Today's Scripture Reading (July 28, 2020): Isaiah 45
I have a friend who argues that everything that we do, we do because we have either trained ourselves to do it, or because we have some motivation to do it. As a result, there is no such thing as altruism; we do nothing simply because it is the right thing to do. Morality does not exist. All that exists is a carrot and a stick, and so we chase after what pleases us and avoid what brings us punishment. And unfortunately, most of the evidence for his thesis he finds inside of the Christian church. He breaks down our actions and our words and makes the argument that you will only be kind to someone inside of the church if you believe that you can get something out of them. Even our ministries that extend to those at the edges of society get us something we need; recognition. We are recognized as good human beings connected to the world that exists around us, and if that weren't true, we wouldn't bother with the ministries. And those who cannot elevate us in some way are quickly forgotten, ignored, or worse, abused.
It is probably not a big surprise that I disagree with my friend. Doing what is right, rather than what is expedient, is something that I believe is a crucial step of faith. We stand up to bullies, even inside the church and even when they stand with the majority, not because we gain something from the interaction, but because it is the right thing to do. We love all people not because it is easy, but because it is right.
The problem is that I know some people feel excluded from the church. These are people who just don't seem to fit in, or maybe who believe things that we don't believe or act in a way that is unbecoming of the church. These people we have never accepted, and that says more about our lack of faith than about the ones that we reject.
Isaiah continues his prophecy about Cyrus the Great. Cyrus was the King of Persia, or modern-day Iran, and was located just to the east of Babylon (Iraq). Cyrus had fought and claimed the territory for his kingdom to the East and North of the Babylonian Empire. But in 540 B.C.E, Cyrus turned his attention to the Babylonian Empire, beginning with the satellite nations the surrounded Babylon. It seems likely that it was around this period that our second Isaiah found his prophetic voice. In October 539 B.C.E., Cyrus began a campaign that would lead him to the great city of Babylon itself. And on October 29, 539 B.C.E. Cyrus entered the city of Babylon and declared that he was the King of Babylon and the four corners of the world.
We also know from the Cyrus cylinder, found in a temple dedicated to the Babylonian god, Marduk, that Cyrus was proud of what he did in Babylon. According to the cylinder, Cyrus significantly improved the lives of the citizens of the Babylonian Empire and restored temples and sanctuaries there. He also repatriated the exiles in Babylon, sending them home to rebuild their lives once more, including the refugees that had originated in Judah. Cyrus declares that the Babylonians had been impious when they had removed these people from their lands and that what Cyrus did, he did because it was the right and moral thing to do, not because he would gain any reward. And in this act of righteousness, the new King pleased the god, Marduk.
Isaiah says that in doing this, he also pleased the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who had raised Cyrus for just this purpose. It was time for Israel to go home.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 46
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