bring back the ancient pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night and mark Mount Zion and everyone in it with his glorious presence, his immense, protective presence, shade from the burning sun and shelter from the driving rain. (The Message)

One of the characteristics of Holy Scripture I deeply appreciate are the wonderful prose sections letting us, the readers and listeners, know that our longings for better days will come. There is a day coming when all of our good imaginings of the future shall be realized; and our present circumstances of hatred, discord, jealousy, and envy of one another shall be a thing of the past.

Unfortunately, we will likely (and biblically!) have to see some devastating and violent loss, and experience some terrible and awful destruction of both body and soul. All of the Old Testament prophets spoke messages of both judgment and grace, suffering and glory. Although hammered with ruin, biblical readers are given glimpses of hope to see the possibility of life beyond all of the carnage.

In other words, there will indeed be restoration and renewal. All shall not be lost forever. Death does not have the last word; resurrection does. It will happen because God has a determined resolve to find resilient ways of restoring the divine/human relationship back to its original and intended peaceful good.

It takes faith to have hope, and hope to have faith, and love to win the day forever. If God can create ex nihilo, out of nothing, then the Lord can reform and renew that which already exists, even though it may be in an awfully deformed state.

The ones who remain, the survivors, are the remnant of true believers, the people who hold onto faith and patience in the face of adversity, hardship, and difficulty. These are the dreamers, the seers, the prophets who foresaw both the need for divine judgment, and equally understood the promise of divine restoration.

The earth will once again be blessed. A rainbow of promise shall rise to remind us all that the storms which ravaged us have passed, never to return again.

But let us also clearly understand that it is because of human stubbornness, of hard-hearted people failing to love mercy and show steadfast love, that got us in this pickle of judgment to begin with. There comes a point when the repeated refusal to change, and use the gifts God has given us, leads to our shelf life on this earth coming to a moldy ruin. To be thrown into the divine incinerator is something brought on by us, not God.

Evil is like a cancer which must be purged from our existence so that we can be clean and healthy. The commands of God are not meant to keep people under a heavy divine thumb, but rather to help people live well in this world in a good healthy way. Living a holy life means that we participate in productive spiritual practices that strengthen faith and support the spirit.

People become “unclean” when they take a different path which is inconsistent with how we were designed by our Creator to live. It would be a bit like believing we can ignore all traffic laws and drive how we want, and then are surprised when we are nearly killed in an accident. Sadly, the unclean perish in their self-preoccupations, with God’s generosity completely off of their spiritual radar.

Yet, no matter where we’ve come from or what we have done, there is always the possibility of rehabilitation, of renewing our relationship to God, experiencing the divine presence, and receiving divine grace.

Getting in sync with the healthy spiritual forces of this universe is like having the ancient provision and protection of God’s pillar of cloud by day and fire by night – reassuring us that we are not alone and belong securely in the merciful arms of a loving Lord.

In Christianity, a holy life and a clean heart results from the person and work of Jesus Christ. God got down to it, taking the judgment we deserved and giving us grace. All of the temporary ritual cleanings merely pointed forward to the once for all scrubbing of the cross.

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!…

 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 9:12-14, 10:21-23, NIV)

May you experience the blessing of becoming clean, and know the blessing of being holy and pure in all your relationships and activities. Amen.

The Righteous and the Wicked (Isaiah 26:7-15)

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

The path of the righteous is level;
    you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,
    we wait for you;
your name and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
My soul yearns for you in the night;
    in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.
But when grace is shown to the wicked,
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
    and do not regard the majesty of the Lord.
Lord, your hand is lifted high,
    but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
    let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.

Lord, you establish peace for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done for us.
Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name alone do we honor.
They are now dead, they live no more;
    their spirits do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;
    you wiped out all memory of them.
You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders of the land. (New International Version)

Within the Bible, there are really only two sorts of people: the righteous and the wicked. Repeatedly throughout Scripture, we are told that God attends to the needs, hopes, and prayers of the righteous; and conversely, God is opposed to the unjust practices and oppressive acts of the wicked.

The righteous are people who are attentive to God’s law and trust God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. For the righteous, God will make a way where there seems to be no way. If there’s a mountain obstructing the way of the righteous, they believe the Lord will flatten it. And if it isn’t flattened immediately, the righteous patiently wait, seeking to be obedient and full of faith, until it happens.

The world learns about life and faith and the divine through these postures of living by righteous persons. The exception to this is the wicked; they learn nothing. The wicked could see a mountain leveled before their very eyes, and refuse to see or acknowledge the power of God behind it.

All this is to say that the truly righteous persons among us stand out like a sore thumb to the prevailing wickedness of the world. Thus, the wicked would like to see them leveled, instead of a mountain. So, the wicked persons among us are committed to lies, half-truths, injustice, and even violence. They’ll use any practice that would knock down the righteous and advance the wicked person’s agenda.

Yet, in making this distinction between the two groups of people, we need to be very careful. Because whenever we group people, there is always the danger of assuming that the righteous are always righteous and the wicked always wicked – as if the righteous could never do any wrong, nor the wicked ever do anything right and just.

However, the reality is that we don’t live in a completely black and white world; there is a lot of gray. The world is far more complex than our simplistic categories of good and bad. This is why it can be so maddening to try and navigate this world each and every day.

So, when we speak of the righteous and the wicked, let’s have some clarity and understanding of the basic patterns of a person’s or a group’s life.

Biblically, the righteous are righteous – not because they are intensely moral and always actively obedient – but because the basic orientation of their lives is committed to communing and relating to the God of the universe.

And the wicked are wicked – not because they are belligerent and bullying – but because the general direction of their lives is continually bent inward to serve their own interests and ignore the Divine.

Therefore, the righteous have the foundational characteristics of yearning for God, and pursuing the Lord with all their energy. They desire a meaningful relationship with God that gives shape to their plans and purposes for living.

The righteous, as a general pattern of living, find their ultimate longings in life through belonging to God. They seek divine interventions for everything, and deeply desire the divine presence to envelop them and surround the world with love, mercy, and justice. Along with the psalmist, the righteous say:

I ask only one thing, Lord:
Let me live in your house
    every day of my life
to see how wonderful you are
    and to pray in your temple. (Psalm 27:4, CEV)

Like a deer drinking from a stream,
    I reach out to you, my God.
My soul thirsts for the living God.
    When can I go to meet with him? (Psalm 42:1-2, ERV)

As long as I have God, I don’t need anyone else in heaven or on earth. (Psalm 73:25, GW)

In contrast to these heartfelt longings, the wicked are dense and obtuse. They fail to see the beauty in any of this. Their end will be precisely what they have wanted throughout life: To be left alone and have space away from God altogether – which is the classic definition of hell.

But the righteous will also have their desires fulfilled, and shall experience peace and right relations forever with God.

How then shall we live?

Blessed is the person who does not
follow the advice of wicked people,
take the path of sinners,
or join the company of mockers.

Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord
and reflects on his teachings day and night.

He is like a tree planted beside streams—
a tree that produces fruit in season
and whose leaves do not wither.
He succeeds in everything he does.

Wicked people are not like that.
Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away.

That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment
and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.

The Lord knows the way of righteous people,
but the way of wicked people will end. Amen. (Psalm 1, GW)

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.