Thoughts for the Day

Hear, you who are far away, what I have done;
and you who are near, acknowledge my might.
The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling has seized the godless ....

Those who walk righteously and speak uprightly,
who despise the gain of oppression,
who wave away a bribe instead of accepting it,
who stop their ears from hearing of bloodshed
and shut their eyes from looking on evil,
they will live on the heights;
their refuge will be the fortresses of rocks;
their food will be supplied, their water assured.

Your eyes will see the king in his beauty;
they will behold a land that stretches far away.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a quiet habitation, an immovable tent,
whose stakes will never be pulled up,
and none of whose ropes will be broken.
But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
a place of broad rivers and streams,
where no galley with oars can go,
nor stately ship can pass.
For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our ruler,
the Lord is our king; he will save us.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Isaiah uses images to speak of those who obey or ignore God's laws. After the attempted invasion of Sennacherib and the Assyrian war machine, we can almost picture his world. Instead of turning to God in thankful praise, too many people still oppress the poor and weak; accept bribes from the wicked; and ignore the victims of violence. We get a picture of a kingdom where water is scarce, where living in tents is not safe, and where raiding war ships can attack unexpectedly. Only those living on the heights with an assured water and food supply as in Jerusalem will be safe. For Isaiah, the place of safety for the righteous is a place of peace, because this is where the king lives and offers protection to all.

If we compare Isaiah's description with our world, it's not so different. The poor across the world often don't have enough money to buy food; bribes are still given or taken by large multi-national companies; people's lives are threatened in many countries; and the avaricious are only concerned with profit and their own well-being.

God calls us to live a righteous life and in doing so to help those in need. As the ultimate King He also offers us a future of safety, peace and plenty, though perhaps Heaven will really be about being in the presence of the King, our Lord.

Lord God,
You know our world can be unequal and unfair
especially for the poor and vulnerable.
Help us to never forget that we are called
to help in any way we can.
Grant us the courage to stand up to oppressors,
and turn our eyes away from man-made gods
toward You the only true God.
Amen.