Wednesday 02 December 2009

Background

It was comforting to the Jews to believe that one day theirfaith would be vindicated. On this not-too-significant hilltop -Mount Zion (a figurative way of saying 'Jerusalem') - their godwould appear in glory and show that the people had been right toput their trust in God.

But the appearance or manifestation was not merely so that the Jewscould be vindicated. It was also so the world could be delivered.That, in essence, took some of the cause of Jewish pride away.Because God dealt with a certain people in certain ways, there ishope for all humanity.

"Feast of rich food" also translates as "a feast of fatness". To apeople who did not have to worry about cholesterol, the fatportions of the meat were the best. These were the portions ofsacrifices reserved for God (Leviticus 3:3;4:8-9), but here, God, acting as host, is giving the rich foodto the people.

But before humans can experience the joy of God's great feast,something must be done about the shroud of death which awaits allon every pathway. This will cause them to come to the feast withveiled faces. But God will swallow death, not merely remove itscold blight.

In verses 9-10, the theme turns from the salvation of the nationsto the prior judgement, with Moab - a mountainous strip inmodern-day Jordan - symbolising the rest of the nations. God wishesto deliver all the peoples of the world, but does this mean allwill respond to the invitation?

Although it had seemed impossibly long at the time, eventually the'waiting' will have been shown to be worth it all and the peopleburst into song (see Revelation6:9-11; 7:9-12).

To Ponder

In verses 7-8 we are told of God's conquest ofdeath and God's offer of the feast of life. Are there any parallelsthat we can draw from this text which could relate to the teachingof the New Testament?

Who would you want to sit down next to at a feastfor all peoples? How would you respond to people you are surprisedto see there?