Friday 09 December 2022
- Bible Book:
- Isaiah
He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. On that day, your cattle will graze in broad pastures and the oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat silage which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. On every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water… (vs 23-25)
Background
Isaiah is striving to share his vision of a brighter future with those among whom he lives - the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They feel deserted by God, but God is beside them, offering guidance and direction (v. 22). Indeed, it may be that they have deserted God: note what the prophet says about silver-covered idols and gold-plated images. These are worthless, they are not the real thing - simply ‘covered’ and ‘plated’!
Isaiah’s vision of the future is couched in vivid agricultural terms, which were meaningful to people who depended on rain and running water for the pasture and silage to feed their working animals. We, today, living on these off-shore islands of Europe, are inclined to take rain for granted and not appreciate it fully.
In present times, a devastating drought is afflicting parts of the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. According to Christian Aid, there have been four 'rainy seasons' without rain. Animals are dying and people are starving. Is there a vision and a promise to sustain them? Can the limited resolutions of the global climate conference COP27, hammered out at the very last minute, offer any encouragement and life? Are we able to live more simply so that sisters and brothers may simply live? This old slogan takes on a whole new meaning at a time when we are all realising the effects of climate change.
To Ponder:
- Take time to reflect on the rural scene outlined by Isaiah (vs 23-25). If you work on the land, you know what this is about; the rest of us need to think about it!
- What might be your 'silver-covered and gold-plated idols'?
Prayer
Loving God, give me the vision to change my lifestyle so that others may live. Amen.