Monday 07 January 2013

Background

The second part of Isaiah (chapters 40-66) was probably writtenby a prophet or group of prophets in the second part of the 6thcentury BC, in Babylon where the kingdom of Judah was exiled. Inexile the people of Judah felt that they had been abandoned by God.Some had forgotten their origins and become numb, becomingassimilated into Babylonian culture. Jeremiah's prophecy (Jeremiah 50) had been a wake-up call to thepeople of Judah, to remind them that they did not truly belong inBabylon.

Having been reminded that they were in exile, the people ofJudah became exhausted by trying to maintain their culture andreligion in the face of Babylonian oppression, and began todespair. There seemed no hope of any end to exile and no prospectof any new beginnings.

It is into this despair that second Isaiah speaks. The poetryoffers a vision of an alternative reality through a series ofmetaphors. Isaiah rouses the people to hope and gives the communitya new energy, by reminding them of God's promises of a return totheir homeland and a new and glorious beginning.

This passage exuberantly proclaims that the people of Judah willbe gathered together back in the homeland, which will be blessedwith God's radiance. Not only that, but all other nations will bedrawn to God's light and Judah will become wealthy and rule overall the other nations of the world. We may be somewhat disturbed bythe imperial nature of this vision of God's glory and therestoration of God's people. But this is poetry, written for apeople dulled by oppression, exclusion and deprivation; poetry toinspire them to raise their heads and dare to imagine that God'spower is greater than the earthly forces oppressing them and thatGod's power will rescue them in the end.

We read this passage at Epiphany because the references toeastern tribes and gifts of frankincense and myrrh have beenregarded by some scholars as a prediction of the visit of the Magi.Certainly, in the light of the New Testament, the radiant glory ofGod that draws all people to itself is embodied in JesusChrist.

To Ponder

• As Christians, in what ways do we not truly belong to thedominant culture in which we live?
• Have you found poetry that offers you an alternative vision ofreality? What kind of poetry offers you this vision?
• What energises you to live as if you are a citizen of God'sreality rather than of the dominant culture?