Meditation for December 3, 2008

From The Rev. Peter A. Munson

Isaiah 2:1-8, 11

 

1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

 

2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.

3 Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."  For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! 

6 For you have forsaken the ways of your people, O house of Jacob.  Indeed they are full of diviners from the east and of soothsayers like the Philistines, and they clasp hands with foreigners.

7 Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots.

8 Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made...

11 The haughty eyes of people shall be brought low, and the pride of everyone shall be humbled; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

 

Anticipating a New Day with Isaiah

 

Isaiah's prophetic call to speak on God's behalf probably began around 738 BCE (see the well-known passage where Isaiah describes his call, in Isaiah 6:1-13, where Isaiah had a vision "in the year that King Uzziah died".)  This was only sixteen years before the fall of the northern kingdom, Israel, to Assyria in the year 722 BCE.  Things were not going well.  The people were turning away from God, embracing soothsayers (verse 6, above), and thinking things were fine and dandy because of their wealth and apparent power (verse 7).  Folks were way too full of themselves (verse 8).  ("Wow, I made this.  Aren't I amazing?!?" - Instead of giving thanks to God for their gifts and abilities.)

 

Isaiah, like most prophets, was sent by Yahweh to speak the truth to the people, in hopes that they might hear the Word from God, and repent.  Evidently, this didn't happen.  Also like many of the other prophets, Isaiah was often given visions - either of the holiness of God (see Isaiah 6:1-5, for example), or of the possibility of a different future for Israel and Judah, if they would once again exalt only Yahweh as God, and no longer go after false gods.  For Isaiah and for other faithful Jews of his day, God's presence was centered around the Temple ("the Lord's house" - verse 2), which was in Jerusalem (or Zion - verse 3).  He foresaw a day when all the nations would stream to Jerusalem and to the Temple, so that the Lord might "teach us his ways and that we might walk in his paths." (verse 3)  With God as the judge of all the nations, there would be no more need for war.  The nations shall then "beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks." (verse 4)  They could turn their attention from war to farming, and to growing the fruits that the land would produce.

 

What a vision!

 

While giving out warnings on the one hand - that the destruction of Israel could be coming - Isaiah also held out to the people a vision of the possibility of a new day.  But all of it hinged on what the response of the people would be to Yahweh.  Would they give Yahweh his rightful place again, as the holy Lord, the only Lord - the only One who deserved the title of "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace"? (Isaiah 9:6)

 

The way the various writers of the Old Testament tell the story, the people of Judah and the people of Israel did not heed the words of Isaiah and the other prophets, and did not return to Yahweh.  Israel was overrun by Assyria in 722 BCE, and Judah and Jerusalem were destroyed by Babylon in 586 BCE, which included the destruction of the temple.

 

Do you ever long for a new day? 

 

A day where wars cease and people aren't oppressed or attacked for their religious beliefs or for being of a different ethnic group?

A day where employees are valued and have jobs that challenge and energize them, and where CEO's and athletes and entertainers receive compensation that is "in the ballpark" with the rest of us?

A day where we live in better harmony with the earth and all its species?

A day where more and more people are joyful and fulfilled, and fewer and fewer people are angry and depressed?

A day where teachers and our most creative artists and writers and our most skilled scientists and researchers are paid more than football coaches and football players?

 

It seems to me that the fulfillment of this day - which ultimately depends on God - also has a lot to do with our returning to God, and giving God all the attention and praise and honor and worship that only God deserves.  We no longer need to go to Jerusalem to find God.  We just need to open up our hearts, and ask for the eyes of faith, and we will see God, for God is Emmanuel - God is with us.

 

Let us pray for the day when all the nations of the earth will flood back into the churches and synagogues and mosques - not just for a day, like the Sunday after 9/11 - but for a "long-haul commitment", because they are desperate to hear the word of the Lord, and can't wait to learn his ways and walk in his paths.  (verse 3)

 

May we pray for that day to come, and may we open our hearts up to God, so that God can transform our hearts in whatever way they most need to be transformed.