Thursday 17 January 2008
- Bible Book:
- Isaiah
"So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." (v.11)
Background
In verse 11 we see the focus of this passage. Pilgrimage to Zion(another name for Jerusalem) was something that every Israelite ofOld Testament times knew about.
Three times every year, at the three great festivals - Passover,the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles - the pilgrims camestreaming into Zion from every corner of the land. Whole familieswent together, meeting friends along the way. They laughed, talkedand sang.
The exile to Babylon, however, meant many were to grow up with nopersonal memories of Zion at all, never having seen it. For them,pilgrimage to Zion could only be hoped for, not remembered, and thehope itself must often have seemed very distant.
Here is a promise Zion will be re-built, along with the wastelandsaround her. Isaiah seems to speak with impatience and faith,pleading that God will awake and restore his people.
To Ponder
There are many times in our lives when thingsaround us are not as we wish them to be. In the difficulties andchallenges we are called to hold onto hope that one day our liveswill be as God intended them to be. Who and what encourages you tohope in times of challenge?
How do you encourage those around you who arestruggling and in need of support to find hope?