Daily Devotional Writing from Pastor Scott

The final section of Isaiah’s prophecy has to do with restoration. The Lord is going to gather his people from the exile and restore them to their beloved homeland. Then, he will send them out again. This time, though, it won’t be as slaves being relocated by a conquering king. Instead, it will be as missionaries spreading throughout the world proclaiming God’s goodness. Isaiah pictures them returning with those who have responded to the message, presenting these newly found followers of the Lord to the Lord as an offering gladly received by God. In this I see the heart of God. His desire is that all his Creation be gathered in love; that we experience unity with one another and with himself. Jesus said the same thing when he talked about us being “one.” As a believer I am called to participate in that task; to understand the culture of my society and to go out and engage it for the cause of Christ. The day will come when, as it was in Isaiah’s prophecy, I will stand before God. I don’t want to do so empty handed.

And all this time I thought that the “worship wars” started in my generation with battles between “traditionalists” and “contemporaries.” In Isaiah’s case the Lord is weary of all the “I like it this way” approaches to worship. He says that when I insist on worshiping “my way” that, no matter “what way” might be, it isn’t “his way.” The Lord tells them that they can do worship in technically correct ways, but, because of their attitude, it will be seen as an act of sin rather than an act of worship. What does the Lord think of my approach to worship? As a pastor am I so wrapped up in keeping the program on track that I fail to truly give myself over to the act of worship? It is likely that only a pastor or worship leader will fully understand this, but I find myself in services wondering why the sound person doesn’t adjust the volume down a bit or if the head usher is aware that one of the regular ushers is out of town or if anyone has greeted the guests who have just slipped into the back row. While I’m worrying about such things, the “worship” service is proceeding without me. If I am giving more energy to organizing and running the service according to my standards, whatever standard that might be, than I am in surrendering myself to worship, then my worship experience is self-centered rather than God-centered. Isaiah reminds me today that that isn’t a good thing!

I don’t know much about the wise men in the Christmas story, but I do know that they came to Jesus. The gifts they brought were, I understand, expensive ones, but beyond those material things, the important thing is that they brought themselves. In this passage Isaiah reminds me that God made it all and he owns it all. He’s not depending on me to bring him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. He is, though, counting on me to bring him my reverent obedience. I believe a person ought to practice their faith in Christ in practical ways, including being a good steward of all that has been placed in his or her hands. However, the offering I give is simply an outflow of a given life. That’s the only gift that truly pleases the Lord.

This passage is written in future tense. The day being described is certainly coming, but hasn’t arrived yet. Isaiah probably sees it as a time in their near future when Israel is restored and lives under the direct blessing of God. Today, I read it as the promise of a blessed future when, under the rule of the Messiah, Jesus, the peace promised at his First Coming is made real in the world. One of the promised blessings is that God will answer our prayers before we can even voice them. I’m reminded that I already have at least a taste of that. There have been times when I realize God has been at work in some concern of my life before I ever realized it was there. What would have been a cry for God’s help became, instead, a word of praise for what the Lord did for me when I was ignorant of the need. Since I’ve experienced things like this, I have just a faint vision of what it will be like in that blest future. Obviously, in that day I’ll spend a lot more time thanking and praising God and a lot less time earnestly asking for his help. Since that kind of praying will be the norm, maybe I had better start practicing the praising part a bit more right now.

This is an interesting passage. Later on, the Revelator will remember these words when the Lord describes what is coming at the end of time. In fact, some think that Isaiah is having a vision of the same thing John sees in Revelation. However, left in context we have Isaiah describing the end of the exile of his people; the return to their beloved Jerusalem. The language is that of poetry: God is doing something new and is, therefore changing everything. Life is going to be much better than it has been. Wonderful blessings are in store. It seems to me that this is another dual prophecy. Isaiah is speaking to current events, describing things in a big way but unaware that his words will literally come true in his (and our) distant future. If I leave things there, I still find the transformational language of Isaiah quite interesting. God is bringing salvation to his people and as a result, everything is going to change for the better. At an entirely different level than Isaiah speaking to his contemporaries or John speaking about the New Jerusalem I find myself thinking of the change Christ makes when he bring salvation to an individual’s life. When I am forgiven of my sins and become a child of God “all things become new.” If Isaiah’s view of the restoration of Israel brings to mind visions of “new heavens and a new earth” I don’t think that it is off base to find a parallel to the radical transformation being “born again” brings to each life.

Even as Isaiah reports that the Lord is running out of patience with the stubborn resistance of many, he reminds us that God is very aware of those who live obedient, faithful lives. The nation of Israel is about to go through a culling. Many will face the wrath of God but others will be preserved by his grace. Frankly, from the devotional side of things I’m not sure what to do with passages like this. Am I to be somewhat frightened and spend a few moments doing a personal spiritual self examination? Am I to take on Isaiah’s role and start warning those “sinners” that the clock on God’s mercy is running out? I guess the answer is somewhere in the middle. I never arrive at the place where I am above consideration of my own spiritual condition. Just a quick of reading the gospels reminds me that it was spiritual pride that was the downfall of the religious people of Jesus’ day. On the other hand, if I’m going to be effective in both warning and inviting the “outsiders” to come to the Lord I must do so in a sense of humility. Otherwise, I’ll drive them away from both myself and their Savior.

Sometimes I think we read passages about the merciful patience of God and conclude that we can get away with about anything; that in the end, God will still be there, willing to forgive and forget our sins. Isaiah’s picture of the Lord isn’t quite so comforting. Things start off that way though. God says, “I’m available, ready to be found and reaching out day after day to even those who turn their backs and walk away.” Know what? We’d better keep reading. In that same message the Lord says he is sick of them and their home made religion. Even while God has been waiting he has been watching and as he watched he took note of all the rebellion that has gone on. It may be that the most important words in this message are not that God has continued to reach out to them even in their sin. Rather, the words that arrest our attention ought to be, “I’m not putting up with this any longer.” It is one thing for a person to have honest doubts and even honest misconceptions about the Lord and how he works in this world. It is something else to take the patience of mercy of God for granted. It doesn’t work that way.

My hope is not that God will look beyond all my failures and decide I am still basically a good person. I am not the victim of circumstances and my problem is not that I have been mistaken about a few things. Isaiah’s words point to the core problem: I am a sinner. And not just a sinner by action; rather I am a sinner by nature. I am not a traveler who somehow wandered onto the wrong road; I am a rebel who rejected God’s way because I preferred mine instead. Even when I try to do my best I am a failure at it. The picture Isaiah paints is of a human race that is rebellious, stained, and lost. Any possible hope must come from the outside. That’s where God comes in. This God specializes in mercy and hope. He doesn’t patch up my messed up life; instead he makes it brand new. Isaiah does a frightenly good job of describing my perilous condition, but he doesn’t leave me there. As great as my sin is, Isaiah reminds me of the greater grace of the Lord.

I know that there is much (and that is too mild a word) about God that is beyond my imagination. However, it isn’t the vastness of God that is on Isaiah’s mind here. Isaiah is talking about what he does know. The Almighty has revealed his intentions concerning his broken people and their enemies. Isaiah isn’t saying “no one knows what God is going to do” he is saying “here’s what God is about to do, it is something no one has ever before imagined.” God was about to move in their lives bringing restoration to them. Everything is going to change as the Lord works in a never-seen-before way in their behalf. His plans aren’t a secret; they are being announced ahead of time. This verse reminds me of the passage from the NT that is based on Isaiah’s words here. In 1 Corinthians 2:9 Paul says: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” A lot of folks stop right there, thinking Paul is talking about the future and unknowable plans of God. However, they need to go right on reading. Paul continues with: “but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” Paul is saying the very same thing Isaiah said. No one could ever have guessed ahead of time how God was going to redeem his people, and now that we know it we stand amazed. From our point of view, who would have ever thought that a baby born in a barn could save the world? But God, through his angelic messenger right up front announced that that was exactly what was going to happen.

Isaiah longs for God to move and bring salvation to his people. He envisions the sky splitting apart as the Lord comes in dramatic, powerful fashion bringing hope to their hopelessness and healing to their brokenness. That coming was earthshaking indeed. From the gospels we know just how powerful it was, especially in the events surrounding the crucifixion and the resurrection. However, this passage causes me to look forward as much as it causes me to look back. Even as Isaiah anticipated the coming salvation of the Lord, I anticipate his Second Coming; as Jesus splits the eastern sky and causes the mountains to tremble. “What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see.”

The old gospel song says, “Count your blessings - name them one by one; and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” I don’t know whether or not hymn writer Johnson Oatman was inspired by this passage but it certainly fits. Isaiah says he’s going to make a list of the things “God has done that need praising” and then work his way through that list. Like many Christians I have a prayer list that is filled with concerns and needs. I think it’s a good idea; after all, there are many genuine needs and the Lord welcomes us to share our heart’s concerns. However, I need to balance that out by having, in addition to a prayer list, a “praise list” as well. Otherwise, I am in danger of behaving like the nine lepers who were healed by Jesus. They rushed on into their new lives without a backward glance while only one returned to say “thanks” to our Lord. So, I need to purposely make the effort to spend time each day rejoicing in all the Lord has done for me.

The best known song of singer and songwriter Squire Parsons is “Beulah Land.” That song is inspired by this passage, in fact those words are found nowhere else in the Bible. Isaiah is describing God’s love for the people he has created which is characterized by the love a groom has for his bride. Things have not gone well for Israel up to this point. Their sin separated them from God and brought destruction to their land. As a people they have earned the nickname “Rejected” and their land could be rightly called “Ruined.” Because of God’s love and forgiveness everything is going to change. The “Rejected” people will be restored and the “Ruined” land will be brought back under the protection of the Lord. The new name for God’s people will be “Hephzibah” or “My Delight” and the land will be called “Beulah” or “Married” — that is, the land will reflect its unique connection to the Lord. Squire Parsons took the idea of a land uniquely the Lord’s to refer to heaven and his song is that of God’s people who long to go to that place that is God’s very own.

When Jesus was beginning his public ministry he picked this portion of Isaiah as his text. Our Lord’s ministry will heal heartbroken people and pardon those held captive by sin. Jesus didn’t read the entire “year of the Lord’s favor” sermon from Isaiah, but in that sermon Isaiah continues proclaiming all the good things God is about to do for his people. Because God is favorably turning toward them there will be blessing upon blessing. They will be the recipients of the covenant God made with Abraham and with David and the whole world will know them as the people with the blessing. At this point in the message, Isaiah responds, declaring that he is exploding in praise from deep in his soul. Since Jesus picked these words to describe his ministry to the world we who follow him can read this sermon of promises, not from only a historical point of view, but as though it is directed to us, personally. In our lives we are set free from the dominion of sin and are enjoying “the year of the Lord’s favor.” Of course, we still deal with the ups and downs of life, but there’s a deep satisfaction that comes from being a people God has blessed. Even as Isaiah was moved to explosive praise by this promise of the Lord, we too should be filled to overflowing with praise and thanksgiving for what the Lord has done, and is doing, in us.

Through the years of his ministry Isaiah brought a variety of messages to his people. Often, his words were those of warning and condemnation. At other times, his sermons contained wonderful words of hope and comfort. That is the kind of message we hear from him in this passage. Isaiah considers himself to be highly honored in being commissioned and empowered to preach good news to a people who are living as captives in Babylon. His message is one of encouragement to the poor and heartbroken; to those who mourn and wilt under the burden they carry. This message is so powerful that hundreds of years later Jesus selects Isaiah’s words to describe his own ministry. The message of hope was Isaiah’s and then it was Jesus’ and now, well, now it is mine. The proclamation of God’s favor, his healing mercy and grace, is not just Isaiah’s and, while it uniquely belongs to Jesus, I can lay claim on it too. For those in Babylonian captivity and for those today that are bound by sin, this is good news.

Sin separated them from their Maker and destroyed their nation. God sent their enemies to conquer them and then to scatter them throughout the world. Now, that day is ending and the Lord is making plans to gather his people from the four corners of the earth and make them into a nation of especially blest people once again. Isaiah encourages them that it won’t be long now before it happens. What played out in the history of Israel reflects the larger journey of humanity. We read in Genesis of the fall of humans in the Garden and the resulting “driving out” that took place. Later on, Cain’s sin causes him to, again, be driven out. Then after the Flood, God tells the renewed human race to fan out and populate the face of the earth. Instead, they gather at Babylon to build a tower. The Lord confounds their languages, forcing them to scatter into many different people groups. This, though, is not the final intention of God. When the time is right, he will gather his people to himself. Jesus tells his followers that God wants to make us one. He encourages us that in his Father’s house there is room for all and that he will take us there. Even as Isaiah described a reuniting of Israel, the larger picture of the Bible is God’s plan to reunite humanity in an eternal relationship with himself. Since that is God’s plan we can be sure that he’ll “make it happen.”

Isaiah pictures the Lord looking out to the horizon and seeing the ugly advance of sin. Before him is a sea of lies and hate and evil and death. He then looks to his right and left and sees no one that can raise the standard of righteousness. God makes the decision. He puts on armor for battle: Salvation, Judgment, and Passion. There’s no one else who can take on the rising tide of evil; all others are tainted and overrun by this enemy. He will go into the battle with Righteousness as his strength. Two millennia ago that battle took place, not in the heart of God’s prophet but at a place called Calvary. God, the Son, did what no one else could do. On that cross the battle was fought and won. With the fate of humanity in the balance this hero entered the conflict, defeating the enemy once and for all.

Ever since Adam blamed Eve, and in reality, blamed God, people have tried to pass the buck for their sin. “God is too strict” or “the temptation was too great” or some other lame excuse is used as a defense for spiritual failure. As a pastor I’ve probably heard more than most. I immediately think of lines like: “I was absent from church for two weeks and no one called me” or “the church just isn’t as spiritual as it ought to be.” Isaiah has heard enough and he reacts especially to excuses that place the blame for spiritual failure on the Lord. He tells his people that the thing that has come between them and God is none other than themselves. It is their sin that has messed things up and until they admit that things are only going to get worse. Listen, I know that the church has a responsibility to reach out to people; even people who know better than what they are doing. The church is accountable before God when it fails along this line. However, Isaiah’s message places the blame for personal failure directly on the shoulders of the one who willfully sins against God. Don’t blame God, the church, your spouse, your boss, or your friends for your sin. Take responsibility for your own actions, confess, and make it right. You’ll find that the grace of God is sufficient - and brings a whole lot more peace than making excuses does!

The people Isaiah ministered to knew how to do religious things. They stayed busy with worship activities and doing what we would call Bible studies. They practiced prayer and fasting, spiritual disciplines that need some serious attention in the lives of most of us Christians today. However, they were dissatisfied with the results of this frenzy of religious activities and complained to God about it. His reply focuses on their failure to translate their “church” activities into their every day lives. If they want to please God they are going to have to tackle injustice, exploitation, and oppression in their world. They are going to have to not just fast a meal or a day, but to share their food with those who are hungry, invite the homeless into their homes, and show loving concern for the needy of the world. Aren’t you glad that, these days, we just have to believe in Jesus and not worry about all that extra stuff? You know that isn’t true. Could it be that the problem of the powerless Church is that we think all our religious activities is what God wants when he has clearly stated his demands in passages like this one? I do want God to answer my prayers and I want his blessing on my life. Maybe it isn’t that I don’t fast enough meals so much as that I don’t care for the hurting, down-and-out people he sends into my life.

God is the Almighty and I’d better never forget it. His ways are higher than mine and he is right at home in Eternity. This awesome God is a demanding God. He calls me to live in fellowship with himself and his standard for me is nothing short of holiness. If I rebel it is not his purpose that is broken, but me. However, this God is not untouched by that brokenness. He not only sits on his throne way up in Heaven, but he also inhabits the world he created. When my sins have divorced me from the Lord and I begin to realize the awfulness of those sins I find that he has been there, reaching out to me all the time. The same God, this high and towering Being, cares for me even in my ruined state. He longs to transform my “spirit-crushed” life into something wonderful and new. His language to me is filled with powerful and welcome words: healing, leading, comforting. As I reach up from the bottom, I realize that God has been there all the time, reaching down from the top.

The Lord states his charge against a people who follow every god who comes along while ignoring the only One who is real. Through the generations he has done some awesome things, so it isn’t as though he has been unseen or absent. Still, if a person wants a god who will perform on demand and can be manipulated by some magic incantation, well, to them, God might seem to be out of the picture. However, just because the Almighty won’t let them call the shots doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what is going on. Even as they practice their secret sex-oriented religion he has been watching, and he isn’t amused by it all. Every detail of their absurd, twisted efforts at religion is going to be brought to light as God assumes the role of both Judge and Prosecutor. On that day, they can call on their wooden and stone gods all they want. There will be no answer because there is nothing there that can answer. Thankfully, part of this message has nothing to do with me. I’ve no secret religion and no idols are hidden away in the closet. However, it is to my benefit to take hold of the other point here. Just because God isn’t doing what I think he ought to be doing about some situation and just because he is silent about some issue in my life doesn’t mean he is distant or unconcerned. At times like that I simply have to conclude that God is God and that he is operating at a level beyond my grasp. I may not always like it, but I don’t have to. I do, though, have to keep on trusting him. That’s part of being one of his people.

Previously, when I have read this passage, I focused on the “prayer side” of this message: that God’s house is to be a house of prayer and God’s people are to be a people of prayer. That theme is very much present in this passage, but it really isn’t the heart of its message. The core of this portion of Isaiah’s prophecy is the “all people” statement. God’s salvation, we are told, is not just for the Jewish “insiders” but for the Gentile “outsiders” as well. Those with physical limitations whose worship experience is limited by the laws of Deuteronomy are not to be treated as second class worshipers. In fact, God promises that those who fall in the “outside” category yet are faithful to the Lord will be given an honored place, even more honored than that of the insiders. All people are invited to come to the “house of prayer for all people.” My response to this passage today is at two levels. First, I thank God for it because I am one of the outsiders who has been granted access to the Lord. I wasn’t born to the right family, but I have been adopted in. Second, I want to conduct my life with a strong realization that God welcomes people who are not like me. As one who has been graciously granted access, I gladly join the “welcoming committee” that invites other outsiders in. Also, while I won’t take time to develop it here, the literal meaning of this passage reminds me that there are those who need special accommodation to fully participate in the activities at the house of worship. I want the church I attend to be as assessable as possible for those who have special needs.

These days we hear a lot from politicians as we are nearing a presidential election here in my country. The common wisdom is that a person will say whatever they need to say to get elected. Hopefully, that isn’t so, at least not in every case because a nation needs leaders who lead with integrity. Still, it isn’t hard to remember broken promises from vote seekers. Isaiah says that God has things to say and that the Lord does not hesitate to make some promises. God’s message is not the common message of the world: his ways are higher than our ways. Not only is his message unique, but his faithfulness to make good on that message is unique too. When God says I am to live my life his way and that, if I do, it will be a better life, well, that’s a word I can take to the bank. His words are intended to produce lives worthy of those who are called his people. Even as rain falling from the sky is instrumental in producing bountiful crops, so does the word of God produce good lives in those who hear and obey. The message of this scripture is that God isn’t just making so much noise when he says “this is the way I want you to live.” He is giving me an approach to life that will produce the rich harvest of God’s blessings.

The things I think are vitally important don’t impress God all that much. Like a child who spends all her money on candy and then doesn’t have lunch money, I tend to focus on things that might feel good at the time, but won’t satisfy in the long run. My deafness is so great that even when someone shouts out the truth that I can’t hear them. Instead, I hear the cry of materialism and am driven more by mass marketing schemes than by God’s word. All along, I think I ‘m being smart and that, in the long run, if I do it my way I’ll be a contented, happy person. Through Isaiah, the Lord responds that I’d better pay attention and do things his way. God sees things differently than I do. For instance, he sees surrender as the way to victory and death as the way to life. The “higher way” Isaiah mentions isn’t about God being smarter than I am. That’s a given. The higher thoughts of the Lord spoken of here are about how he wants me to live my life. I must retune my ears to hear his voice above the silliness of the crowd and then, in obedience, I am to align my life with his ways rather than that of the world.

I’m coming up on 35 years of ministry and along the way I’d like to think I’ve learned a few things. One of them is that there are “tides of the Spirit.” Even as the ocean has times of high and low tide, so do we (individuals as well as churches) experience such cycles in the spiritual realm. In my career as a pastor I have seen churches that seemed to be doing everything right but weren’t seeing the results one might expect. Then, to our delight, one positive thing kicks off a whole series of positive things. Suddenly, the efforts that had been fruitless before take on a new life and wonderful things start happening. I laughingly told someone once that I was thinking of writing a book telling how our church had seen significant gains over a two year period. The problem was that I had no idea of what to write; we were basically doing all the same things we had done in the years previous when there was nothing special happening. I’m sure that there were things associated with those memorable days that I simply didn’t see. For instance, secret prayer by some saints of God comes to mind. Still, the difference was that God moved, not because we got all our ducks in a row, but because of his own schedule and purpose. We were the happy recipients of it. Today, Isaiah reminds me, not only that there are tides of the Spirit, but that we must seize the moment when the tide is in. We move because God is moving. Because God is moving, some doors that have been closed to us might just be open for awhile. You might say that when the tide is in it’s a good time to take a swim!

I like to drink my share of coffee and enjoy a diet Dr. Pepper once in awhile. But when I am really thirsty, I reach for a glass of water. Nothing quenches my thirst like a glass of cool, sparkling water. Spiritually speaking, there is a thirst-quenching water. We can turn to a million substitutes that promise satisfaction, but they will all let us down. For some reason, though, we tend to turn to almost anything but the Real Thing. No, I’m not talking about Coca-Cola! Into the market place of life Isaiah comes, shouting out his message of hope to those who have tried everything else yet are still dissatisfied with life. His message reminds us that there is a true Source of satisfaction. That Source isn’t a “thing” - it is a “Person.” Are you thirsty? Come to the water. His name is Jesus.

The Lord is stepping into their ruined lives and because of that things are going to change for the better. Through him, salvation is coming, restoration is on the way. Their current situation doesn’t reflect that. If their lives were on the stock exchange their value would be plummeting. However, God has, in his mercy, taken on their case and he is going to personally see to it that things work out. I can’t ask for a finer promise. I look at the uncertainty of my life and wonder how things will come out. Not only are there the things I know about, there are likely things headed my way that, if I knew about them I would be scared to death. That is, if that is where I want to focus my attention. Instead, though, I have the promise of God before me. I can choose worry myself to an early grave or I can choose to take God at his word that he’ll “see to it that everything works out for the best.” As might be heard in the old TV game show, I think I’ll take door number 2.

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Those words from an old gospel song come to mind as I read this portion of Isaiah today. I recently enjoyed some time at Rocky Mountain National Park, one of my favorite places in the world. Jackie and I did some hiking and soaked in the beauty and the majesty of those wonderful mountains. Some people go to the beach for restoration of the soul, I go to the mountains. When Isaiah wanted to compare God’s steadfast love to the most enduring, “for sure” thing imaginable, it was the mountains that came to mind. However, he doesn’t say “God’s love for us is as lasting as those mountains.” Instead, he says, “Take a look at those mountains. See how solid and permanent they appear. Well, when those mountains are worn down to the size of anthills, God’s love for us will remain, undiminished.” Today, I thank God for his more-enduring-than-mountains love to me.

Isaiah saw the Suffering Servant, the man born to die for the sins of the world. He also saw, maybe not with total clarity, life after death for the Messiah. From our common point of view following death comes deterioration. Even as Isaiah describes the terrible destruction of the Suffering Servant, he finds himself talking about abundant life. Our understanding of what happened at, and after, Calvary is not superior to Isaiah’s but we do have a clearer knowledge of those events. Jesus went to the cross and there suffered and died for the sins of the human race. His lifeless body was then placed in a tomb. Then, early on Sunday morning, the after-death process was abruptly halted. Rather than deterioration, life, new life, sprang forth. Resurrection! That’s reason enough for Isaiah to conclude his mourning over the death of the Messiah with a surprising “life oriented” twist. However, there is even more. As the suffering and death of Jesus was for us, so is his resurrection. We have hope of spiritual and physical life beyond this world because of what happened at that tomb. At one point Jesus said that he came that we might have abundant life. That promise was made sure the first Easter morning. Isaiah’s vision of “life, life, and more life” not only tells the story of the Suffering Servant, it is our story too.

The accuracy of Isaiah’s depiction of the Suffering Servant must have amazed the writers of the gospels. They wrote of something they had seen with their own eyes, yet their words mirror that which Isaiah saw only by faith hundreds of years earlier. However, Isaiah doesn’t only tell us of the sufferings of the Messiah. He tells us why it happened. God planned it. What happens at Calvary is not something that is “done to Jesus.” Instead, it is something that Jesus “does for us.” The Lord knew that we would just “get over” sin. He knew that the broken relationship between us and him was truly broken beyond that which could be repaired by any minor patch up job. There was only one hope of redemption and that hope was that the Son of God, the Suffering Servant, would carry our sins even to the grave. It’s what God had in mind all along.

No one has to convince Isaiah that his people are sinners. There is ample evidence of that. Also, no one has to convince him that sin brings death; it’s everywhere. What he needs help with is a way back out of this mess. They are lost to the point of having no hope of returning. The way back has to be provided by God, Himself. So how can a righteous God redeem an unrighteous people? The answer is in this powerful chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy. The horrible sins of his nation will be gathered up and put on the shoulders of the holy Suffering Servant who will come to the world. Their sins will become his sins and as the meek lamb being sacrificed in their rituals symbolically dies for their sins, he will literally give his all to restore them to God. God’s plan: my hope. The message of salvation was desperately needed by those of Isaiah’s day and it is just as necessary today. The wonderful thing is that it’s all true. In spite of my sin, my rebellion, and my “wandering off” God is providing a way back through Jesus Christ. God’s plan: my hope.

Right off, let me say that I believe in divine healing. In fact, I think the Lord touched me just this week. It wasn’t a biggie but I had something going on that seemed quite likely would lead to some unwelcome physical things. I prayed about it and the next morning, instead of getting worse it got better. By the next day I had to be reminded about it to even think about it and today, well, writing this is all that brought it to mind. Again, I believe in divine healing. I also believe it is okay to read the Scriptures devotionally. That is, while I think I need to be careful about the context and intent of Scripture when studying, preaching, and teaching that it is okay for me to read something and draw a more personal meaning out of it. I need to be careful when I do that because I can end up a long distance from where a passage was supposed to take me, but it can also be to my benefit to more freely explore the Word from a devotional point of view. That brings me to this passage. Isaiah is describing the Suffering Servant who will be Jesus. Specifically, he is talking about how he will be abused for our sins. In poetic form he describes that abuse and how it will benefit us. The entire passage is about our salvation: Jesus was beaten to the point of disfigurement, ripped and torn and crushed and bruised for our salvation. When I get to the line about his being bruised for my healing I know that Isaiah hasn’t suddenly changed the subject from Christ suffering to save our souls to his suffering that I might be healed of my health problems. The “healing” he is talking about is a healing of my broken relationship with God, not healing from cancer or heart problems or diabetes. With all that in mind, I need to remember to read this passage in light of what Isaiah is actually talking about and not what I “want” him to be talking about. Devotionally, I can connect this to passages like that in the Book of James in which we are given instructions about praying for the healing of the sick. Realistically, though, I need to be honest in knowing that this passage doesn’t teach that Christ’s suffering was so I could be healed of sickness.

The prophet’s description of future events is as powerful a passage as there is in the Bible. His words are so clear that we tend to just “blend” them in with the contemporary accounts of the Crucifixion of Jesus of the Gospels as though Isaiah was another of the eye witness’. This, though, is an amazing description of an event hundreds of years into the future. And what a picture it is: God’s Chosen One, the Savior, being brutalized; ripped and torn and crushed. Isaiah’s description causes us to wince and maybe to turn the page to something else. However, if the picture of horror he paints for us is greatly disturbing, the reason for it is even more disturbing. The Messiah, our Hope, is suffering in this horrible way for our sins: for my sins. As hymn writer John S. B. Monsell put it, “My sins, my sins…oh how sad on Thee they fall.” Isaiah saw it in all its terribleness. He also recognized it for what it was. Our sins, my sins, are the reason for it all.

If the pages leading up to this portion of Isaiah contain “dual prophecy” — that is, messages that apply to Isaiah’s current situation but will also speak to some future event as well — this portion of his writings abandon all but the future. It is the Messiah who is clearly before the prophet now. And what he sees amazes him. He knows God is showing him the promised Savior, but in this vision the Savior looks nothing like anyone thinks he should look. The Man he sees writhes in agony and suffers a horrible death. Knowing the hearts of sinful man, the Lord shows Isaiah how a perfectly holy Man will be rejected and mistreated. Even with that knowledge, the Messiah will be sent to save us, not by crushing our enemies, but by allowing himself to be crushed. The words of Mark Lowry’s Christmas classic echo the words of Isaiah, “this is such a strange way to save the world.”

I think this is another of those “dual prophecies” in which the prophet speaks of something close at hand, but, maybe without realizing it, speaks words that resonate into the future. On one hand, he is speaking of the restoration of his people. They are broken, almost to the point of extinction. If their condition was described as though they were one person, we would say he has been beaten to the point that he is unrecognizable. Something good is coming, God’s salvation, but at this point, things don’t look very good. It makes perfect sense to us that the writers of the New Testament were reminded of this passage as they saw what happened to Jesus. The Jews were God’s people and Jesus was God’s Man. It was sin that nearly destroyed the Jews and it was the burden of our sins that took Jesus to Calvary. Physically, they were practically destroyed and the same can be said of Jesus. Yes, it is easy enough for us to see the connection. However, we don’t have to walk away from this passage with a vision of “a ruined face, disfigured past recognition” on our minds. We do need to spend time gazing at that face, absorbing the full impact of what happened at the cross. Then, we can move on. Isaiah describes an amazing transformation saying, “Just watch my servant blossom!” That’s exactly what we see at the garden tomb that first Easter morning. Israel was to be restored by the grace of God. Jesus rose from the grave, victor over sin and death. Praise His Name!

They live in darkness, separated from God and without hope. Then, off in the distance a light is shining. At first, it is barely visible, but in time bright enough to create excitement in all who have longed for this darkness to end. Then, coming out of that light is a runner, silhouetted by the glow behind him. He advances toward them and the crowd gathers, wondering what is going on. They then hear him shouting something and the broken people strain to hear his words. He is shouting, “Good news, good news.” With the light brightening behind him the runner races into their still-darkened camp. All are quiet as everyone gathers around the runner who shouts out “Good news” one last time. He then catches his breath and cries out at the top of his lungs: “God reigns!” At first the people are stunned, and quietly speak these words among themselves, “God reigns. God reigns.” Then, without really thinking about it, they begin saying those words in unison: “God reigns. God reigns.” The chat becomes a shout as hands and voices are raised, “GOD REIGNS, GOD REIGNS.” Their sins had separated them from God. It seemed that all that was left was darkness and hopeless death. Now, a new day is dawning, a day of salvation. God is once again stepping into their lives. “God reigns.” Thank God for messengers of Good News. Praise God, who is God, reigning in our lives.

The Lord tells Israel that he didn’t “divorce” them; he didn’t just kick them out. They are where they are because of their intentional rejection of him. Even when he reached out to them, they ignored him. The disaster didn’t come because he changed the rules or backed out of his promises to them. It was their doing. Because of that, the road back, as it did for the prodigal son, starts with their coming to their senses and acknowledging their sin. There’s hope here, because there is, indeed, a way back; the possibility of restoration even after sin. It starts with admitting, “I’m a sinner.” If we think we will return to God on our own terms we are only fooling ourselves. In this passage the Lord tells them, “I’m as powerful as ever.” Things don’t have to stay the same because God has the power to make things right for them. It’s a long road home for these who have been exiled to distant lands and that road starts with their repentance. That’s true for them, it was true for the prodigal, and it’s true for us when our sins have separated us from God.

The prophet describes the glorious reign of the Messiah, looking, not only to his distant future, but to ours as well. The work of the Messiah is not only to provide salvation to the people of Israel, but to bring, in his words, “global salvation.” Of course, that is good news to me, since I’m on the “global” side of the equation. Isaiah envisions some of his fellow Israelites looking at their current situation and thinking that God has totally forgotten them. Their lives are anything but glorious and, while they want to hear this good news, they can’t get their hearts around it. To them, Isaiah says, “Can a mother forget her own child? God has been Father and Mother to us and he hasn’t forgotten us.” Israel had messed up in every way and her sin has had real, and painful, consequences. In the darkness of those consequences she feels forsaken and forgotten. But it isn’t so. God reaches out to them with the compassion of a mother nursing her infant. Israel isn’t the only one who has messed up. The world is filled with people who have had far more failures than successes in their moral lives. Does that describe you? If so, the message of this passage isn’t just for ancient Israelites; it’s God’s word to you, today.

The man of God looks to the coming of the Messiah and his words are filled with hope. The Promised One’s coming will impact lives as nothing else could. The broken relationship that exists between the Creator and the Creation will be repaired as God comes to us in the Messiah. When we consider humanity we conclude that our greatest need is the repair of this broken relationship. Everything that is messed up about us is messed up because we have become disconnected from the Source of Life. The solution is not that we try harder, or figure out how to fix things, or somehow appease the Lord. While being forgiven of our sins and receiving the promise of heaven is a part of God’s intention for us, it is only a part. We were created to live in fellowship with God and that fellowship has been broken. We broke it and in so doing, broke ourselves. Only he can provide a solution to this problem. When I receive this “Re-connecter” into my heart, cooperate with him day by day, and let him do his work in my life his mission is being completed in me.

I don’t know how a pastor ought to look, but apparently I don’t fit the part very well. Because of that through the years I have surprised people. I’ll be taking to a man about something, maybe a business deal, and his language will have words and phrases that Christians don’t use. Then, when he finds out I am a pastor, it all changes. I’ve even had people who started off using God’s name in some inappropriate way shift clear over to telling me how good God has been to them. Needless to say, I’m not impressed by such a sudden change of language. In this passage, the Lord’s complaint against Israel is not that they never speak the language of God or that they have forsaken prayer. In fact, they say and do a lot of the right things. The problem is that none of it is backed up in their lives. They give God lip service and then turn back to their chosen life style. There’s a caution in this for all of us. It isn’t just a potty-mouthed used car salesman or a backslidden Israelite who should be considered here. I talk the language of “Zion” a lot, and that is as it should be. However, when I’m not being “spiritual” what is it that I do and say? The measure of religion is not how loudly I sing in church. All that “religious stuff” has to translate into how I relate to people when I am standing in line at McDonald’s or driving in traffic during rush hour.

God Almighty handed his chosen people over to Babylon, the powerhouse of that day. His purpose was to humble Israel and bring this rebellious people back to himself. However, Babylon went farther than God intended and now, he speaks to Babylon as though this nation is a wayward girl who has gone too far. I think there is a case to be made here for the doctrine of free will. God gave Babylon the power and position to dominate the region, then when Babylon behaves in a cruel way, God says they went too far and that he will now knock them off their high horse. They think they are the “center of the universe” but the true “Center of the Universe” is about to put them in their place. Another thing that comes to mind here is the underlying theme of God’s love. God has been stern with Israel, but it was out of love. He was willing to use Babylon to bring them into submission, but there was a limit to how far God wanted them to go. I am reminded of how, in the book of Job, that God gave Satan permission to strike Job, but, in doing so, the Lord also told him that there was a limit to how far he could go. On one hand, therefore, I am reminded here of my accountability to God as to what I say and do, even when I am operating within the providence of God. On the other hand, I see that God loves me, and when I am on the receiving end of hardship, that he has set boundaries, not allowing me to be tempted beyond what I can bear.

The topic is hand made idols. God challenges his people to consider their tendency to create idols, not only of pagan gods, but those intended to “assist” them in worship of him, the true God. He tells them that when they whittle an idol of him they insult him, and diminish him in their sight. Now, I haven’t been making any idols, of Nebo or Bel or even of God Almighty, so I am safe from breaking this commandment on the first level. However, I might come up short here in some other ways. It might be that in trying to understand God that I shrink him down so I can get my mind around him. Or, I might enjoy a good discussion on theology and forget that the One I am talking about is part of the conversation. If I do that, I may come off as less respectful of him than I should. To some extent, even in my finest hour, I struggle to comprehend God. I don’t want to add disrespect or irreverence to my own human limitations.

Isaiah speaks to people who have incorporated idol worship into their religion. The religions of other nations have greatly influenced them, causing their view of God to include lots of mystery and magic. In his message, Isaiah includes the words of the Lord who reminds them he has never told them to, “Seek me in emptiness, in dark nothingness.” In fact, the Lord has done just the opposite. He has told them his plans ahead of time. He has even offered them choices: “do this and I will do that, or do that, and I will do this.” This God doesn’t work in the darkness and serving him doesn’t involve a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. Serving God certainly requires faith on our part. There is much about that Almighty that is transcendent, beyond our understanding. However, his desires for us are an open book. As Isaiah says it, “Turn to me and be helped —saved! — everyone, whoever and wherever you are!” Living in a relationship with God is not an exercise in ignorance. This God partners with us, directing our lives, but, at the same time, allowing us to operate freely within his purposes. This God prefers light to darkness and is, in fact, the Creator of Light (both physical and spiritual). We serve him in absolute trust, but, since his purposes for us have already been clearly stated, it isn’t blind trust.

Cyrus the Great of Persia overthrew Babylon and pretty much conquered his world. In modern terms, his name was in every newscast and many powerful people rose each morning and went to bed each night wondering what Cyrus was going to do next. Isaiah, the prophet of God, also talked about Cyrus. However, Isaiah wasn’t worried about what this powerful conqueror might do next. In fact, Isaiah has an entirely different take on Cyrus. Isaiah says that even though Cyrus doesn’t even know the name of the true God that God knows about Cyrus and is using this king to do what he wants done. Whether Cyrus knows it or not, he is on a mission from God. It isn’t his cleverness or wisdom that gives him success — it is the hand of God working through him. Beyond that, what cleverness and wisdom Cyrus does have was given to him by God in the first place. And, while Israel and Cyrus don’t know it, the things that he is accomplishing by his military might are for the good of Israel. Talk about devotionally rich material; this is it! On the big stage of the world, even when I don’t see it, God is at work. That isn’t to say that God is always orchestrating elections, etc. However, I am reminded that God has a purpose in mind for this world and he is working at just the right level, whatever that level might be, to move things toward that purpose. In smaller ways, I also remember that, even when I can’t see it, God patiently works through people and circumstances with his goals in mind. Or (and I said there was lots of devotional material here), I can place myself on the other side of things. When I try something that is surprisingly successful I need to remember that, like Cyrus, my success may not be as much mine as it is God’s. He may be “clearing the way” ahead of me because he is doing something bigger than I know. However, unlike Cyrus, who the Lord speaks to saying, “You don’t even know me” I do know him. Today, I remember that sometimes the Lord honors me by using me as a partner in what he is doing in this world.

As I read these words an old Sunday School chorus comes to mind: “Gone, gone, gone, gone, yes my sins are gone.” To us Sunday School kids that was mainly just a catchy tune, although I know that it is important to “train up a child in the way he should go….” The message here is mainly for grown ups, especially for those who are troubled by the mess that is their lives. They look at their life and see a disaster that can, in their view, never be cleaned up. You may have things in your past that are so ugly that you seldom allow yourself to remember them, and when you do, you are filled with shame. Or there may be things that everyone knows about: broken promises, failures, and destroyed relationships. The words of Isaiah are so filled with hope that our hearts cannot hold it all. The only One who can deal with the mess that is our lives has already acted to do just that. He cries out, “Come back to me, come back. I’ve redeemed you.” As I respond to that invitation, the words of the old chorus become mine…”gone, gone, gone, gone, yes my sins are gone.”

These pages of Isaiah are some of the most encouraging in the whole Bible. God has such good news for his people; salvation is coming to their spiritually dry lives like streams flowing into a parched desert. This promise is so great that people can hardly get their minds and hearts around it. To help them do that, the Lord puts his credentials on display. He says he’s the first and the last and “everything in between.” He is always trustworthy and he’s the one who can speak about his future actions with absolute certainty. I know some see this passage as ammunition for “God’s knowledge of the future” discussions but it is more correctly seen as “God keeps his word” material. The Lord is not passively watching events unfold and he is not letting history proceed in whatever direction it happens to find. This God is “on purpose” in his dealings with Creation. As he speaks to a fallen Israel, he has promises to make; salvation will come because he will keep his word. How does God know salvation will come? He knows it because he is going to do it. And, generations later, God’s promise is made reality in a stable in Bethlehem.

Spiritually speaking, most of my life has been lived somewhere in the middle. There have been high points, many of them. For this I am thankful. Also, there have been low points, though not so many. I’m thankful for that too. Out here in the middle, where I spend most of my time, things can get rather dry; sometimes with my not even realizing what is happening. I go through my routine, focused on the common things of life and don’t even realize that some of the joy of living in God’s love has dried up. The passage before me isn’t about the spiritual lives of individuals, but a nation of people. Spiritually, they have taken things for granted and the result is that they are as dry and fragile as the fallen leaves of autumn. Isaiah’s word of hope to them is that there will be an outpouring of God’s Spirit on their descendants. This isn’t intended to say that they are doomed to dryness, but to encourage them that something better is coming for them and, even more, for their offspring. While I know this passage isn’t specifically about my “somewhere in the middle” spiritual dryness I do see a truth here that I can take to heart: God wants to have a vibrant, flowing relationship with his people. If we will trust him and wait for it, he will “pour water” on our heart’s “thirsty ground” when the time is right. That is worth waiting for. “Mercy drops ’round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.”

God has good news for his people. The destruction of the past is ending and a wonderful plan of salvation is being put in place. Things are going to change for the better as the dry times end and times of refreshing come. God will bless his people who, in the words of this passage, he says are, “a people custom-made to praise me.” Those who first heard these words never considered the possibility that those “custom-made” people could include anyone but their own nation. We, though, have the whole story; how God’s Son came to us to remake us into new people, a people who are his very own. If it can be said that Israel was a “custom-made” people it might be added that, through Christ, we have undergone an “extreme make-over” in which everything about us has been transformed by the work of Jesus. The result of this “customizing” encounter with the Lord is to be that we become enthusiastic worshipers of God. Our new native language is the language of praise. For us, life isn’t a daily struggle in which we whimper words of complaint and need. Our first thoughts and the words we most easily say are those of praise to God. Israel was custom-made for that purpose and we’ve been made-over for the same thing. We’re a people who have had an “extreme make-over” — in that, we are made to praise the Lord.

This passage was especially meaningful to me several years ago when I was going through a major change in my life. At the time, I was dealing with some “baggage” from the past even as I prepared to move forward. As I read this portion of Isaiah the Lord seemed to highlight these words. I needed to focus on what God was doing right then and move forward into that. This passage inspired me to look forward with confidence. The Lord was about to do a new thing and he was going to let me be a part of it. How about you? Is there something from your past that needs to be forgotten? If so, let the Lord help you to do that. The place to start is to refuse to keep thinking about it. “Don’t keep going over old history.” Every time it comes to mind, reject it. Then, replace those memories by concentrating on the “new thing” God is doing in you and through you. Live in what God is doing right now rather than in some past disappointment.

I know that pluralism and tolerance are in, and, truthfully, I agree that these are a positive step away from bigotry and narrowness. I also know that we Americans have a lot to learn from other nations and cultures. Just my limited relationships with friends of Mexican heritage has both broadened my perspective and deepened my life. This passage, however, underscores the other side this issue. If there is a place for open-mindedness, there is also a time and place for narrowness and exclusivity. Even as the Lord speaks words of hope and comfort through his man Isaiah, he reminds me that, while God offers us the gift of salvation, that he is the only one qualified to make that offer. I can walk down the aisle of Walmart and decide which brand of peanut butter I prefer. I can listen to presidential candidates and pick which one I want to support. I can realize that the Oriental culture has something to offer that is just as good as what my own culture offers. However, when it comes to salvation, there’s only one place to go, and that is to the God Isaiah is talking about. The salvation he offers is abundant and entirely sufficient for me and for every other person, but it is, truly, the only salvation that actually saves…he’s the only Savior there is.

Have you ever been in a situation in which you needed a guide? Some years ago Jackie and I rafted some serious white water and part of the deal was that we, along with some other folks, hired a white water guide. As I recall, he earned his money, directing us along the way so that we got wet without getting dumped into the raging water. Isaiah pictures for us God’s offer to be our personal guide in life. I don’t think I am to draw from this that I’m to be a mindless drone, marching to the bark of a stern drill sergeant, but I do see the promise of God’s faithfulness to me in the decisions of life. Rather than barking out orders, the Lord more often speaks in that oft mentioned “still small voice.” Therefore, his offer of guidance can be refused. Due to the fact that everything in my future can be classified as “unknown country” I thank the Lord for his offer to be my “personal guide.” I have to admit that I still need some work in the listening part of this arrangement.