Monday 18 December 2023

Psalm 38:1-8

Background

The book of Isaiah is believed to have been written by three different authors. This is the beginning of the second part which was written in the 6th century BC.

This reading contains the prologue of this second part of Isaiah, so this passage is an introduction. It is signalling a period after disaster and blame when the land of Judah was being punished, and is saying that now God is doing something new. The Israelites are being told after an awful lot of pain and loss there is finally some good news.

This prologue is intended to confirm that God is going to look after them and redeem them. A lot of the imagery used here is later used in the gospels to describe Jesus, and in John 1:23 John the Baptist quotes Isaiah 40:3 when he replies to the Jewish leaders who are questioning him.

The writer of the book of Isaiah is using the idea of judgement, which was commonly used at the time to explain defeats and disasters, to put the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in context. But throughout this passage the focus is clearly on the redemption of this group of people. The writer wants to express God’s love and the idea of a new future.

The idea that God wants the Israelites, collectively, to let go of the guilt they have been brought up with is a very important aspect of the introduction to this part of the book of Isaiah. To hold on to the divine promises within it, they have to allow themselves to hope for a better future.

To Ponder:

• Do you have any guilt about past events that you need to let go of to move on and build a brighter, more hopeful future?
• Is there anybody you need to support to show God’s comfort, love and hope for the future?