This Sunday is the last in our Rise Up series where we’ve been looking at Isaiah’s message from Chapter 40 onwards.
Isaiah 55, which we will look at on Sunday, is the joyous conclusion to the section of Isaiah’s prophecy which starts in Isaiah 40, and it is a fitting point at which to end our exploration of what God was saying to his people captive in Babylon.
Not just them.
Yet, it is our belief and expectation that God was not just speaking to them. God’s word is living and so God speaks to us through Isaiah’s message. Our Sunday mornings in Isaiah have not been an exploration of history, but an act of faith that God will take what he said to “them” then and speak to us now.
Pause
So, what has God been saying to you? Why don’t you stop reading… and prayerfully think about what God has been saying to you over the past weeks. Is there a theme which emerges? Is there a specific encouragement God has for you from this, or a correction or challenge?
I’d encourage you to spend some time exploring in prayer what God has been saying to you and what the practical effect this is for you.
Glorious
One commentator on Isaiah 40 – 55 notes that God’s message to his people is “couched in some of the most glorious poetry in Hebrew literature, or indeed, in any literature”.
In many ancient cultures there was a belief that you could know the character of the creator of something from the beauty and quality, the form of that which they made. People of good character created beautiful and well made things, people of bad character made things of poor quality and not pleasing to hear or look at.
We should therefore not be surprised that the form of poetry and prose of Isaiah 40 – 55 is glorious because its overarching theme and aim is to defend and describe the Character of Yahweh and His servant.
Which Lens?
Just as when having an eye test and optician which swap in and out lenses to make things clearer, it can be helpful when reading to metaphorically wear different lenses.
What happens if you read chapter 55 not with the “lens” which asks what does this tell me about me? But the “lens” which asks, what does this reveal about the character of God?
Reading the passage asking first what it reveals about God is to apply the principle of Matthew 6:33 to our reading of scripture. In Matthew 6 Jesus tells his disciples not to worry about food or clothing etc., and famously in verse 33 concludes by telling them to seek first God’s kingdom and if they do this everything else will fall into its proper place (I’m paraphrasing). If we apply this to our reading, by seeking God first in the passage we get things in the right order as it were, so having sought him we see ourselves more clearly, and hear what God would say to us knowing that he comes to us as a loving Father.
See you all on Sunday.
Brodie