November 14, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“[Isaiah] Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! ‘The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?’ [says the Lord].” (Isaiah 1.10-11a)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Following yesterday’s literal lead, the “good news” was: there were survivors and everyone was not lost. Let’s view this truth from two vantage points- home and abroad.

HOME: Home for Isaiah was there in Jerusalem and Judea. The context was clear, as clear as it may seem for us today in our own “home.” [Plug in your own context, such as: Washington D.C. and the United States of America.] At the very beginning of Isaiah’s prophetic and evangelistic ministry, he served in the Temple during the reign of King Uzziah. The rule of Uzziah (lasting 52 years) began with great fervor of faith and blessing for the people he served. He knew he was serving for the glory of God. The people loved him and trusted him. I have no doubt that he heard often from those around him “How good a king you are!” Popularity and abundant praise are not always positive collaborators. This is especially true when, despite our best efforts, things don’t always go as we had hoped. It would seem that MIGA [Make Israel Great Again…reference that as you may] was a good objective but a poor plan. There was nothing wrong with reviving national pride and unity in the faith. We know of another revival in Israel’s history under the reign of Josiah. It was during his rule that the Temple was undergoing a “spring cleaning.” In the process, the Book of Deuteronomy was discovered. Josiah saw this as a sign of God and promoted that going back to “The Law” would make things better in their present day. Like a newborn Christ follower, there was fervor and fast-moving commitment. Like the seed sown by the sower which fell upon rocky soil, such fervor did not last when the heat rose, the hungry birds came for an easy meal and the people were more focused on the journey than the intention and stepped on the seed along the way. In other words, “it didn’t last long.” [Reflect on that as you may have a mind to for our present situation.] In the days of Uzziah, within the boundaries of Israel (that is Judah and Jerusalem), everything seemed fine and looked good. Outside the boundaries, enemies were licking their chops to feast upon Israel. Israel, as a blessed land, was always viewed as a tasty morsel and great asset. As the pressure of the outside world increased, so did the stability of “home” begin to waver. One of the first things that is considered in times like that is to “gain control.” Questions arose as who could be trusted to do the “right” thing. Against wise counsel, Uzziah decided to offer his own sacrifices in the Temple. In other words, Uzziah crossed the line. Consider the “enemies” beyond the boundary looking for a way in. Then consider the “one” who brought the fences in close and then step the boundary of what was right and good. You might say, “the enemy within.” This is something we must always remember. Jesus said it clearly in a teaching on judgmentalism when He taught “Before believing you are the right person to remove the speck from the eye of another, remove the plank that is protruding from your own.” In other words, “take care of yourself before believing you are an expert in what’s wrong with others.” The worst thing that can happen in those situations, and it may happen often whether we agree with it or not, is a sense of entitlement, arrogance and control. Uzziah fell prey to that which is an “enemy of God.” We know others have done so, even ourselves from time to time, just as Judas of Kerioth and Peter did in their moments of “what do I do now with what I think should be done.” Self gets promoted above others. The loss of the servant identity opens “Pandora’s Box” and the tables get turned. For Uzziah, the tables turned when he entered the temple “unprepared” as a high priest to do what he believed others had failed to do correctly. The enemy was approaching. He couldn’t see, until too late, that he had become his own worst enemy. Crossing the line resulted in the infection of leprosy. Divine judgment? Unfortunate coincidence? Regardless of your perspective, the culture and climate of the day said “Uzziah had sinned and made himself susceptible to judgment.” Literally, the earth shook and their world was rocked. (Remember the earthquake mentioned by Zechariah!) This was Isaiah’s reality.

How it relates to the “home” theme is this: those who were taken or about to be taken into exile would be “lost.” There would be no survivors. The threat of the enemy to leave the people without leadership (biblically speaking: sheep without a shepherd) was the easiest way to defeat the nation. We may have heard it this way- “Cut off the head of the snake.” or “Take out the chief and the tribe will run.” You get the picture. Without seeing the value and worth of themselves in the eyes of God, they saw the overwhelming power of the enemy who stood against them. It was like revisiting the 10 spies report to Moses after searching out the Promised Land across the Jordan. They forgot they had God and 3 million Hebrews on their side. What they saw were giants well-equipped for war. Instead of “keeping the faith,” they “surrendered their will.” Even though they existed, they envisioned “no survivors.”

ABROAD: I do not mean they were across the ocean or even across a great sea, but for those who feared exile in a far country, a miss was as good as a mile. It was common knowledge of what the enemy had in mind. They had seen it for themselves, even in their own history, of the tactics used to weaken the heart, mind and spirit of a people. It happened in two ways: harsh servitude or lavish diversion. You either put people to work in a labor force (this is what Egypt did) and break them down to literal “skin and bones” or you build up a sense of false confidence that things weren’t nearly so bad and in fact better than they were back home (which is what Babylon did). Either way, the news from “home” would bring, as we would read in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, devastating news of the people scattered, intermarrying and the Temple desecrated with the walls of the city destroyed. The nation of Israel was fileted and broiling on the grill of despair. There would be no survivors. There would be no home to go to. Those in exile might as well learn to live (as in Rome, do wha the Romans do) as subjects of Babylonian rule accepting enemies as friends and neighbors. After all, God did say “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Wouldn’t that equate with “loving God above all else.” Going along to get along is not a new idea. Its roots are deep-seated (or is that deep-seeded) by the enemy. The hope of complacency to become the “new normal” was an effective tool. It would have been if not for the grace of God. Without God’s grace and presence, there would have been no survivors. In truth, all Jews would have become Samaritans by extension of the plan’s results and the Jewish bias. God’s people separated from each other would have believed together there were “no survivors.”

The truth was, however, there were survivors. There were those who kept the faith. They would be like Abraham and Lot in the face of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their voices, even quiet voices as in a still small whisper, would be heard by the finely tuned ears of God. Imagine how it would be in the days of exile as the people left at home had no rabbis or priests to offer sacrifices. Faith would find a way to express itself and prayer would have been their only answer and ultimate resolution. It would be a prayer of hope that God would not let His people “Go.” What about those abroad, across the vast sea of desert which existed between Jerusalem and the “prisoner of war” camp by the River Chebar in southern Mesopotamia? Without a people to lead, what would be the use of exercising their calling. Their fate was in the hands of an “unknown god.” Offering sacrifices was against “the Law,” so what was left but “find another way.” We might borrow from Joel at this point and feel the freeing of the spirit with “your young men will have visions and your old men will dream dreams.” Indeed, reading Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Daniel, we see that this would be the case. In Ezekiel we see the dreams and visions which came to those in a faraway land (the theophany of the wheel way up in the middle of the air.) In Jeremiah we see the desperation of keeping the faith and suffering for it being thrown into a deep well and threatened with being sold into slavery in Egypt (an echo of the days of Joseph and his coat of many colors). What of Daniel? In Daniel, we see the blending of those who were at home (being faithful to God) in a faraway place (in Babylon) being put into the crucible of refining fire (the fiery furnace). What was the result? Survivors! For those who acted as if there were no survivors, their fate was like that of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was foretold (albeit after the fact, so meaning told before) as it would happen again (being foretold as if a prophecy of what was yet to come.) But, what of those who would keep the faith and hold on to be survivors? Jesus would say to His disciples “Do not fear this present age, behold I have overcome the world.” He went through the fire. Some thought He had died. In reality, death for our sake had refined Him and revealed what was truly strong: spirit and truth. This is resurrection! It does not come because we can say the right thing, do the right thing, be the right thing. It comes because Jesus said the right thing (God is first), did the right thing (love one another) and was the right thing (a servant to all: home and abroad; earth and heaven.) Because of our faith in Him and Him alone, we share the same spirit and truth which allows us to say, do and be the right thing. In the words of Paul, “We are more than conquerors.” What would that be? I believe it “we are survivors.” We will pass through the fire and not get burned. We will see the vision and not go blind. We will be isolated but we will not surrender. This is the truth found in the “spirit of advent.” It has come and it is coming again.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit in order that others be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind so we would know we are Your people and You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.