Thoughts for the Day

Woe to you who strive with your Maker,
earthen vessels with the potter!
Does the clay say to the one who
fashions it, 'What are you making?'...

'Woe to anyone who says to a father,
'What are you begetting?'
or to a woman,
'With what are you in labour?'

Thus says the Lord...
Will you question me ..concerning the work of my hands?
I made the earth, and created humankind upon it;
it was my hands that stretched out the heavens...

I am the Lord, and there is no other...
Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.'

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The Hebrew people suffered from two exiles, the ten northern tribes (Israel) were taken off into Assyria in the 8th century BCE, leaving the two southern tribes (Judah) until 587 BCE when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took the people into exile. All this was seen as God's response to the people's sin in not following His ways. But hope was held out by Isaiah who prophesied that God would 'feed his flock like a shepherd', and would raise up a servant to bring 'justice to the nations'. For Christians this servant was later to be seen as Jesus, but in before that another servant was to arise.

In 593 BCE, Babylon itself fell to King Cyrus, who then encouraged 'subject peoples' to return to their homelands. Isaiah argues that God has punished the people of Judah, and has now come to their rescue through the work of the pagan king Cyrus. In Chapter 45 we see a discussion between God and Cyrus, that leads to a proclamation by the King: 'The God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.' God is not above working with other nations to rescue his people when the time is right.

Today, we have a fractured world, and we too are asked to trust in God, not to doubt His plans for His world or for His Church; not to question His decisions; but to 'turn to him and be saved', for there is no other God!

Almighty God,
Creator and Ruler of the world,
whose plans are unfathomable,
we come to You today
asking forgiveness for our presumption
in questioning Your judgements.
We turn to You in faith
for there is no other God.
Amen.