The Fast of the Lord and the teachings of Jesus

          Yes, I am jumping ahead for this post.

              The Fast of the Lord  ---  Isaiah 58 with Matthew 25

            Take note of the key question in verse 2 of chapter 58.  The biting phrase in the question is " as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness."  Of course, they thought they were a godly people that practiced righteousness.  Ritual, and  sacrifices and worship attendance and fasting made up their definition of what practicing righteoousness consisted of.  And observance of the purity laws likely rounded out their understanding of what a godly person did to put faith/ the covenant into practice.

            The shocker of "The Fast of the Lord" prophecy is that compassion action to hurting humanity has taken first priority in God's definition of godly living.  These ancient Hebrews were skipping meals, when what they needed to do was share their food.  The Lord did not want them to do without, but rather by their sharing make sure others in dire poverty had food to eat.  

           Here the Almighty God needs nothing from human hands, but expects us to provide for others.  The ancient conventional and zealous follower felt he or she had pleased the Holy One of Israel by the institutions of Temple, Temple worship with sacrifices, prayer and fasting.  In this these ancient Jews were much like modern Christians, focusing upon the institutions and rituals of religion with practical compassionate action taking a second or third place in the list of spiritual duties.  

         "Not so," declares the Prophet Isaiah in emotionally intense poetry.  The requirement of good practice is sharing, helping the hungry, the homeless.  

         Overall, "The Fast of the Lord' is one of the most emotionally powerful and important prophecies of all Scripture.  The New Testament parallels are in two parables of Jesus and in the exhortations to practical acts of mercy in the little Book of James.  

        The Seperation of the Sheep from the Goats" parable (Matthew 25) matches Isaiah's "Fast of the Lord."  Both Jesus and Isaiah refuse to define right living, godly living as religious ritual and conventional religious practice.   At times it seems that Jesus feels that conventional organized religion gets in the way of 

understanding the life that God smiles upon.  

      The parable of Lazurus diying at the rich man's gate is the other parable of Jesus that matches Isaiah's 

Fast of the Lord prophecy.  Food and practical help are the focus of Isaiah and Jesus.  Both the parables of Jesus are stories of judgment.  If we were missing the Gospel of John with its focus upon belief and if we were missing certain parts of the Apostle Paul's writing, then surely many Christian would believe that the road to hell was found by refusing to help the hungry, naked, and homeless.  As it is, multiplied millions of believers would barely mention the judgment that could await the hard hearted who can allow the needy to 

perish at their doorstep. 

      James, traditionally understood as the brother of Jesus, holds that faith that does not lead to practical acts of mercy must be dead.  Perhaps we should understand dead here in the sense that a mule is reproductively dead, sterile.  A sterile faith may assert many things that it claims to believe, but such sterile faith in Jame's sight is like the fear of devils and demons who tremble when they think of the Almighty Sacred Life.  What kind of faith leaves life unchanged in selfishness and the refusal to share.  It is not the faith that saves says James.

                                     Questions To Ponder:

    1. )  What happens to the prayers of those who fail to practice compassion?

    2.)  Why does food take center stage when the Bible speaks of genuine righteousness?   Why does Jesus speak of a heavenly feast to which many are invited?  Why is a wedding feast used to portray salvation in the last book of the Bible?  When the prodigal son returns to the Father, the celebration of his salvation was a barbecue with a dance, why is food and feasting again the focus?

    3.)   Do you think Christians and churches today teach accurately what the Bible teaches on holy living/ righteousness/ a godly life?

But what can we do?

                           What can we do?  We can pray.

          Again, a tragic mass killing has struck America.  We add the name of Arorea Colorado to the list of shocking, senseless violence.  We all remember them -- Oklahoma City, 9-11, Virginia Tech, Columbine, Fort Hood, and Phoenix, Arizona  And now another is name is added to the list.

         What we can do immediately is pray.  I hope that as a people we will do more than pray.  But the first order of business is to pray.   I hope that in time we will as a nation do something wise and practical to reduce the violence.  What we are doing now certainly is not working.  But before we can do more than pray, we need to pray.   

                A Call To Prayer: A Poem After the Violence in Aurora, Colorado

                                                                                                 by bruce williamson

          Each tragedy makes our land sadder -- a truck bomb in Oklahoma City,  air attacks on 9-11,

murders at Virginia Tech, at Columbine, at Fort Hood, and on a sunny parking lot in Phoenix, Arizona.    Each tragedy is a new terror.   More crumpled bodies fall.  Some soon will be cold and still.  And now another tragedy in a dark theater Aurora, Colorado.  It is all getting to be too much.  It is certainly time to pray.

         Again we light candles.  Again bagpipes play; again the bell will toll.  The names of the dead will be read.  In civic gatherings we will stop in silence to remember the fallen, to pray for the grieving, to pray for the wounded.   

        Let us pray that we not fall into the temptations of despair and hate.  Let us pray that we escape from the evils of bitterness, unending grief, and loss of faith.  O Lord, deliver us from evil.

       If we can, although it is impossible for human flesh to soar like angels above the flight of eagles . . .

Yes, if we can, through the power of God within us, let us even pray for the killers.  

      Let us pray for the healing of our land.  Let us pray without ceasing.  Until God's Kingdom of peace comes upon this earth, or until we reach heaven's shore, let us continue in prayer. 

                                 

         -------------------------------------------------------

           From memory I have typed out this poem this Saturday morning.  In a few weeks I will post the more polished version of the poem.  But the main message is here.  We need to pray.

Poem - Aurora, Colorado Tragedy Again

                               Silence Again After Mass Violence 

     At midnight in a dark theater Aurora, Colorado violence shouted out profanities --  crumpled bodies fell.

Violence screamed out blasphemies.  Then there was silence.  

     Again we light candles.

     Again bagpipes play. 

     Again the bell will toll,

the names of the dead will be read.

     In civic gatherings we will stop in silence again to remember the fallen, to pray for the grieving, to pray for

the wounded.  In the darkness of pain, steel pins will try to hold shattered bones together.  And some wounds we will never see.  But there is more.

    In the silence the sun will rise, again.   In the silence the sun will shine and pour light over this dark earth.

In a million places light and kindness will overcome darkness and despair.  For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, the dawn whispers its quiet message,

       " Light overcomes

                               darkness."

The Narrow View and the Wide View of God

A Large View of God

          Certainly one of the key differences between the first phase of Isaiah (First Isaiah, or Isaiah of Jerusalem) and the second phase of the book (Second Isaiah) starting in  chapter 40 is that a larger scope of God's action is in Second Isaiah.  And in all places and all times spirituality and religion divide into those who hold a narrow view and those that see / imagine/ believe in a God  of wide concern, love, and action.

      In comic terms the person of narrow view prays,

"Dear Lord, Bless me, my wife, my farm -- these three and no more."  

      His faith no matter how sincere is focused upon a very few things that are close by.  While devotion and loyalty to God may be strong, the scope of concern is highly limited.  If of an unselfish frame of mine,  he cares about his village, the healthy and the sick, the rich and the poor within it.  But in geographic scope, his mind can barely move outside the county line.   

     Second Isaiah displays the wide view of God.  God can work through leaders that are outside of the Hebrew people.  Cyrus, King of the Assyrian empire can be called the servant of God, even in terms that suggest the Messiah.  God can be imagined as standing about the "circle of the earth" looking down upon the nations.   Here God has become large.  The Sacred Presence is world wide.  

    We have left tribal religion.  The Divine Life is no longer "the God of the hill country," or the God of the Jews.

In Second Isaiah we have stepped into a universal faith of a God so large that his concerns and actions touch all people in all places.  

Seeing the Connections between the Old and New Testaments

                        What the Bible says is important.

                         The connection between on part of the Bible to another part is important.

                         Connections between the Old Testament and Jesus are especially important.

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   Prophecy, foreshadowing, symbols and the development of spirituality 

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          Especially in Isaiah we can find many connections to Jesus, and the New Testament.  Let us consider a few of these. 

The Servant of the Lord in Isaiah

         What does it mean to be the people of God?  Is it a call to special blessings?  Is it a blessing upon our little tribe or twelve tribes?  Or is it a call to service of world wide scope?  Second Isaiah addresses these questions in his Servant Psalms.  These psalms within the book of Isaiah show a growing insight into what it means to be the people of God. 

        In your Bible read Isaiah 41: 8 and Isaiah 44: 1 -5.  Who is the Servant of the Lord in these Scriptures?

  And what is the servant to do in Isaiah 42: 1 - 9?

       Now the plot thickens with a shocking idea from Isaiah.  Could the servant of the Lord be a gentile (a non-jewish person?)  See Isaiah 44: 22 and read through to Isaiah 45: 4.  Who is the Servant of the Lord?
Please note, there are two different answers!

      Now read Isaiah 52: 13 through to Isaiah 53: 12.  In this Scripture who is the Servant of the Lord?
What does the servant accomplish?  Why is that important to us today?  Do you see any irony or paradox in this prophecy?

Consider the teachings of Jesus

     what did Jesus say about leadership and service?  Is that practiced today by you, or political leaders, or by the church?  

     why did Jesus wash the feet of the disciples before the Last Supper?

Divisions Within Book of Isaiah; Progress in Faith

Three Divisions are seen in Isaiah.

        The three divisions in Isaiah match up with three different phases of history.  

      The first phase is before national defeat and exile.  This is chapters 1 -39 that are filled with condemnation of the sins of the nation, and warnings of judgment to come. 

      The second phase is the period of exile.  This begins in chapter 40 with the instruction that the prophet is to "Comfort, comfort, my people."  Some serious modern Biblical scholars see chapters

40 - 55 as the work of a second prophet whose name is unknown to us.  The second division or phase of the book contains the famous "Servant Psalms."  There is much hope in the second phase, and a large view of the work of God in history.

    The third phase of Isaiah is found in chapters 56 through 66.  These chapters are addressed to the concerns of the people who have returned to the land of Judah after the exile.  Jesus declared his public ministry in his hometown of Nazareth with a reading of Isaiah 61.

=====Question:  Is there one Isaiah or two prophets, or even more represented in the book?

   For scholars this has been an issue of interest.  For non-scholars there has been little interests in the issue.

Progress in Faith

    Perhaps the one point that does make a difference to the average reader and believer is the nature of progress in faith. 

           Are we expected to grow in our faith? 

                                            Is progress made over time in spiritual matters?

   Certainly, we understand that Saul the persecutor of Christians who became Paul the great missionary Apostle grew and learned a greater faith over the years?  And many would understand that Jacob in the book of Genesis grew in his relationship with God.  And Jesus speaks provocatively in John chapter 3 to Nicodemus that he needs a profound 'new birth' to see the Kingdom of God. 

    The application of Scripture to our lives today is our proper concern.  The traditional understanding of one prophet Isaiah writing the whole book would point us to change and growth within our lifetime.  Are we open to new instructions as Isaiah received the directive to be a comfort to the hurting Hebrews?  Are we willing to change from familiar forms of mission to new forms?  The one Isaiah interpretation would then make the prophet a model for us of spiritual growth and progress in faith.

    The modern scholarly interpretation of multiple prophets who speak and minister toward different aims in different times would point us to the importance of adaption and change over time.  The church of God is not called to be a museum of yesterday.  We are to faithfully apply the Scriptures to the times in which we live.  So, perhaps your great grandfather was a racist who lived in a racist society.  This fact of the past and however, much you honor your ancestors, would not be a reason that you should not progress beyond the sin of racism today. 

  

Isaiah 30 and 31 "Worldly Solutions for A Spiritual Problem?"

Here we hear of Isaiah's rejection of a worldly solution to a spiritual problem.

      Questions for Thought:

Does God judge evil within this world ?

If so, how can God's judgment be escaped?  by repentance?  by military alliance?

                            by science or technology?  by additional finances?

Can you think of examples where societies, individuals, or churches have sought to escape God's judgment through worldly, secular solutions?

Isaiah 30 -- A Military Alliance to Escape God's Judgment

    The government of Judah sought a military alliance with Eygpt.  The leaders of  Judah hoped that in case of attack by Assyria that the Egyptians would come to their aid.  From a skeptical and spiritual viewpoint this appears to be trying to avoid the judgment of God and God's demands for justice by borrowing a foreign army.

    Can the judgment of God be so easily escaped?

                  What are other examples of worldly solutions to spiritual problems?

++++++ Is the alcoholic who tries moving to another city and getting a new job an example of seeking a secular solution to a problem that requires a spiritual solution? While we commend the alcoholic for seeking a solution to his or her problem,  is this actually a dodge to avoid facing the spiritual nature of alcoholism? 

    +++++What about the congregation in decline that seeks big video screens and a younger minister to gain congregational vitality?  Is this just a wise move or an unwise seeking for secular solutions to a problem that requires a spiritual solution --  either from God or from growth within their own souls?

+++++++Consider the cover ups of the sexual abuse of children by priests within the Catholic Church in recent years.  Is this an example of seeking a worldly solution for a spiritual problem?  

Continuing Relevance of Isaiah to Our Human Situation

My point is that Isaiah has continuing relevance to us as humans.  We go off in the wrong direction more often that we like to admit.  Isaiah is speaking as a prophet to our human situation as much as he is speaking to ancient Judah of 27 centuries ago.

Isaiah 31  -- More of Isaiah's Rejection of the Egyptian Military Alliance

     Chapter 31 continues in the same vein.  I will quote without comment.

       "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help 

        and rely on horses,

        who trust in chariots because they are very strong,

        but do not look to the Holy One of Israel.  " Isaiah 30: 1   (Revised Standard Version)

Baptist World Alliance agrees with Muslims in 12 page letter

    Wow, and double Wow!  Just when I think I understand the world, I am surprised. 

     Yesterday, while looking at the Baptist World Alliance website, I came across a remarkable 12 page letter.
In their positive warm response to a letter from an international group of Muslim leaders, the Baptist World Alliance agreed with the Muslim leaders in a call to recognize the two great commandments are to love God and love your neighbor.  The letter is thick with quotes from the Koran, Old Testament, and New Testament.  And the letter is in fact a careful study of the love of God and love of humanity from the Bible and the Koran.

    The Baptists thanked the Muslim's for quoting from Jesus on these two joint commandments, and noted that Mohamed was recorded in the Koran implying a similar thought.  Several passages in the Koran were commended as reflecting a positive interpretation of what it is to love God and love your neighbor. 

    While agreeing with the Muslim doctrine "that God has no associates," the BWA explained that Jesus as  part of the Trinity was not an "associate of God" in the sense prohibited by the doctrines of Islam.  I knew the folks at the BWA knew their Bible, but I had no idea that they knew the Koran so well.  

    If you have an interest in international affairs and our ever shrinking world, I urge you to read the BWA letter responding to the Muslim leaders letter to the Christian community.  

The Great Turn at Isaiah 40

     There is a great turn in chapter 40.  New instructions come from God "To comfort, comfort my people."
From Isaiah 40: 1 the book speaks in a different tone -- more comforting, more positive.  The big change in tone, themes and historical context has led some serious Biblical scholars to interprete this part of the book of Isaiah as the work of another prophet that lived after the defeat of Judah in the time of the exile.  Since the name of this prophet is unknown, scholars call him "Second Isaiah," or "Deutero - Isaiah." But unless you have a strong interest in these scholarly issues, the key is to remember the great themes.

     And every careful reader can feel the shift in tone and theme.  Here is a list of Key Themes In Isaiah after chapter 40:1. 

       Key Themes That Appear in the Second Phase of Isaiah

1. The Servant of the Lord ( a series of psalms expands this theme.)

2.  Assertion of absolute monotheism (Only one God exists - idols are nothing.) See Isaiah 43, 44 , and 45.)

3.  Atonement for sin is made by the suffering Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 53.)  Surely, this is one of the most moving passages in the whole Bible as it speaks of the sufferings of Jesus.

4.  Evangelistic-like invitation (See Isaiah 55.)

5.  A strong compassion spirituality (See 'Fast of the Lord' in Isaiah 58. )  This powerful call for compassion and practical acts of mercy is echoed by Jesus.  ( If you know, John 3: 16, and I Corinthians 13, you should know 'The Fast of the Lord' prophecy in Isaiah 58.)

6.  A wider inclusion replaces a narrower 'tribal' focus.  More of tolerance is in the second phase of the book.  (See Isaiah 55: 8b,  Isaiah 56: 3-8, and Isaiah 66.)

7.  Salvation receives more attention, and simple explanations of salvation are included.  

8.  We hear of God's initiative that implies God's grace, not human effort, and not reform nor ritualized worships saves.

       In short in many places and in many different ways we are reminded of Jesus.  Jesus used the reading of Isaiah 61 to announce his ministry in his home town synagogue.   We even have a mention of God as Father and God's steadfast love in Isaiah 63.  In short, we are not only reminded of Jesus, but in sections of the second part of Isaiah sound like New Testament readings.

Keep Your Eyes on the Major Themes

    The proven way to get lost in the Holy Scriptures, and never really understand them is to lose sight of the major themes.  The proverb is
                            "Can't see the forest for the trees."

William Barclay, the popular Bible teacher writes, "  So each of the eighth century prophets has his note --
Amos and Micah social justice, Hosea love; Isaiah holiness, and it is while remembering their note that we should read them"  (Introducing the Bible, page 32, William Barclay.) 

    As we progress through the highlights of Isaiah we will keep in mind the major themes.  And, we will connect the great themes to the ministry of Jesus Christ and to various parts of the New Testament. 

Hope Begins -- a preview of hopeful and inspirational themes

     Hope begins.  The words are strange, "The seed is in its stump."  Picture a tree stump.  The tree is gone, destroyed, used up.  But it is not dead.  Within the stump is the seed of life.  It will spout up with new shoots.

    What stumps are in your life?       

              The shoots of the new tree will look different -- small branches growing out of a stump -- than the tree that was before.  Can you accept that a stump could come back for you, but in somewhat different form?

      Note:  Many people give up in despair, because they demand that God restore things in the same form that it use to be.  Be open for God to bless you in different style.

    So Isaiah foresees that the nation though soon to be destroyed, will not die.  It lives and the living seed is in the stump.  While this is a very small image of hope,  Isaiah will become more and more hopeful, inspiring for us and the ancient Hebrews that he ministered to.

     Here is how hope builds in the book of Isaiah.

•    Chapter 9 - the great Christmas prophecy - "to us a child is born

• Chapter 10 and 11 - a portion or remnant of the people with return to Judah

  • Chapter 12  Joy, salvation and thanksgiving in the Lord.

  • Chapter 40 - The mission and message change to comfort.  Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength . . . mount up on Eagle's wings.

  • Chapters 43 -44 Hope is in the one living God.

  • Chapter 52 -53  Atonement for sin is made by God's special suffering servant.

  •    [This is a great prophecy of the coming messiah, and is fullfilled by Jesus.]  

    There are more passages and themes of hope, but that is enough for now.  Do take the time to read the passages listed above. 
    
    
    Dear reader,  Do not give up on studying Isaiah.  He will sound remarkably like the
    New Testament, especially after chapter 54.  

    Question:  What Scripture in Isaiah do you find the most hopeful and inspiring? 

    
    

Great themes in Isaiah 6 Spirituality of the Prophet Isaiah

Holiness of God

Guilt and removal of guilt

Call of the Prophet -- Volunteers in service

Unsuccessful ministry -- How long?

and the note of hope -- "The seed is in its stump."

    Try to fix these themes in your mind as you read.  Imagine them as Isaiah may have seen them in his vision.  Strange heavenly beings with six wings are flying about.  Smoke is filling the temple.  And the song of the seraphim is  "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty,

                    heaven and earth are full of his glory."

   And when one of these seraphim finishes his song, the other begins and sings it again. "Holy, Holy, HOLY is the Lord Almighty, heaven and earth are full of his glory."

    This is the faith of a transendent God who is above and beyond us.  The Creator does not play little games.  The Eternal Sacred Presence is beyond corruption.  With so much about bribery and social injustice in Isaiah, we should probably imagine first that to say God is holy is to say the Owner and Creator of the Universe is not bought off with cash, or the blood of bulls.   

   If we then being flawed and fractured in our humanity, that is, guilty of sin before a holy Creator, our cleansing, acceptance must then come from an act of divine grace.  This is symbolized by the hot coal touching the lips of Isaiah.  

     [ Remember:  It is a vision/dream/mystical encounter with the Sacred that is being described. No brutality or pain is here.  The vivid image means that God takes care of his and our guilt.]

Personal Question about Spirituality:  

            

                      Have you encountered the forgiveness of guilt?

                     What does guilt do to people?

                     What can forgiveness and acceptance by a holy God do for you?

Next Post:   Are we there yet?  How long?     Spirituality of the Prophet Isaiah

Super Power Empire

    The background in geo-politics is the aggressive expansion of the Assyrian Empire.  It is the rise of this power that threatens and in the end will destroys Judah.  The prophets of the 8th Century B.C. see this as the judgement of God upon the wayward nation. 

      In a parable of sorts, Isaiah in chapter 5 speaks of the Lord developing a vineyard.  Wall and guard tower are there to protect the vineyard.  But the Lord will take away the protection, even the rain will stop.  The parable speaks of the destructive force of Assyrian military power.  This ancient history may have little interest for us.

     Let us move on to chapter 6.

     The themes are now timeless.  What does it mean for God to be holy?   How is Isaiah changed by his encounter with God?   How does Isaiah realize his guilt and unholiness?  What changes in a person when guilt is gone and forgiven?

   We study both Scripture text and the life of faith.  Neither you nor I can escape these human questions.  In what ways has knowledge of our wounds, scars, shortcomings, yes even guilt shaped who we are. ?  Are we in denial about the humanity in which we live?  And can we have an experience with God that removes guilt and makes our past failures irrelevant ?  These are the eternal human questions to which the Prophet Isaiah speaks. 

      So, let us be honest.  The rise and fall of ancient super-powers matters little to us.  But the rising, or decline of our own inward spiritual life counts for much.  It is for insight into the life of faith that we study the ancient text.

For Deep Thought:  

           What matters most to you in your spiritual life? 

           What do you seek in worship, prayer and the pages of Holy Scripture?

Isaiah as Mystic. The call of the prophet is in Ch. 6.

    The book began with "The vision of Isaiah son of Amos,  which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem."
So I understand Isaiah as a mystic - one who sees visions, and reports his impressions of God's intentions to the people he lived with in ancient Judah. 

    So while you and I may be less comfortable with the mystical, the truth is that the Bible has plenty of mystical material within it.  To fully engage and gain from study of the Holy Bible, we will need to allow ourselves to engage with biblical material that is in dreams, visions, and a holy imagination.  As people in a secular and rationalistic culture we can find this a different or an odd thing to do.  Still it is worth the effort.

   Chapter 6 is an account of Isaiah's vision of the Lord within the temple. The feelings of grief and the memory of the death of King Uzziah are foremost on Isaiah's mind.  Perhaps, it is a special memorial service that Isaiah is attending.  Since a funeral in our sense of the word are prohibited under Old Testament law, it was not a funeral service.  Perhaps, it is a memorial service a year after the King's death. 

   Does your mind wander in church?  Does your mind wander in funeral services?  Well, it is quite common.
But what Isaiah experienced is uncommon.  He saw the Lord, high and lifted up.  The two seraphim probably carved in stone on either side, Isaiah sees as flying.  Each has six wings and they start calling out one at a time,

      "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory."  And then the other seraphim repeated the call. And the fire of the burning sacrifice on the alter is filling the temple with smoke.  The elements of Temple worship are being incorporated into his dream/vision of God, high and lifted up. 

     Upon seeing and hearing all this, Isaiah remembers his trash mouth.  He remembers that no one can see God and live.  Feeling that he is undone, he is rescued by the seraphim who pick up a hot coal from the alter and touch his lips.  All of this is happening within the vision. 

      Guilt then is gone and forgiveness comes to Isaiah.  Then he overhears God speaking, "Who will go for us?"  Is this the royal we?  Or is the Lord speaking to a heavenly group of angels, and seraphim ?  We do not know.  But what we do know is that Isaiah decides to volunteer.  He will go.

     Isaiah then wants to know how long this mission will take that he has volunteered for?  That is verses 11 and 12. 

Isaiah Confronts Same Sins as Amos and Hosea

     Isaiah, like Amos and Hosea confronts the same sins, although Isaiah is in Judah the southern kingdom and Amos and Hosea are speaking to the northern kingdom.

      Both societies consider themselves religious, upright people.  Neither society sees what the prophets see.  A large undercurrent of crude paganism is present in both.  A fertility cult (essentially a religion of sex and spring time) has a large following.  The Baal gods male and female are worshiped in sexual orgies.  At the same time, justice has declined in both nations.  The courts aid in the oppressing the poor, the widows and the orphans.  The ancient hospitality code of loving neighbor and caring for each other in community has been forgotten.

     So both societies north and south are drifting away from God's vision of justice, community and care for each other.  In place of this ethical life and in someways as a substitute for it, official public worship is popular and supported by the royal houses of both Kingdoms.

  
    The prophets do not accept this as an acceptable substitute.  They voice harsh words at organized religion.

    Consider Isaiah 1: 11.

           "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord:
             I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts;
             I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats."

Wow!   Those sacrifices they felt were at the heart of their religion.  Were they wrong?

    Isaiah, along with Amos, Hosea and Micah, say, "Yes, they are completely wrong.  And that what they need to do is get their ethics right."  God, claims Isaiah and the other prophets, is deeply concerned
about ethics, social justice, and acts of compassion toward the needy and hurting.  But killing more bulls and goats upon the alter is not winning God's favor.

For Greater Learning:  Read Isaiah chapter 1 and 5.

Questions for thought and discussion:

      Do you think God cares about ethics, social justice and acts of compassion toward the needy and hurting?

         How could a society consider itself religious/Christian/righteous, when it is not?  

         Do you think Isaiah was a popular man?  Would his message help him make friends?

----------------please blog in comments --- I hope the technical bugs that keep the comments from showing will soon be solved.   ..... Please comment . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .

 

Isaiah Chapter 1

Isaiah chapter 1  

   Note:  It is called a vision.  The prophet's message came to him by way of a vision. 

    Have you ever had a vision of any kind?  Did it show you something that you need to know?  Was your vision from God? 

The vision is about the southern Kingdom.  The nation of ancient Israel had already divided into two parts: one north and one south.  The southern Kingdom is identified by name Judah, by its capital Jerusalem, and by the kings named.

   Unlike Amos and Hosea, Isaiah is speaking into the life of the southern Kingdom.  Amos and Hosea spoke to the northern kingdom that was then called Israel.  The situation is essentially the same in terms of decline in faithfulness to God, social injustice, and that organized religious activities were popular.  These folks thought they were on good terms with the Lord.

   Special Note:  A major shift in tone and attitude occurs at chapter 4o.  Isaiah will become much more hopeful, positive, and inspirational after that.  But for now, the notes of judgement will be much like what we read in Amos and Hosea. 

    Verses 11 through 15 are against their organized worship.  I think to say that their practices are "empty rituals" misses the point.  It was the moral and spiritual condition of their lives that they brought to worship that was the problem.  See verse 15.  God refuses to hear their prayers, because their hands are covered in blood.  The violence that they practice is hindering God's attending to their prayers.  They needed better lives and hearts, not better rituals, certainly not more rituals. 

       What rituals do we have in our church?

    What rituals have you seen in worship that you felt worked well and were worth doing again?

Can you think of any rituals that are not working for worship today?  


What about Joel Osteen holding the Bible above his head and reciting their ritual at Lakewood Church?  Can you recite it?  Do you think this is a good ritual?


                               The Parable of Football and the Invention of Rituals

  My pet frog, Sapo Guapo del Rio says rituals were invented by football coaches.  Once upon a time a coach sent in a play, the team gained 27 yards. So the coach sent in the same play again.  This time they gained 18 yards. He kept doing the same thing, until the other team made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.  Then he started mixing up the plays a few times.  They he went back to original play and it gained 19 yards.  AND a ritual was born, since the coach, team and fans all liked to win the game, it became a tradition to call that winning play again and again.  Other coaches soon started running plays that worked also.  That's how ritual was invented, so says my High IQ frog, Sapo Guapo.

      Moral:  Ritual was invented because people wanted to be sloppy and lazy in worship.  Rather, worship leaders found some things that worked well, and then repeated those 'plays' again and again.  

---------- so much for that frog, does anyone have a comment to share?  Remember a blog study works best with comments.  Please comment.

Again and Again, let us ask ourselves these questions about each passage in Isaiah.

• What New Testament Scripture does this remind you of?
• What lessons are here for ancient Israel?
• What lessons are here for us today?
• What is your general impression of the Scripture?
  

  • Yes, please blog your answer to any of these questions at anytime. It is our mutual sharing of insights that make a blog study work.

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Introduction -- Isaiah the prophet --study blog

Isaiah study blog --- Welcome to our expanded study of the Prophet Isaiah. Our BaptistWay Press study guide covers only 5 chapters in the whole book of Isaiah -------- so we are adding to our study with this Isaiah study blog.

Invite your cousin in Cancun and your in-laws in Indiana and India, to join us in this blog study. Distance makes no difference on the internet. Invite folks from everywhere to join us. Folks that work the graveyard shift can join the study. Sailors on the sea can join in this study. People with personalities like porcupines can join in --- but please, no flaming. Watch your internet manners.


Getting Started with the Poet Prophet, Isaiah

Isaiah is a great and wonderful book. It is easier to understand than many other Old Testament books. And it is full of inspiring passages of great spiritual depth. It requires less knowledge of history to appreciate and understand.

For you folks, allergic to the O.T. or afraid of the Old Testament, Isaiah is the book for you. In some passages it reads so much like the New Testament, you will have to check the page numbers to know that you are in the Old Testament.

Overview: We will cover part or all of the following chapters. I've included a title for each chapter as an aid to memory. And for those of you that want to zero in on your favorite topics. Chapters listed below are the chapters in the book of Isaiah in your Bible.

1. Chapter 1 -- Full forgiveness
2. Chapter 6 -- The Call of the Prophet
3. Chapter 9 -- The Great Christmas Prophecy
4. Chapter 11 -- Hope and the Returning Remnant
   
5. Chapter 11 -- Hope and the Returning Remnant
6. Chapter 40 -- Life is fragile . . . on eagle"s wings
7. chapter 43 -- Hope in the One God
8. Chapter 44 and in 45: 14 -25 -- Only One God
9. Chapter 52 - 53 -- The Suffering Servant Makes Atonement **
   
10. Chapter 55 -- The Great Invitation - Is this the greatest evangelistic chapter in the O.T.?
11. Chapter 56 -- The Open Door of Welcome
12. Chapter 58 -- The Fast of the Lord (a great and wonderful and inspiring poem )*
13. Chapter 61 -- Yes, this is Jesus' announcement to his home town.
14. Chapter 63 -- God's Steadfast Love: God as Father

* "The Fast of the Lord" is so wonderful that I wish every believer would memorize this great passage.

** Do you already know this passage? It is about the servant of the Lord, Jesus suffering. It is a great and moving passage.

Learning Activity: Open your Bible and find Isaiah. Notice how long it is. Read one or more of the passages listed above.


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