Thursday 3 April 2025

Psalm 110

Background
It’s not the first time that Isaiah has mentioned 'a new thing'. Here, he gives more insight into what he’s seeing. Having explained in the first 39 chapters of the book of Isaiah all about what went wrong in the nation, and why the catastrophe of invasion and exile happened, now he encourages his readers to put all of that behind them. The price for their unfaithfulness, their obsession with idols, the rank injustices in their society – all of that has been paid. The sentence has been served. Now it’s time for looking forward, to seeing what God is going to do.

So what is this new thing? Nothing more or less than the restoration of the natural balance of the world, as described in the great covenants of faith and embodied in the key word justice, which Isaiah uses to mean the balance of the whole created order. Notice the way Isaiah starts with the natural world, with the wilderness and with the provision of water and the flowing of rivers. This suggests a restoration of the created order as described in the first chapter of Genesis, and indicates the importance God places on the creation God loves. We are reminded of this in some of the most famous words of John’s gospel: "God so loved the world…" (John 3:16), a reminder in case we needed it, that God saw the world he had created, and behold it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)

At the heart of God’s creation is humankind, and God has particular concern for our needs. It is often suggested that guilt and shame are the two most commonly causes of human unhappiness. For all who suffer under a burden of guilt, real or imagined, Isaiah has good news: God has forgiven and forgotten, and a new, brighter future awaits. Paul echoes this in his letter to the Christians in Corinth: "…if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

To Ponder:

• We are each the product of our past – the people, places and experiences that have shaped us. Sometimes it’s possible though to get stuck in the past, unable to escape its grip. Are there things from your past that hold your back: perhaps memories, regrets, disappointments?
• Bring before God your disappointments and ask God to show you the possibilities for the future. Remember the wonderful reassurance of verse 25: God’s offer to forgive and forget the things that we regret.

Prayer
God of time, we thank you for our lives, for everything that has shaped us, even the memories that we prefer to forget. We thank you for your promise of a future with hope. We pray that you will free us from anything in our past that holds us back, so that we can embrace a future lived in harmony with you. Amen.

Bible notes author: Bob Bartindale
Bob Bartindale is a local preacher in the Bramhall & Wythenshawe Circuit near Manchester. He currently serves as the Officer for Local Preachers and Worship Leaders in the Methodist Connexional Team.