Tuesday 05 April 2022

Psalm 73

Background

What a promise comes out of Isaiah’s writing! It is an invitation to those captive in prison, and those still in exile to come back and take their rightful place on 'the mountain of the Lord'.  In verse 9 the Lord is calling to prisoners "Come out, show yourselves"and is promising they shall be fed as they journey along the way, they shall not hunger nor thirst, and they shall not be stricken down. Christians understand this promise as Jesus is the bread of eternal life and is the living water.

How much is the world in desperate need of these promises right now. We are in a time of great suffering and aggression. War rages across the world: in the Tigray Region; in Syria; in Yemen, where UK companies have provided armaments used against the civil population; and now in Ukraine, where Russia has mounted a devastating military invasion. There is a kind of civil war going on in Myanmar, between the military and the people, with events that could be described as ethnic cleansing and mass murder. The people trapped in the Gaza strip and in the military occupied Palestinian territories experience conflict and deprivation, with demolition of their homes, humiliation at checkpoints, lack of water and other utilities, and above all lack of freedom.

How would you or I read these words of Isaiah were we in one of these war zones? There are millions of refugees for whom Isaiah’s words might sound like a trumpet call and the promise of 'a straight path' an encouragement to return to their land. What is the cost of supporting their cause and praying that the promise of Isaiah might materialise?

In verse 15 God is compared to a caring mother. No woman who will ever forget or forsake her child, but Isaiah says God's care runs even deeper. In God’s promise, there will be food and water, freedom and God’s protection. "Lift up your eyes all around and see." (v. 18)

To Ponder:

• What do you take 'the mountain of the Lord' to mean?
• Romans 14:17 says that the kingdom of God is justice, peace and joy in the Spirit. Is bringing it about to be understood in an apolitical way, or does it mean supporting political causes?

Prayer

God of Peace: we pray for peace with justice in this world and for peace eternally, through Jesus Christ our saviour. Amen.