By pastorscott
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.
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By pastorscott
Even as Isaiah writes words of comfort to those banished from Jerusalem by the crushing might of Babylon, he looks forward to an even greater deliverance. “One day,” he promises, “God will send the ultimate Deliverer, his prized Servant, to the world to do an even greater thing than bringing a scattered people back to their homeland.” Isaiah looks to the coming of the Messiah, a man filled with the Spirit who will “set everything right.” One day, in Isaiah’s distant future, a man would be baptized and God’s voice would be heard proclaiming, “This is my Son.” Here, we see that event being foretold as the Lord says through Isaiah, “He’s the one I chose, and I couldn’t be more pleased with him.” The prophet doesn’t have all the details. In fact, it is unlikely that he has a vision of Calvary or of the empty tomb of Easter. However, he sees in this Servant a persistence that drives him forward through every obstacle placed in his path. Isaiah doesn’t see a cross, but he does see a Messiah who won’t be stopped by one. Today, I am reminded that even as a cross couldn’t stop this Servant of God, neither can he be stopped by the seeming insurmountable obstacles of the world today. We Christians need to remember this and join the Messiah’s mission. Followers of his don’t sit around wringing their hands while lamenting the state of things. This Messiah won’t quit until things are set “right on earth.” That is our mission as well as our hope.
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