To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. – Isaiah 54:9

Today's Scripture Reading (September 17, 2023): Isaiah 54

What does it mean when we promise to change our ways and not do something again? Does it mean that we will stop pursuing a particular goal, or is it just that we are willing to find another path to the goal? I love sports, and in sports, the goal is to win. And, occasionally, someone is caught doing something illegal in pursuit of that goal. For some, it might be taking performance-enhancing drugs to excel at the sport. Or maybe it is a coach willing to pay players to come to his university and play for the team. When these people are caught, they often commit that if they are allowed to return to the sport, they will refrain from the behavior that got them in trouble in the first place.

But what does that mean? Because the goal has not changed, they still want to win. Some who have used performance-enhancing drugs refrain from that drug but find the temptation of another drug, which is still illegal but maybe harder to detect in the user, too much to resist. I know of one coach who stopped paying players to come to his university. However, he began spending money on their mothers instead, hoping that mom might influence their kids to go to his university, an action still prohibited under College Sports Recruiting rules. Some offenders keep up their behavior and hope they won't get caught again.

God speaks to Israel as they live in their exile. And God makes this statement, "In the days of Noah, I committed that I would never destroy the world with a flood again. But that doesn't mean I am looking for another way to destroy the world. The day isn't coming when I will destroy the world with fire (which is good news for those of us who have suffered through a record-setting fire season). My commitment to never destroy the world with a flood is a commitment I will allow my anger to pass. And that is good news for my people living in exile because it means my anger will pass, and I will restore you."

It was a promise that Israel needed to hear. God would restore Israel. It was a commitment that other prophets had made, but Isaiah adds his voice here. This is not the way that Israel ends. God is not looking for another way to destroy the world. He won't do it. That doesn't mean we won't have hard times, and Israel was going through one of those periods of struggle as Isaiah spoke the words. But this time would end. God had promised it to Noah, and the promise still stood, and that was a commitment in which the Israelites could have faith.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 5