I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. – Isaiah 27:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 30, 2013): Isaiah 27

There is a yard close to where I live that often seems to be allowed to grow wild. The grass is rarely cut. In fact, by looking at the yard there is very little grass there – most of what is growing is simply an assortment of weeds. It is evident that no one really cares for the lawn. But just down the street is another house. This house is the reverse of the first house (although admittedly often the two houses can take on a very similar look from a distance.) At the second house, the owners have decided to use their front lawn as a garden, growing mostly a crop of potatoes. The front lawn has been used in this way for several years, Both houses can look overgrown at times, but the first is because of neglect, while the second is because of a carefully followed vision for the yard. The potato plants are carefully planted in neat rows in the spring, and then weeded throughout the season until the potatoes are ready to be harvested in the fall. But the garden, unlike the unkempt lawn, is a result of someone who cares greatly for the lawn.

Life requires care. It is maybe one of things that we miss – or that we forget. Life does not just happen. It needs to be cultivated. As I speak with people it sometimes seems that the real problem that they are suffering under is that their lives have grown out of control; life has not been given the benefit of the care that it needs. And the result of the lack of care is that things just seem to happen. The events grow like weeds in a lawn that no one has looked after. Rather than being neatly ordered, they take on a life of their own destroying the appearance and ruining any predictability.

God asks Isaiah to look at life – and all of its components, including nationality and religious identity – as a vineyard or a garden. A vineyard, much like a garden, needs to be cared for if it is to thrive and produce fruit. It is an uncaring vineyard owner that would allow the weeds that want to intrude on the boundaries of the vineyard choke the fruit from the vines - or who would allow a lack of water threaten the life of the vines themselves. But God identifies himself as the caring owner of the vineyard. His desire is to protect the vineyard from all of the things that could intrude the health of the vines. And so he protects the vines and waters them – he cares for the vineyard. But the implication here goes beyond what God does with the vineyard. Although God cares for the vines, there is an expectation that the vines want to grow and produce fruit. Unless there is an internal drive inside of the vine to produce grapes, then the vineyard will remain a barren place - totally absent of fruit.

Life simply requires care. There are enough things in our daily lives that desperately want to steal our life away from us. Our reality is that there should be a tag on each one of us that simply reads “handle with care” – because we need to be reminded of that continually, and reminded that those who around us are also in need of as much care as we are.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 28

As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, LORD. – Isaiah 26:17

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 29, 2013): Isaiah 26

Oscar Wilde once wrote that “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” There is amazing truth in Wilde’s words. Often when we go through the storms of life, we feel like we are the only ones there. Sometimes we even seem to want to be the only one in the storm, because then at least we have someone to point to or someone to blame for the situation that we are in - and somehow that makes us feel better. I know that one of the frustrating things that people have to endure when they come to me for counselling is how often I tell them that there is nothing special about their situation. But part of what I am trying to get them to understand is that we cannot allow the situations of life to dictate what we do in life – because every one of us has situations. It is part of what I think Wilde meant when he said that we are all in the gutter – we all have situations that we have to deal with, we all have storms that we have to walk through, and the truth is that our situations are not really all that different from the situations of those around us. Whenever we study the lives of people who have done amazing things in this life we find that they had to overcome obstacles – and those obstacles are often eerily similar to the ones that we face.

We are all in the gutter, and most of us spend our time looking at the gutter and feeling sorry ourselves, but some of us are looking at the stars. And of the gutter people who make a difference, they are usually the ones who find a way to take their eyes from the gutter and lift them up so that they can see the stars. They begin to see things that they can do to reach toward the stars – even from their place in the gutter.

It is really the message that Isaiah had for his readers. He wanted them to know that he understood that they were in the gutter and that they were feeling extreme pain, but Isaiah also needed them to understand that the pain they were suffering from was like the birth pains of a pregnant woman. Yes there is pain in the moment, but the hope of the future and the hope of the life that is about to be brought into this world is such that the hope is greater than the pain. If that was not true, women would have stopped having babies a long time ago. The hope defeated the pain, even though the pain was immense. In the words of Wilde, the stars that we see from the gutter give us so much hope that it makes being the problems that we are experiencing in the gutter seem worthwhile. Would it be better if life did not have pain? |In some ways I want to say “Of course it would,” but that is not the reality of our life. But even though our life is filled with pain, it should also be filled with hope.

Every single one of our lives is beset by storms. And storms always bring pain. That is simply the way life is in the gutter. But God is also present in every storm. And that should infuse our lives with hope. Because God’s strength is greater than my storm – or any gutter.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 27

You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall … – Isaiah 25:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 28, 2013): Isaiah 25

In Frank Herbert’s Epic interpretation of the future, Dune, some people are equipped with personal shields to aid in their protection. The idea of the shield is to protect a person from attack, especially from and an attack that used energy weapons. Essentially the shields are acting as an invisible suit of armor. The original idea of a shield probably originated with the writers of the television series “Star Trek: The Original Series.” Just past the halfway mark of the first season, the writers introduced a shield that could protect a space station (although with little success as the space station is easily destroyed.) A few episodes later the idea of a shield was introduced to the mobile starships of the series. They became an important level of protection during firefights between opposing starships. To attack a ship, first you had to deplete the shield that protected the ship.

But it was Frank Herbert that imagined a shield that could be used to protect a single person. In the Dune universe, the personal shield would change the way in which hand to hand combat is fought. The personal shield protects the person from ballistic and energy weapons. Even knives and swords cannot penetrate the shields, as long as they come in fast enough. In Frank Herbert’s imagining, an attack had to be slow if it was to penetrate the personal shield. But the person was essentially safe as long as the shield was in working order.

Isaiah praises God for all that he has done and once again he returns to one of the major themes of the Bible, God’s protection of the poor and the oppressed. And in Isaiah’s imagining, God becomes a personal shield of the individual who could find protection nowhere else in society. He is the strength that the poor and oppressed need when all the evil people want to do is to further their oppression. Even the heat and blast of the storms of the evil will in the end be defeated by the God who is our shield. And in Isaiah’s understanding, God’s protection will even  be extended to the strangers of society.

God has promised to be our shield and our refuge, an ever present help when trouble comes. And we still stand in need of that kind of protection.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 26

The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory. – Isaiah 24:23

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 27, 2013): Isaiah 24

It is maybe interesting now that we are just passed the fifty year anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy that we are still learning things about him. Or maybe part of the mystery is that we still care so much about his life (and about his death). In the last week we have seen a renewed fight over the possible existence of a second shooter, a theory that has abounded since the day of the assassination itself. As well, there have been more revelations released concerning the health of former president. Kennedy is thought to have been suffering from Addison’s disease, a chronic endocrine insufficiency, at the time of his election; a fact that was hidden (or according to some, directly lied about) during the 1960 election campaign.

But the real mystery really is that Jack Kennedy is still so prominent in the North American consciousness. Kennedy was very simply a man that seemed to match well with his time. He was a man that the United States seemed to need in the early 60’s. Young and brilliant, he was a different kind of president. And whenever that happens, these people tend to shine like bright lights, eclipsing the other lights around them.

Isaiah speaks of the day that the Lord himself will reign on Mount Zion. For some, this is a direct prophecy about the coming of Jesus, but for others there is a direct connection between this verse and the cosmic disruption (and the elders) that are mentioned in Revelation. But beyond the possible speculations of Bible scholars, there is a story being told here.

As much as we are absorbed by the bright lights of this world, the day is coming when those lights will be absorbed by the one that comes from beyond this world. The moon will be dismayed and the sun ashamed really indicates that in the presence of Lord (Messiah) these lights will dim in brightness. Just like the stars disappear in the presence of the sun, so the lights of this generation will disappear in the presence of God.

The lights of this generation will continue to come and go, they will shine brightly for a while and slowly their lights will grow dim. But in the day of the Lord, even the brightest of these lights will disappear. Nothing can ever shine as bright as the God who created the sun and the moon – and created the Jack Kennedy’s that shine on the earth.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 25

At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute… - Isaiah 23:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 26, 2013): Isaiah 23

U2’s Bono has made a career of trying to bring the issues of the poor and the oppressed into the homes and the minds of those of us in the West. The issues of the poor of Africa, the awareness of the stupid poverty creating serious illness that could be cured by very inexpensive drugs by Western standards – and yet these drugs are still out of reach of the poor of Africa - are paraded in front of those of us that Bono really believes have the finances and political power to change the world. It is very much to Bono’s credit that he has purposed to take the time out of his career to make sure that we as a society remember the issues of the poor of our world.

Even in North America, the poor and oppressed are largely invisible, hidden from our eyes. A number of years ago I took some teens through a tour of the downtown area of the city in which we live. Part of the purpose of the tour was to introduce the suburban kids to the issues of the poor of our own city. And yet many of them did not even see the poor that we passed on the street. People who lived on the street of the city were totally missed by these teens, somehow they had learned how not to see the poor. It is talent that many of us in North America seemed to have mastered.

Isaiah speaks of Tyre and mentions that they will be forgotten for seventy years – the length of a king’s life. The prophecy was fulfilled a couple of generations after Isaiah as Babylon defeated Tyre just after Jerusalem was defeated by the Babylonians. But the Babylon Empire really only lasted the length of one King – King Nebuchadnezzar. When Nebuchadnezzar died, the strength really left the empire. And seventy years after the captivity of Judah began, the Jews were returned home. And just after the exile ended for Judah, it also ended for people of Tyre.

We read in the very next verse that the key line in the song of the prostitute is that those who have been forgotten ‘will be remembered.’ Tyre was forgotten, but only for a period of time. Tyre would return. But maybe what is amazing, especially to the Jews of that time, is that Isaiah seems to be saying that God is concerned about, and will remember, a nation outside of children of God. God’s mercy is for everyone – it is universal.

God’s concern for the poor and oppressed of every race, creed, or religion is attested through all the way through the Bible. And the universal principal that arises out of this verse is that the poor and oppressed, while forsaken by the world, are remembered and of special concern for the creator of this world. And therefore, they should be of special concern to those of us who are called according to his purpose. If we are truly following God, we will always remember the forsaken of our world.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 24

I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. – Isaiah 22:22

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 25, 2013): Isaiah 22

Genghis Khan was born in 1162, the son of a tribal chief. When he was nine years old he was promised in marriage to the daughter of another tribe. His father delivered the boy to live with the tribe of his future bride until he had reached the marriageable age of 12, but on the way home, his father was murdered. The young Genghis immediately returned home to take the command of his tribe, but the leadership of the tribe refused to be led by young boy. Instead the tribe rejected the young boy, his mother and his brothers and sisters and ejected them from of the tribe; leaving them alone to fend for themselves with no protection. For the next several years Genghis Khan and his family lived in absolute poverty. The family survived on what wild fruits and ox carcasses they could gather and what small game the young Genghis and his brothers were able to kill. No one would have guessed that this boy would one day be recognized as the Great Khan, the one who was able to finally unite the tribes of Northeast Asia founding the Mongol Empire.

As a species we seem to have a fondness for Rags to Riches stories. And Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, was one of them. Eliakim’s origin is obscure. All we really know about him is that he was somehow connected with the household of King Hezekiah. But he was chosen to replace the corrupt Shebna as finance minister during the reign of Hezekiah. According to the Bible, Elakim was a servant of God, while Shebna had worked only for his own glory, Eliakim worked with his service to God and king in the forefront of his mind – and it was them and not his own ambitions that he was willing to follow. Eliakim was a true servant, and because of that Isaiah says that God would place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. It is an amazing level of trust that God places on the shoulders of this obscure man.

But the level of trust and responsibility that was given to Eliakim is magnified by Jesus. This verse has led scholars to examine this passage as a prediction of the Messianic because Jesus uses this description of Eliakim as a description of himself. In the Book of Revelation, John says that Jesus speaks these words “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (Revelation 3:7). The use of the words stresses the servant identity of Jesus – he came to serve with his eyes on his Father and not following a path to his own glory.

Which sets the stage for those that want to follow him. We are to be servants in our world, following the example of the one whose name we bear and the pattern of a finance minister who only wanted to please his God and his king.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 23

They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields! – Isaiah 21:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 24, 2013): Isaiah 21

When I was young, before the advent of computer games, I used to like to play bookcase games. A lot of the ones that I like to play were sports games, but there were other kinds of games. A bookcase game often sought to recreate real life, and it did so by combining complex statistical probabilities with a role of the dice or the draw of a random card. One of the non-sports games that I purchased was called NATO: The Last War in Europe. This was long before the Berlin War came tumbling down and the cold war drew to a close. But because this game was built around probabilities, if you wanted win the game, you had to play the part of the Soviet Bloc Nations. The idea of the creators of the game was the Soviet Union stood in perpetual readiness for war, where Nato would not really get ready (which meant a massive troop movement from overseas countries) until several moves into the game. In the end, the Soviet commitment to readiness would be the overwhelming reason why the Soviet Union would win the war.

There has been a contest among some people trying to add specifics to this prophecy. There are many elements of this prophecy that have led some to believe that Isaiah is speaking of the drunken feast held be Belshazzar on the night that the Medo-Persian Empire captured Babylon. And there are some similarities. But one of the differences is that there seems to be at least a measure of preparation for the battle in this passage that was totally absent at the feast of Belshazzar. As Isaiah implores the officers to oil their shields, he is calling them to get ready for battle.

On the night that Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian Empire, there was no readiness for battle. Belshazzar was totally unprepared for the events that were about to take place in his city. And what complicates matters is that the only reason Belshazzar was in the Babylon in the first place was that he was there to protect the city. The movement of the Medes and the Persians was not a surprise, Belshazzar knew they were coming, and part of the mystery of that night is the unanswered question of why Belshazzar was so unprepared for the fight (or why Belshazzar and his officers had not at least fled the city.)

We may never really know if Isaiah was prophesying about the night of Belshazzar’s feast. But it is not out of the question. But whatever event that Isaiah was prophesying about, it is not a stretch to believe that in these words Isaiah was amazed, not at the preparation for battle, but for the lack of it. His words about “oiling the shields” was a shout into the future to a king who seemed to be refusing to prepare himself for the inevitable.

It is also a cry to generations of people who do not seem to understand that the future needs to be prepared for. Life always goes better with preparation.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 22

In that day the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’” – Isaiah 20:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 23, 2013): Isaiah 19 & 20

There seems to have been a dramatic increase in the desire and need of networking in recent years. The increase is probably directly a result of the increased contact that we have with people through networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. I know that the contacts that I have built through both of those networks have been a significant help to me during some of my darker times. Just finding the voice – or printed lines that magically appear on my computer screen – of someone who has walked the path that I am needing to walk has been of immense help. Some of my Twitter contacts offered me a lifeline exactly when I needed it. And they reassured me that I was not the first to have to walk the path that I was now needing to travel.

But not all of my networking contacts have been of equal importance. Some even wanted to take me down a different path – one that did not seem to me to be beneficial. But when two people that I am networking with seem to want to pull me in different directions, that situation leads me to another question that needs to be addressed. How do I know which one is right?

One of the realities that we need to be aware of as we read Scripture is that the primary audience for the Bible is has always the people of God. Isaiah may address portions of his writing to the Assyrians, or Babylonians, or to Cush and Egypt, but the reality is that very few of those people groups would ever get to read the words that Isaiah was writing. By a vast margin, the audience for Isaiah was the people of Judah. Later the words would be read by people that were attracted by Judaism, and even later by Christians who desperately wanted to gain an understanding of the Bible that Jesus read. But primarily, the original intent of the Bible is for the edification of the Jewish people. So the lesson that Isaiah is directing at an outside nation, is actually meant for his brothers and sisters inside of Judah and Israel.

And in this case, the warning is really about the dangers of networking – or more precisely, with networking with the wrong people or people who will take them in the wrong direction. Specifically, this warning is about the Kingdom of Judah putting their trust and faith in Cush and Egypt so that they can stand in their dark time against the forces of Assyria. Isaiah’s warning is that Egypt and Cush would not escape the horrors of the Assyrian Army. In fact, they were going to be defeated. And if Judah was going to place their trust in these nations, instead of trusting in God, then they would also have to be prepared to share their fate.

And there lies the real danger of networking. At any time when we begin to trust in people rather than God, we have made a serious misstep. God is the only with whom we can rely and network. And any good earthly networking partners that we find will always lead us in the direction of him.

 Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 21

For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. – Isaiah 18:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 22, 2013): Isaiah 18

One of the many complex factors that led to the First World War was a naval arms race between Britain and Germany. As the 19^th century drew to a close, Britain had the largest military naval in the world by a large margin. No one else even came close to the British Navy. However, there were other nations such as the United States and Japan that were starting to experiment with navies of their own. And Germany began to be afraid of the British navy. The fear was based on the prospect of a British blockade the short German coastline, and if that happened, Britain would have the ability to cripple the German economy. So the German government started to expand their navy. Their goal was build a fleet of ships that was two-thirds the size of the British Navy. They wanted to create a two way street, one where Britain was as afraid of Germany and the German navy as Germany was of the British Navy.

So from 1898 to 1912, the naval arms race raged in both nations. The British response to the German naval development was the building of the Dreadnought. During the first decade of the 20^th century, even the British public got involved with the naval race and coined the slogan “We want eight and we won’t wait” indicating the desire for Britain to build eight Dreadnought Class Battleships. There is this belief that arms can stand as a deterrent to war. And sometimes I think that is possible. But as the conflicts between Germany and Britain grew in the early years of the 20^th century, their expanding navies made war possible. In 1912, unknown to the rest of the world Germany left the naval arms race and secretly began to put all of their commitment and energy into developing a fleet of submarines. Submarines was something that no one else had, and their hope was that Germany could build a fleet of submarines before any of the other nations became aware of their existence – and by then it would be too late. Britannia may rule the waves, but Germany would be the terror just under the surface of water.

Isaiah watched as the empires of his day prepared for war. They were building their militaries as the nations prepared for conflict. Isaiah directs this prophecy toward Cush which would have been made up of the area surrounding Ethiopia, but many scholars think that the real power behind Isaiah’s words is Assyria. It might be that these words are actually meant to be an encouragement to Cush in the midst of their fear of the massive buildup of the Assyrian Army that the reign of Assyria is about to come to an end. Or to warn them that their own build up was not going to be good enough. According to Isaiah, the pruning shears were already in the hands of God and before the military power of the nations had been made fully ready, God would step in. His judgment will come just before the harvest is ready – just before the military is fully prepared for battle.

No matter how prepared we think we are for something, God always has the last word. And if we are not preparing for his purpose, then we will be cut short and doomed to failure – and our will probably become apparent just at the moment that we think our victory is assured.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 19 & 20

You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. – Isaiah 17:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 21, 2013): Isaiah 17

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is putting both Toronto and Canada on the map. Unfortunately, it isn’t for doing something good. The Mayor of Canada’s largest city has provided late night television with a constant stream of jokes for the past couple of weeks. The charges against the mayor have ranged from alcohol fueled misbehaviour, drug purchasing and use, and sexual misconduct charges to minor misappropriation of power charges (like sending aides to change light bulbs in his house.) And there has been a pattern to the revelations. A charge of misbehaviour is revealed, Mayor Ford vehemently denies the charge, Ford Explodes with language unbecoming of his office, Ford threatens to sue former staffers or whoever happens to be around him at the time, Ford backs off recognizing that he has a problem, but it isn’t really that bad. He has just had a bad day, or week, month, or year. He has messed up and will do better in the future. And then the chorus picks up off stage requesting the Mayor to resign office.

But probably the one thing that is not being talked about is the job the mayor is doing in office, (one anonymous Toronto billboard trumpeted a message of support for the Mayor praising his financial restraint while quoting a bible verse on the bottom of the sign indicating that it is those without sin that can throw the first stone) but the sign disappeared from Toronto streets almost as quickly as it went up. With everything that is going on in Mayor Ford’s life, it seems unlikely that the he is giving of his best to the citizens of Toronto. Given the charges that are being leveled against the Mayor, it seems likely that the Mayor has lost focus on the reason that he is in office in the first place – to lead a city (and in this case, a major North American center) into the future. The growing evidence of misbehaviour being brought against the Mayor is just evidence that the Mayor has lost sight of the basics – of the things that are really important. And the first priority for Ford should be a commitment to get back to the basics of running the city - something that in the past he has done well.

Isaiah reminds his readers that it is not that a person or a nation has to commit a great sin in order to be brought down to destruction. It is enough that they lose their focus on the basics and on the things that are important. In the case of Damascus, there did not have to be a list of accusers drawing up their charges against the nation. Late night television did not need to be brought in chronicling the lack. It was enough that they had lost their focus.

The uncomfortable truth for Rob Ford is that if he had done his job, he wouldn’t be nearly as famous as he is. When our focus is right, the world seldom notices because everything seems to happen at its proper pace. But when we lose our focus, then the world notices us – but in that case it is not for all of the positives things we are accomplishing. So it is with that in mind that I hope that the world never notices you. Keep your focus on God and on the things that you are placed here for you to accomplish. If David Letterman never realizes that you exist, then there is a good chance that you have kept your eyes on the prize and remembered the important things of life.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 18

Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards; no one treads out wine at the presses, for I have put an end to the shouting. – Isaiah 16:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 20, 2013): Isaiah 15 & 16

Economist Harry Veryser has released a book on the tragedy of Detroit entitled “It Didn’t Have to be This Way.” The book examines the decline of the City of Detroit. Veryser places the blame for the woes of the city on decisions that were made a long time ago. According to Veryser, who grew up in Detroit, in its heyday Detroit found its strength in the fact that it was a collection of small communities. The decline began when the city administrators decided to do two things; the first was to institute an “income tax” making Detroit a very expensive place to live and do business. This choice of Detroit city executives created a business environment that, for many businesses, began to move just outside the city limits forever changing the structure of the city. But a second factor in the demise of the city was that the city to begin to segregate industry, commercial and residential land. In this decision (which was made over 50 years ago) the seeds of the city’s destruction were sewn. It was with this decision that the community structure of the city began to be dismantled, and with the destruction of the community, crime began to increase in the city.

For Veryser, Detroit’s destruction was found in its own efforts to be something that it was never intended to be. Detroit was a proud city, and it desired to be a modern city rather than a collection of communities. But in that decision, the city threw away what made it both special and successful. And it just didn’t have to be that way.

Isaiah laments over the destruction of Moab. The once proud nation now lay in ruins. The orchards that once had made grown Moab’s famous grapes now lay empty. There are no shouts, no joy and no happiness. No one works any longer at the task of creating wine. But what makes the destruction of Moab such a sad event is that it really didn’t have to be that way. There were choices that could have saved Moab. But Moab refused to move down the path they needed to take. Israel had offered Moab the help that it needed to survive, but pride stopped the nation from accepting the help of the people of God. Instead of making the choice that would lead to the health of the nation, they made a choice that would lead to destruction. As Isaiah sees the empty vineyards, he sees a future that was totally unnecessary.

We are created as a people with a choice. We do not believe in an unescapable fate, we believe that we create our own futures with our own decisions. And much of the disaster of our lives is unnecessary – and totally avoidable. All it takes live successful lives is a willingness to swallow our pride and arrogance, recognize our dependence on God - and work at making right decisions.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 17

They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.” – Isaiah 14:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 19, 2013): Isaiah 14

There has been a bit of a renaissance in Modern culture in the belief in the undead. The message they seem to want to send is that we need to beware, because zombies walk among us. The recent revival involves a tale of the undead as sometimes being revived through magic or through a mysterious viral infection that has the side effect of reanimating the dead bodies. But often in popular culture, the reanimation is of a very simple person. Zombies stumble their ways through the earth. They are mindless creature with an unquenchable thirst for human flesh. Everything that had once made them an individual has been removed. Often all that seems to be left is a mob mentality, a horror scene for both the living and the undead.

Beyond the zombie revival, the removal of everything that makes us special is the great fear of our time. We often seem to want to go to great lengths to prove our individuality. We do not want to be in the crowd – that is the place of the undead. We desperately want to rise above the crowd, something that our image of the undead can never do.

Isaiah directs his words toward the King of Babylon. At the time of Isaiah, the rise of Babylon was still a longshot, but Isaiah seemed to have a word from God unfolding the uncertainty of the future. So Isaiah believed that Babylon would soon be on the rise. What Isaiah didn’t know was that it would be Nebuchadnezzar II that would be the Ruler in Babylon at the height of the empire. And in the day of Babylon, Israel would try to rebel against the great king of Babylon, but every time Israel would rise up, the great king would put them down. Eventually Nebuchadnezzar would send Judah into exile.

But Isaiah wanted to remind Israel that the day would come when even the great Nebuchadnezzar would die. And when the day would come, the grave would raise up to meet the great king, but at that time he would no longer be great – he would be just like everyone who had died before him. In that day, the king would be weak and unable to change anything. He would have simply joined the crowd.

It might be the one thing that the zombie crowd gets right. The day will come when the grave will rise up to meet each one of us. And in that day everything that we thought was special about us will disappear. All of our accomplishments and awards will be meaningless. The only thing that will matter is whether or not we are in relationship with the God of Israel, the one who created us. Death is the great equalizer. And it is the one gate that we will all have to walk through.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 15 & 16

The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. – Isaiah 13:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 18, 2013): Isaiah 13

It is said that in 1284, all of the children of Hamelin, Germany disappeared. The theory is that there was an outbreak of bubonic plague in the town (this was just over fifty years before an outbreak of the plague would decimate Europe killing possibly half of the European population.) But this outbreak of disease was more or less contained to the Hamelin area. But by the time the plague had run its course, all of the children of Hamelin had died.

It is this story that some believe that the Pied Piper of Hamelin is attempting to tell. In the story of the Pied Piper, the town of Hamelin is besieged by rats. Rats were a common carrier of the fleas that are the cause the plague, so it is no accident that the story talks about the rats of Hamelin. In the story of the Pied Piper, the desperate residents of Hamelin are willing to try anything to finally get rid of the rats, and so they hire a Piper to play his music and lure the rats away from the town. The Piper is successful, but after the deed is accomplished the town’s residents refuse to pay him for his music. So the Pied Piper plays his music again and leads the children away from the town, stealing away the hope of the town. And in the darker version of the story, even though the residents finally pay the Piper, the children are lost forever. In the historical Hamelin, the day came when the rats were finally dealt with and the disease had disappeared, but the children were gone forever.

Often our stories and fables carry a deeper meaning than we often understand. And the story is often an important one – one that we want to remember, such as the death of the children of Hamelin and the loss of hope for a town. Our stories are important, and they are true, even if they aren’t always literal.

The Bible is a piece of literature. Its stories are true and they are important, but the Bible often employs literary devices to carry that truth that are not literal. So Jesus told parables or stories that contained a deep and often hidden meaning. One of the biggest mistakes that we make as we read the Bible is expecting it to be literal, and this is especially true when we read prophecy.

This passage is one of the ones that should be interpreted in a figurative way rather than literal. We are told at the beginning of the prophecy that it is directed at Babylon. So in this passage there is a darkening of the skies, Isaiah is saying that this will be a worldwide time of horror. Babylon was about to take the stage as the dominant kingdom of the earth. The mention of the constellations is especially important for Babylon. Babylon held that the city and nation was started by the hunter Nimrod. Nimrod, an impious giant, was found chained to the sky in the constellation of Orion. While Nimrod was in the sky, he kept watch over his kingdom. And because he watched, the people of Babylon had hope.

But according to Isaiah, a time was coming when Babylon would be enveloped in darkness and they would be without hope. Even Nimrod would disappear from the sky, along with the sun and the moon, leaving Babylon in total darkness. In that day, they would be a nation without hope. But Babylon also stands for the kingdom of man, a kingdom that often looks for hope in the stars, when Isaiah knew that hope could only be found in the God of Israel. In the language of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, it is as if Isaiah wants his readers to understand that even if the Piper could lead the rats away from the town, it was only God that could restore the children.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 14

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” – Isaiah 12:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 17, 2013): Isaiah 12

In my youth I was a pretty obnoxious sports fan (trust me, I have mellowed.) But I remember, with more than a little embarrassment, the vocal character that I used to display when I was at the game. I loved to yell at the players, and the refs, sometimes even the other fans. And even when I was sitting quietly, I loved to listen to other obnoxious fans carrying on their conversation with those on the playing field (or on the ice.) But what was maybe a little odd was that other than at a sporting event, I was actually fairly quiet. It just seemed that part of the fun – and part of the expectation – at the game was to be loud.

At church, it was the exact opposite expectation. I grew up in a time when church, and maybe especially the sanctuary, was characterized by reverence. And reverence was quiet. Oh, there were times when the quietness was broken by and outburst of praise on behalf of someone, but for the most part church was the opposite of a sporting event.

But I wonder if a church service isn’t designed to be more like a sporting event than we realize. We cheer at a sporting event because we are passionate about the players or the team that has taken the field. We cheer for the city in which we live and for the University that we attended. We cheer for the teams that our kids - or our friends – play on. We cheer because we care – and the ones that we care about are in the house.

The same reason applies as to why the sanctuary should be loud. The one that we are passionate about is in the house. So make a joyful noise, shout and sing (and don’t worry about sounding good, just make a sound) because the Holy One is in our midst – and in the house.

Come, and make some noise.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 13

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. – Isaiah 11:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 16, 2013): Isaiah 11

Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that was originally entitled the “Defence of Fort McHenry.” At the center of the poem is a flag, one that brought hope in the midst of a terrible battle. The opening lines of the poem can be recited by even small school children in the United States and even by some children in other areas of the world (although apparently the words of the poem are not memorable enough when the “Defence of Fort McHenry” is put to music and sung at sporting events, because it seems the words of the poem are sometimes forgotten in those circumstances.) The opening line of the poem – “O! say can you see, by the dawns early light.”

It might be that the lyrics of the poem are sometimes forgotten by singers because in the words that are now 200 years old a story has been lost. A story of bombing and the attempt to take the away the Fort by a powerful enemy. The feel of the smoke from the fires that were rapidly spreading and the death that seemed to reign everywhere – and in the midst of all of this – a flag. According to Key, that fateful night as the battle raged, what kept the spirits of the defenders of the Fort up was that even as the bombs exploded that were meant to defeat them, what the bombs really did was illuminate for the troops the flag that was still standing, still waving; encouraging the troops to continue the fight a little longer. As long as the Star Spangled Banner stood, how could the soldiers ever lie down and give up?

It is exactly this kind of imagery that Isaiah is trying to evoke with his readers. In that day, the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for all to see. The imagery is almost ridiculous. How can a root, most of which is hidden underground, ever be revealed for all to see. Of course, the prophecy is partially about the Messiah who would come to the nation he was sent to save as a child – one who at the beginning of his life was considered inconsequential; born in a stable, but who would grow into the Messiah and a symbol around which the people of God could rally. Even in the darkest places in the battle, the Messiah is still there, instilling into his community hope.

But possibly a darker meaning for the prophecy might be found in the image of the root. The one time when a root is visible – and often stands tall – is when the tree has died. As the tree falls over, the root often stands in the place of the tree, standing for all to see; stretching its crooked fingers toward the sky. The root has very literally become like a flagpole; one that is now visible to all.

Is it possible that Isaiah unknowingly was prophesying about the coming of the Messiah and at the same time about the death of Judaism as he understood it? Not that Judaism has or will die, but that at some point in the future the Temple of Jerusalem would be destroyed, and the Jewish way of life, at least as the Jew had understood it in Isaiah’s time, would cease to be a possibility. In that moment, which would happen twice after the Isaiah prophecy and most recently near the end of the Roman-Jewish War in 70 C.E., it would be the Messiah, the Root of Jesse that would rally not just the Jewish people, but all people to him – and usher all of us toward victory.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 12

In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. – Isaiah 10:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 15, 2013): Isaiah 10

The continuing Richie Incognito, Jonathan Martin and the Miami Dolphins saga has become one of the sadder moments in the past couple of weeks. The Dolphins have sworn not to talk about the situation until after the NFL investigation is finished, but the story itself has more of a common plot than many of us would want to admit. The Incognito – Martin tale is carried out every day on most elementary schoolyards. Even the support that Incognito is currently receiving from team mates is part of the same elementary school story. It is the story of the popular athlete preying on the very ones who look up to them for support. In elementary schools the pranks are always in good fun, at least from the point of view of those giving the prank – and public opinion always seems to reside with them.

The unfortunate end of this story is that the one on the receiving end of the prank often has no alternative other than to put up with the behavior, and as a way to survive often begins to identify with the one doing the pranking. One of the Dolphin players remarked that Incognito and Martin seemed to be acting like friends. But again, that is precisely what we would expect in this situation. On every schoolyard, the Martin’s are seeking for the support and the protection of the Incognito’s. And they will often do anything to get it, even at the sacrifice of their own self-esteem.

But the story is not just one that is carried out on the schoolyard. It is also carried out on a national basis. Weaker nations are abused by the stronger ones – the very ones that they turn to for help and protection. For Israel, the process started in the infancy of the nation. Israel depended on Egypt for its very survival. But Egypt turned into the big bad bully on the street. What is amazing about the Egypt-Israel story is that even after Israel had escaped the grasp of the bully, they longed to return. There was security in Egypt, even if there was no self-esteem for Israel there.

The story didn’t end there. Israel would go into exile with the Assyrians. And the reality was that even before the exile, Israel depended on the Assyrians for their protection. In the near future Judah would experience the same relationship with Babylon. Israel would be bullied by Babylon and brought to the point of the extinction. And yet they would also grow to depend on them for their existence.

The good news of Isaiah was that there was a day coming when the remnant of Israel – the holy ones of Israel – would return. And when that happened, they would learn to trust in God and not in their abusers. The bullies would finally be put in their place. And Israel would finally be released to find their self-esteem and their value as a nation – and reach for their stars.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. – Isaiah 9:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 14, 2013): Isaiah 9

I am struggling with some deep questions. The Christian community has been known recently for the practice of drawing lines. We seem to want to define who we are – and who are those on the other side of the fence. We are the ones who are holy, and we want the world to know it. Somehow, because we are on God’s side of the line, we think that God will speak both to us and through us. It is a logical thought. And yet I sometimes still wonder about our practice of drawing the lines. Is it possible that we are claiming to be a people that we really are not?

Isaiah prophecies to the people of Judah using some images that we have appropriated into our Christmas story. And we have done this with good reason. The prophecy is essentially about the day of the Messiah – which for the Christian is synonymous with the days of Jesus Christ, the very one that we honor every Christmas. But the coming of the Messiah is only part of the prophecy. Isaiah says that the Messiah comes specifically to the people walking in darkness – to the ones living in the land of deep darkness. If we had to describe which side of the line that we have drawn that the Messiah comes to, it would seem that he is coming to the ones that live on the other side of the line.

Matthew uses this very prophecy of (Matthew 4:13-16) to explain Jesus mission to Galilee. Some have interpreted this mission and the early mention of the Samaritan woman in found in John 4 to indicate that Jesus was first to be seen as the light, not by the Jews, but rather by the Samaritans, because the Samaritans were the descendants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Since the Northern Kingdom was the first to fall into darkness and be carried into exile by the Assyrians, they would also have to be the first to see the light. But even within Judah, Jesus made it clear that his mission was to the darkness – to the lost sheep of Israel (e.g. The Calling of Levi [Matthew] in Mark 2:13-16 and Zacchaeus in Luke 19.) The Messiah’s mission was never to the light, it was always to the darkness, the ones that needed the care of the Great Physician.

So my question, and maybe my problem, is what does that do to the lines between us and them that we like to draw. I wonder if our self-identification as the ones who dwell in the light are actually a hindrance to our hearing God. After all, we aren’t the light – Jesus is. Is it just possible that the response God wants from us is the same response that Moses gave to him - God, have mercy on us, all of us, for we are all your children (Exodus 32). Maybe it is time for the Christian Church to stop drawing lines and simply identify with the world in which we live. We need to recognize that we are the ones in darkness, and that is the real reason why we will hear the voice of God.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 10

When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? – Isaiah 8:19

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 13, 2013): Isaiah 8

Often it seems that we really have not thought through what it is that we believe. And funerals is sometimes the place where we are confronted with these beliefs. I have had the privilege of being called to perform the funerals of several people who have never had much contact with the church, but it is in these moments that they seem to be confronted with the question of what they really believe. And often what they really believe is a mixed up mess.

One of the things that we somehow believe is that our loved ones are looking down on us. And somehow we think that they have an influence on how we live our lives. And it is really just an extension of our belief in the Saints of the church – and especially the practice of praying to the Saints.  A number of years ago I had a conversation with a lady that wanted to talk to me about her practice of praying to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The reason why she had adopted the practice was because when she became a mother herself and she began to realize the influence a mother can have over a son. So she figured that maybe her prayers would be heard if she could just get Jesus mom on her side. Besides, there are some things that only a mother can understand.

But that is actually part of the problem. Whenever we find a substitute person to direct our prayers toward, whenever we start to pray to someone other than God, our prayers are stolen away from the one that actually can help us when we are in trouble. Isaiah desperately wants the people to understand that there is nothing that the dead can do for the living. Their time on the stage has past. He is not saying that they were unimportant – or even that they no longer exist. But he is saying that it is the living God that can shape how we live our lives today. Only the living can shape living.

For Isaiah, it was proof of the decay of the nation that the people had started to ask the dead for advice about the living. And it was a betrayal of God, the one who was truly in control.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9

Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “It will not take place, it will not happen …” – Isaiah 7:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 12, 2013): Isaiah 7

On June 4, 1940, Winston Churchill stood in front of his political partners in British Parliament and gave the speech that has become known as the “We shall fight on the beaches” speech. It was just a month after Churchill had come to power in Britain, and just nine months into the Second World War. And things were not going well. Already, two situations were becoming apparent to the new Prime Minister. The first was that France was not going to last much longer. The fall of the French was already being written on the walls. (In fact, Paris fell ten days after the speech and the French surrendered to Hitler eight days after the Fall of Paris officially ending the Battle of France.) But the second thing that was apparent was that when France fell, then Hitler would be able to carry the battle across the English Channel right to the British people. So the speech spoke of the great military defeat that was coming and also prepared a population that seemed convinced that “this was not their war,” that the battle was going to soon be brought directly to them.

And Churchill also needed to inform the people of one other important thing. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. Defeat might be coming, but the war as not lost and would not be lost – ever. Churchill needed not just for Parliament to hear the message, but he needed his Commonwealth of Nations hear it. The defeat that was about to visit itself on France would absolute not take place in Britain, it will not happen here.

Churchill’s words contained the echo of Isaiah’s words to King Ahaz. For Ahaz and Judah, attack was immanent and it was coming from the north. Aram and Ephraim (or the Northern Kingdom of Israel) had created an alliance against their southern neighbors. It was not a positive moment for Ahaz. He was probably convinced that there was no way that his nation could stand against the combined might of his northern neighbors. Ahaz was probably not convinced that that he could stand against Aram alone, but it was at this moment that Isaiah found his way into the political chambers of Judah with a message – “It will not take place – It will not happen!” God had spoken, and Isaiah had received the message. And now so had Ahaz.

Amazing things happen when a leader has the ability and speak with confidence about the future. Isaiah had heard from God and therefore he knew that the words he spoke were truth. I think Churchill knew the British people and he knew he was standing for right. And whenever we find ourselves standing for right, we can never surrender.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 8

But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. – 2 Chronicles 32:25

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 11, 2013): 2 Chronicles 32

Pride seems to come in two forms – a positive and a negative. On the positive side, pride is what keeps us doing our very best. If we care about what it is that we do and take pride in it, we will continue to give it our best, and hopefully even grow in our ability. Pride is what helps us to create excellent products – and pride keeps us chasing after the impossible. But on the negative side, pride also creates blind spots. Pride stops us from seeing places where we could improve – and need to improve. And pride can also stop us from asking for, accepting, or recognizing help. It is this kind of pride that often make our sitcoms funny, but is seldom funny when it exists in our lives. We think that we can do it all by ourselves, however, our reality is that whatever we can do by ourselves is very seldom worth doing.

Hezekiah was king. For years he had run the nation. There is much that Hezekiah did well. He cared for the needs of the nation. He followed the instructions of his God. He actively participated in the rebuilding the temple. For most of his reign he had actively been about the business of the nation. But then came a moment that even Hezekiah was not powerful enough to handle. Hezekiah got sick. Often there is a very lonely and vulnerable feeling that accompanies our illnesses. And for Hezekiah, this illness would prove fatal. There was nothing that the wise men of his nation could do for Hezekiah except to tell him to get his things in order and do whatever was needed before he died.

That was not a message that Hezekiah wanted to hear. So he pleaded with God for his life, and God relented and allowed Hezekiah to live. But there was nothing in the king’s life that prepared him for this moment. There no lesson that had been taught in what happens when you owe someone else for your life. Hezekiah apparently had no idea of how to simply say thanks.

So he didn’t. Life simply returned to normal and Hezekiah forget everything that God had done for him. He acted as if everything that had happened, he had done. Hezekiah was still all powerful, and any moment when he had not been all powerful was simply erased. And in this moment of pride was the seed not only of Hezekiah’s defeat, but Judah’s as well.

In the eyes of God, not saying thanks is sin. In that one single act, we become the center of creation and everything revolves around us. In not recognizing our debt of gratitude, God and community take second place to our needs. For Hezekiah, his success was built on the way that he served others, now all had changed. His pride now required God and community to serve him – and therefore failure was at hand.    

In some parts of the world today is a day when we get to stop, pause, and say thanks to those who have stood up for us - who have served their nations as soldiers. Thanks.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 7

 

This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. – 2 Chronicles 31:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 10, 2013): 2 Chronicles 31

In 1225, King Henry III introduced The Great Charter. The Charter was essentially a shorter version of the Magna Carta that had been forced onto King John, Henry’s father, as the result of the rebellion of the upper classes of English Society ten years earlier. The Magna Carta and the subsequent Great Charter placed a restriction on the powers of the King. For the first time, the King was no longer able to do whatever it was that he pleased, often by pursuing his own interests and letting the interests of others be delayed until the king decided to fulfill those interests at his leisure. It was the beginning of what has become known as the Constitutional Monarchy. Because of Henry’s Great Charter, kings had to begin to learn to work with the other classes of society in order to get the things that he wanted. But kings also had to learn to lift up their eyes from their own wants to the needs of the nation. The Great Charter was confirmed again in 1237 and in 1297, Edward I of England reissued The Great Charter in order to get a new tax. And it is this charter that remains in force until today (although all but three of the statutes of the 1297 charter have been repealed. Two of the clauses still in effect are the Freedom of the English Church [Clause 1] and the right of free citizens to due process [Clause 29])

The description of Hezekiah that we have in 2 Chronicles is really of a good constitutional king. He did what was good and right, not for Hezekiah, but rather for Judah. He was directly involved in the raising of money for the repair of the temple, and he set the priests in the temple to do their duty, Hezekiah worked hard for both God and the people – and as a result he prospered.

As much as we want to believe that we are the kings over our own lives; that is not the way that life operates. God has placed us where we are to work at the task of being constitutional monarchs – we are to work hard for the benefit of those who are around us. In a me centered society, we sometimes forget the influence we have on those around us, for good or bad. Life is about community and about our place in it.

It is something that Hezekiah understood well. Even though he was the most powerful man in Judah, he spent that power for the benefit of the people – and set an example for his people to follow.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 32

If you return to the LORD, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.” – 2 Chronicles 30:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 9, 2013): 2 Chronicles 30

Winston Churchill is thought to have said that “History is written by the victors.” It is something that sounds very much like something that Churchill would say, but what no one seems to be sure about what the circumstances were surrounding the quote. But no matter when it was that Churchill said the words, history tells us that he lived the words. Before World War II, Churchill’s political career was in serious decline. By the time that Churchill made an ill-fated decision to back King Edward VIII during the abdication crisis of 1936, his political career was almost over. Churchill was seen as a pawn of the royal family and was even shouted down by parliament.

But in 1939, World War II broke out, and with it came the restoration of Winston Churchill. Churchill seemed to be a man who had been created for this moment in time. Churchill had been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement policy regarding Hitler and Germany. When Chamberlain was forced to step down as Prime Minister in 1940, the formerly disgraced Churchill was ready to step up and take control and lead Britain into victory – and he rewrote the history books in the process. For most, the early disgrace had been erased and a strong and very different Winston Churchill is remembered.

This passage in Chronicles is a little confusing. Experts read into it a comment about the defeat and exile of the Northern Kingdom to the Assyrian empire, but it would also seem to be able read into these words a more personal prediction of Judah’s exile in Babylon. The author of Chronicles seems to mention two groups – your fellow Israelites and your children; your sons and your daughters. The fellow Israelites could very well be the now exiled northern kingdom of Israel, but the sons and daughters sounds much more like a foreshadowing of the Babylonian exile.  

Did Hezekiah know of the impending exile of his nation and his children? With God, that can never be considered to be out of the range of possibilities. But there might be an easier answer. We know that this history was written from the other side of exile. Whether or not Hezekiah actually understood the reality of the Babylonian Exile, the author knew firsthand about the exile. And he was able to interpret the prayer of Hezekiah in a very personal way. He understood the very character of God, He knew that God would never turn away from the ones who had turned to him.

Israel never came back from the Assyrian exile. But the author of Chronicles was part of Judah’s compassionate return from Babylon – a return that was only made possible by the grace of the God of Hezekiah. He also knew firsthand of the compassion of his captors making Hezekiah’s prayer for the future an accurate description of this author’s present reality.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 31

We have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the LORD’s altar. – 2 Chronicles 29:19

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 8, 2013): 2 Chronicles 29

According to Greek Mythology, Daedalus and his son Icarus were imprisoned on the island of Crete by King Minos. Minos actually imprisons the father – son duo in the very labyrinth that Daedalus had created for King Minos to imprison the Minotaur, a half man and half bull monster that was born of Minos wife and the Cretan bull. When Daedalus is drawn in to helping an enemy of Minos survive the labyrinth and kill the Minotaur, Minos decides that the labyrinth can now serve as the prison for Daedalus and his son.

So Daedalus is confronted with two problematic escapes. The most immediate problem is the escape from the labyrinth, but the second escape is easily just as hard – how can Daedalus and Icarus get off of the island of Crete and back to Greek mainland. So Daedalus invents a pair of wax wings which have, stuck into the wax, feathers that Daedalus had been able to gather up. The idea is that flight might be the only way to both escape the labyrinth and the island. Daedalus test drives his created wings first and finds that they work. He gives a pair to his son with the instructions that Icarus must exactly replicate the flight path of his Dad if the two are going to survive the trip. To fly either too close to the sea or too close to the sun would be a mistake with deadly consequences. But once in the air the experience of flying deafens Icarus to his father’s advice and Icarus flies higher and higher until the heat from the sun melts the wax and the feathers fall out of the wings leaving Icarus flapping his bare arms which will no longer sustain his flight. The result of the pride of Icarus is that he crashes and dies in the sea between Crete and the mainland – his resting place is named in his honor and is known today as the Icarian Sea – leaving the father to mourn the life of his son.

The story of Daedalus and Icarus is one of the prototypical stories used to describe father and son conflict. The father who is wise gives to the son instructions that the son needs for life. But the son does not recognize the wisdom of the father – in the story of Icarus the wisdom of the father is not recognized until it is too late – and therefore the son falls into the precise trap that Dad’s advice was intended to protect him from. Dad’s wisdom is proved in the folly of the son.

In the story of Ahaz and Hezekiah, the father-son conflict exists, but the roles are reversed. For Ahaz and Hezekiah, it is Ahaz who is deafened by pride, and it is Ahaz who seems to fly too close to the sun. And the result of the father’s folly is that the son is left to pick up the pieces. One of the things that Ahaz had done during his reign was to remove the gold and silver items that were intended for use in the temple and in the sacrificial work of the priests, taking them from the temple so that he could enjoy their use personally. These items were not destroyed so they did not have to be remade, but they did need to be re-consecrated for use in the temple. In this process there would have most likely been a time of national repentance for the failure of the nation to recognize God in the days of Ahaz. What we might sometimes miss is the emotional toll that consecration and repentance might have had on Hezekiah. The son would be forced, not lonely to mourn the loss of his dad, but to publically recognize dad’s folly. No matter what the relationship was like between Ahaz and Hezekiah, this would have been one of the harder moments of Hezekiah’s reign – the day when the son would have to set right the results of his father’s having flown too close to the sun.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 30

In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. – 2 Chronicles 28:22

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 7, 2013): 2 Chronicles 28

The “Manifesto of Race” or “Charter of Race” was published on July 14, 1938 by Benito Mussolini’s Fascist party^. The “Manifesto” was anti-Semitic in nature, stripping the Jews of Italian citizenship and with it any position in the government or professions which many had previously held. Depending on how you look at the events leading up to the release of the “Manifesto,” it could be considered both a surprise and a very predictable event. As far as the surprise is concerned, Mussolini had never showed any interest in racial politics. But the “Manifesto” was predictable in that it helped to cement relationships between Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany. Hitler had privately confessed to looking up to the Fascist Leader, but throughout most of his career Mussolini had absolutely no interest in the German dictator. But by the late 1930’s, things were changing. Hitler’s star was definitely on the rise, and Mussolini made the fateful decision to try to hitch a ride. And so the “Manifest” was intended to show solidarity with the cause of Germany. Historians have looked at the document as evidence of the extent of influence that Hitler held over Mussolini. But it was more likely evidence of Mussolini thirst for power, a thirst so strong that Mussolini was willing to change even his own strongly held beliefs.

If Jotham was the perfect king, his son Ahaz was his negative image. Ahaz had no positives attributes. While Jotham had chased after the things of God, Ahaz had become a student of the religions of the countries that surrounded Judah. But he not only became an expert on their religions and their gods, he became a follower of them. Ahaz was imitator of the nations around him. He was a man without restraint, he believed every myth that he came into contact with.

Even in rough times, Ahaz refused to follow God. Until his last beat of his heart, Ahaz believed that it was the gods of other nations that would come to his rescue. His heart was never attracted to the god that his father had so faithfully served. While other kings had returned to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in times of trouble; even in trouble, Ahaz’s heart increase in rebellion against God.

But maybe the saddest part of the story is that Ahaz found himself following the gods of a nation that no longer even existed. Ahaz followed the gods of Israel, but Israel had already been destroyed and her gods had done nothing to save her. And yet Ahaz seemed willing to follow Judah’s sister nation into obscurity.

Late in his life, Mussolini is reported to have confessed that he wish the “Manifesto of Race” had never been written. While Hitler’s star had been on the rise when the “Manifesto” was published, Mussolini was also able to recognize when Hitler was in deep decline. While by that time it was too late to change his own path, but it was not too late to admit regret. For Ahaz, that was a level of awareness that he had never mastered. To the very end he was convinced that the god who had failed Israel had the power to have him.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 29