Saturday 17 December 2011
- Bible Book:
- Isaiah
"On that day his burden will be removed from your shoulder, and his yoke will be destroyed from your neck." (v. 27)
Background
And if you've got this far this week - well done.
These words from Isaiah have been difficult to hear. God is angry.God corrects and punishes God's own people using the might of othernations. Not only does foolishness and sinfulness carry its ownreward of unhappiness and pointlessness, but injustice andexploitation will be punished. But there is still hope! There ishope because God is angry with us, and has not given up on us.There is hope because it is God's doing and not the powerfulAssyrians who've taken over. There is hope because God loves us andthe purpose of God's anger (we are worth being angry with), andpainful lessons (they don't just happen by chance) is that a newfuture is now possible. The burden will be lifted. There will bethose who pull through. All this may strike us as strange; Awrathful God? A punishing God? How can this be? But Isaiah isspeaking into the lives of people who feel punished and feel God isangry with them. He challenges their fear that God has abandonedthem by making it clear that God is still part of their situation,and therefore hasn't lost control. God's good purposes will triumphin the end.
To Ponder
What burdens would you like to be lifted?
Where do you think God might be 'indignant' (v.25) with the Church?
A challenge:
Dare we live with the hope that one day love "o'er the universeshall reign" (verse 3, God is love let heaven adore him (StF 103,HP 36)?