e enjte, 11 tetor 2007

Isaiah 9:13-21


Passage: Yet for all this, His anger is not turned away, His hand is still upraised.

But the people have not returned to Him who struck them, nor have they sought the Lord Almighty. So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day; the elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail. Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray. Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will He pity the fatherless and widows, every mouth speaks vileness.

Yet for all this, His anger is not turned away, His hand is still upraised.

Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke. By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; no one will spare his brother. On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of his own offspring: Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah.

Yet for all this, His anger is not turned away, His hand is still upraised.

Journal: Yesterday, we saw how the nation of Israel refused to believe that their plight was a result of their sinfulness. They were ready to begin again with the same sinful propensities. Thus, the Lord's "anger" remains, and "His hand is still upraised." Israel has a crisis of leadership. This is why the "elders and prophets" are rebuked for not leading the nation to repentance, for not leading the nation to the throne of God. ("So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day; the elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.")

Satan always attempts to strike the cord of disunity. ("On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of his own offspring: Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah.") If the children of God are embroiled in sibling rivalry, then the kingdom of God cannot be illuminated to a darkened world. If the church does not speak with one voice that glorifies God, then God will evidence His glory elsewhere, while His children will be left with His "upraised hand."

It is interesting to note that throughout sacred scripture God repeatedly encourages His children to evidence their obedience by caring for the fatherless and the widows. It is fighting injustice that our love of God is made known. Yet here, God shows us that no one will be with excuse or exempt from His judgment. God's ultimate justice reigns supreme over any perceived injustice in the world. That is, even the fatherless and the widows (as well as the "young") will pay the price for rebellion toward God. ("Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will He pity the fatherless and widows, every mouth speaks vileness.") We will stand before Him some day and we will be held accountable, and the circumstances of our own injustices will have no bearing on the dispensing of His justice. God's great glory is perfect in judgment, and His justice must be protected and upheld. His hand will be upraised, and our mouth will be silent.

Heard 'Round the House:

With the addition of Hudson Dean Spicer (the three year old boy from China we are adopting), Jill has come up with new living arrangements. Let's see here, Anna and Song will be moving to Vera and Emma's room; Vera and Emma will be moving to Song and Anna's room; Ella will be moving from our bed to the Vera and Emma's new room which will be Song and Anna's old room (mommy and daddy will have their bed to themselves - I will believe it when I see it); Dean will be moving into the room currently occupied by Luke and Alex, and room with Luke; and Alex will be moving into the guest room by himself.

Everyone is excited over the change. But, as you might imagine, the most excited person in this whole new arrangement is Alex (though Daddy may be a close second). In fact, Alex is so excited that he sketched out a complete floor design of his new room, which included the bed, dresser, etc. This in spite of the fact that none of this is likely to happen for months. He generally is carrying his drawing with him and, if you run into him, he will be most happy to show you his vision for his new digs.