How often do I forget the way God has moved in my life? How often, as an adult, have I cried out in frustration and shaken my fists at the God I believe in? There is a pride that comes with age, this is the dark secret they do not tell you, a pride that comes along with the wisdom of age and it is dangerous like a cancer. Believing fiercely that I have a handle on my circumstances—that I perceive them as they are and that my emotions are appropriate to the moment, I often become desperately frustrated or even angry that God is not swooping in to fix it, change it, or tell me I am right.
In Isaiah 49-52 we see the prediction of the coming Messiah as God’s promise to redeem Israel, a call to the Israelites to rise up and prepare for His coming, and a prediction of the “Servant’s” suffering. Woven through all of this is a reminder of God’s goodness in the past to His people.
When I read through these passages the first time the thing that jumped out at me was Israel’s blindness. They will not look to the past nor hope for the future, but only seem to complain about the present. "The LORD has forsaken me, the LORD has forgotten me," (49:14). I want to be angry with them and point my finger at all the passages that remind these silly Israelites of God’s provision, but the truth is I identify with them. Just two nights ago I was laying in bed telling God that amidst all of his chiding and guilt tripping it would be nice to just hear that I am loved. Girls, I cannot tell you how often God has reminded me of his love for me. Nonetheless, the other night I was tired and my feelings were hurt and in the moment I felt justified.
My heavenly Father must sigh patiently, for I know He is patient, but I imagine it is a long sigh quietly breathed out through parted lips. He refrains from rolling His eyes at me and instead the Holy Spirit reminds me of old and new blessings. This is what God does in Isaiah as well. As you read through chapters 51 and 52 find these reminders. Of what does Isaiah remind God’s people? Can you think of other miracles or signs he had already given them in their past?
The incredible gift of being God’s own is the promise, the hope of the future. Whenever I get so overwhelmed with my own self that I can’t see past the swirling tornado of selfishness that stretches up further than I can see, God reaches in and shakes me. Then He reconfirms His commitment to work in me. I feel those carpenter’s hands molding me and making me new. I am reminded of the ultimate end, and the purpose for which I am here. All through Isaiah 49-52 is promise. Chapter 49 is a beautiful depiction of Jesus, can you see it? If you don’t at first then you will understand the Israelites’ plight. Then there is the description of restoration, where God holds nothing back. This kind of passion almost makes me uncomfortable. “I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine,” (49:20). Not only is God’s love immense and capable of redeeming a wayward people, it is also fierce and almost feral. I don’t want to run off on a tangent, but another question arises here. Am I willing to be loved with untamed and uncut passion?
Finally, at the end of this selection, there is the mention of . “…[My servant’s] appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness…” (52:14). I hear these words from Isaiah like a quiet whisper, the overlooked prediction that sums up the restoration and future glory of Israel. We know from the New Testament that Jesus was rejected. Why?! In heaven’s name, why are they not ready for him? Read John 25-33, where we hear a summary of all that is said here in Isaiah.
You are an Israelite if you think about it. You are the one to whom He has poured out promise on promise, you are the one who wants to focus on here and now. You are a critic, a skeptic, and you and I have to recognize that as we think about these truths in Isaiah.
Conclusion:
1. Where has God already moved mightily in my life that I tend to overlook?
2. What things do I complain to him about now that are largely of my own doing?
3. What hope have I in my own future and how should I redirect my focus from present complaints to future glory and gratefulness for what has already been done?
Monday, January 24, 2011
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