e hënë, 7 janar 2008

Isaiah 24:13-23


Passage:

Isaiah 24:13-23
13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
14 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.
15 Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, "I waste away, I waste away. Woe is me! For the traitors have betrayed, with betrayal the traitors have betrayed."
17 Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
18 He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.
21 On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
22 They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.
23 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.

Journal:

Why is it that Isaiah is proclaiming joy in the midst of his proclamation of God's judgment of pagan rebellion? ["They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west. Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One."] The first catechism is our guide - "the chief end of man is to give glory to God and to enjoy Him forever." That is, our joy is found in God's glory, and God's glory is found in the punishment of the wicked. It is not that God receives satisfaction from some cosmic power play. [Ezekiel 33:11 -- "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked."] Rather, it is that God's glory is furthered by his equitable and righteous consequential punishment of sin. This is God acting out His righteous character. He condemns because He must do what is right, even if doing so with righteous reluctance.

Thus the believer, knowing that God's justice would otherwise demand swift and sure punishment of the believer's own rebellion, must be overcome with joy at the realization that God's grace through Christ Jesus has quieted God's justice. The joy lost in the garden of Eden has been found on Calvary's cross. The joy that was frittered away by the first Adam was gathered under the tattered robe of the second Adam. There is great joy at the thought of our judgment's conclusion and coming out on the other side as the forgiven and reclaimed children of God. The believer is guiltless not because of the what the believer can offer to the judge, but because of the pardon granted by the judge of His own accord. In this, there is great wonder. In this, there is great joy.

Heard 'Round the House:

I borrow today's entry from my wife's blog and place it under the category of "some days are longer than other's . . ."

The real reason I never finished that Ph.D.
My sister in law called last week because she wanted to borrow 24, Season 1. John commented that she must be bored if that's what she wanted to spend her day doing. I thoughtfully reply, "Well it will take more than one day to watch it all." Pause. Pause. John starts laughing right about the time I realize that you could, in fact, watch a full season of 24 in one day. Oh brother!