Tuesday 19 August 2008

Background

Isaiah is a book which may derive from the writings of severalprophets and certainly focuses on different periods of Israel'shistory. Its later chapters (which relate to Israel resettled aftertheir long experience of exile) give a far more universal pictureof God's intentions than any other Old Testament writing. It isonly when the Lord's worldwide people have been gathered that God'shealing work with humanity will be complete.

In these concluding verses of the prophecy verses 18-19 envisagethe gathering of a multi-national, multi-lingual community andverses 20-23 show how they will be welcomed with open arms inJerusalem as part of the worshipping Church. God's inclusion ofGentiles (non-Jews) in his healing purposes, which other biblical readings affirm, achieves its climax here asoutsiders become 'kindred' to the Israelites. The place names inverse 19 serve as representative of the whole known earth.

Christian readers see Old Testament prophecy as fulfilled inChrist. So the sign which God sets among the nations (verse 19)might be seen as Christ himself embodied in his Church, or perhapsas his Cross. But the passage as a whole points to the yet to becompleted work of Christ when 'Jerusalem' is no longer important asa physical place but a symbol (Galatians4:25-26, Hebrews12:22and Revelation 21).

To Ponder

How easy is it to identify with this kind ofvision in the fractured world of today with its multiplicity offaiths?

Some Christians use pilgrimage as a powerfulsymbol of the hope of the nations gathering to worship God. Whatopportunities are there, perhaps on a small personal scale, for youto consider this element of spirituality?