February 3, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go. Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare it with a shout of joy, proclaim it, let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying, ‘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 the rock and water gushed out.’ ‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.’” (Isaiah 48.17,20-22)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

What are we in pursuit of? Perhaps more appropriately, “What do we believe is in pursuit of us?” In either case, the inquiry may have to address the question of “What are we afraid of?” It is “Super Bowl Week LIX.” For many Americans, and to a great extend for people around the world, plans have been in the works for weeks and months to not miss Super Bowl Sunday. The fear of being left out, even of Super Bowl Sunday, is real. This “day” is so engrained in the psyche of American culture that many dare not live without it. Even if one’s favorite teams are not a part of the competition for time and prominence, SBS is an event which cannot be missed. Do we really believe that SBS is a “life and death” moment? Are we convinced that we cannot live without it? March Madness, World Series, Stanley Cup or the World Series? Seriously? Are we so willing to base our happiness and joy on these sporting events and many others such as the World Cup, the Americas’ Cup, the Triple Crown and one of my favorites- Le Tur. I say this as one who grew up with the Dallas Cowboys. I listened to the “Ice Bowl” game on a radio with foil strung up on the radio antennae believing it would prevent Bart Starr from crossing the goal line thus bringing my Cowboys home losers and empty-handed from a championship. Yet, years later, I sat in a hospital room with my three day old daughter quietly and happily sleeping on my chest as her mother finally was able to rest and heal and watched “Monday Night Football on Sunday Night.” I don’t even remember who the Cowboys were playing. I remember it was the “usual” Cowboy game as they played down to their competition. The rabid fan in me who experienced both joy and angst in their play calling and performance, or the lack thereof, began to interact with the game itself. As I did, I noticed that while not even saying a word, my entire body responded and in turn so did my daughter. She would become restless as my heart rate increased, as the tension in my muscles increased and as my desire to jump up and shout at the television as if it would have changed the course of events from hundreds of miles away increased. In that moment, all that became important had nothing to do with the game. My focus was on the quiet comfort that I needed to provide my daughter and her mother. Wow, is this not an example of God’s word to Isaiah for Israel and the world to hear? ‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.’

Let me clarify, mighty ones of God, the word “wicked” in a context that may be more informative and thus intuitive for you. Currently, and gladly on the wane, the term “wicked” is familiar to many because of the movie by the same name. It is a “remake,” for the sake of novel revisionist writing, of the classic “The Wizard of Oz.” I have not seen the movie apart from the movie trailers which played in commercials leading up to its premier showing. I read a cursory review just to gain the perspective of “what’s it all about.” I will confess I have no desire to see the movie nor participate in its mania. I will confess to only this concerning the movie and that is the penchant for proposing “wicked”ness as a reasonable good-ness demon-strates the messiness of our culture and current climate. For all the term “wicked” may mean, entail and encompass, I will speak of it in only this way: wicked is the opposite of “good.” So, I will remind continuing participants in these reflections over the years and present to anyone new, that I interpret (with biblical pretense) “good” as “that which fulfills and satisfies God’s created intent in bringing about the redemption of humanity and establishes the life of righteousness.” I will even confess, based on scripture, “that evil was made for the day of evil” and thus serves a purpose in the whole scheme of God’s design, Evil, wickedness, exists but not never as an ultimate concern nor a dominant theme. Sadly, the enemy of God and humanity would have us believe otherwise and that truly is “wickedness.” Thus, “wicked” would stand contrary to the will and plan of God creating dissatisfaction and unfulfillment and lead people away from their redemption and set aside the life of righteousness in favor of righteousness. Now hear verse 48.22 again, “‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.’”

Following the call and the initiation of the Twelve into the ministry of discipleship, Jesus began to preach in “their” cities. He performed many good works which were called miraculous. He taught them with words of confidence and countenance which challenged both the “wicked” and the “good.” On one such occasion (Matthew 12.26) the people responded, “Could this be the Son of David?” Their meaning was clear. They began to consider the fact that Jesus of Nazareth may well indeed by the long-promised Messiah. So obvious was their willingness to believe that the “good” people, the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, spoke out against it saying “It is only by Beelzebub that such things could happen!” Of course, their logic was that anyone who consorted with “evil and wickedness” must be evil and wicked themselves. They would be unclean. Jesus heard the intent of their own argument and declared, “A house divided against itself shall never stand. Satan cannot cast out Satan unless the intent is to bring his own house down. What I am doing is of God and in so doing I bring the Kingdom of God near to you.” Jesus took His stand against wickedness in its varied presentations. Clearly, He was defining any thought and resulting action which led away from God’s dispensation of forgiveness and healing as “wicked.” Wickedness is insatiable. It is always at unrest. Thus, it is never at peace. Those possessed by “wickedness” are in a constant state of flux seeking to consume more and more of that which can do less and less. It is true of individuals, communities, communities-at-large and Satan along which those demonic spirits which follow after him.

Now, let us consider the alternative which is proposed by that statement found in 48.22. It would say “Those who pursue righteousness and goodness are at peace.” The proposition seems clear, does it not. There are only two choices: authentic peace or no peace. As for me and my house, we will choose “peace.”

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

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness which we know is folly but righteous works which declare Your glory and further witness the truth that can set all who believe free from death. So may we live by the name of Jesus our Christ. AMEN.