Isaiah 45:1 - 8
“This is what the LORD says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:
I will go before you
and will level the mountains[a];
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
“You heavens above, rain down my righteousness;
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I, the LORD, have created it.
Isaiah 45 is a most unusual chapter. It was written during the time Israelites were in Babylonian exile. The people were captives in a foreign land. Some had given up hope in God's rescue and resigned themselves to life in Babylon. A few, though, held out hope that God would return the people to their home.
[Intermission: In many ways, living in Babylon represents being away from home, away from the place of our deepest belonging, away from where we are most ourselves. Babylon is certainly a geographical description, but it also carries a spiritual meaning for being separated or apart from life and meaning.]
Isaiah 45 is likely the assigned Scripture for today because of the strong emphasis on God coming to rescue the people. God does not idly look on while people are oppressed. God fulfills God's promises, coming into dark and painful life-situations with deliverance and healing. This "coming" is the basic message of Advent.
What is most unusual about this text, though, is that the entire chapter was addressed to Cyrus the Persian. The prophetic words were God's speech intended for a foreign king. Cyrus loomed on the horizon, gathering power and building a strong army just beyond Babylon. In the prophetic consciousness, Cyrus was God's hope for freeing the Israelites and allowing them to go home. In fact, eventually Cyrus would overthrow Babylon and free the Israelites.
The real kicker in the text is that Cyrus did not know God. He did not acknowledge Yahweh. It's not simply that he was a foreigner or an outsider to Israel. He was a foreigner, an outsider who did not know or acknowledge God.
"You do not acknowledge me," (45:4).
"You have not acknowledged me," (45:5).
The text flies in the face of the spiritual sensibilities that are ingrained within us. We assume that God blesses those who worship, pray and live pious lives. We believe God's favor is shown to those who acknowledge God.
Many of us have come to Christian faith because we believed we would get good things for our faithfulness . . . goodies for faith. In fact, sometimes when I ask people in a group or class if they would be a God-follower even if they received nothing in return for their faithfulness, most look at me like I'm crazy. We can't imagine a scenario where goodness isn't rewarded and badness isn't punished.
Yet, with God there is no such thing as a worthiness contest. Notions of worthiness and merit are human frameworks developed to make sense of the world. Ultimately, even they break down. If grace is at the root of everything -- as Scripture claims is the case -- there is nothing we earn, nothing we receive because we're good and someone else is bad.
Read the passage above. Read the rest of Isaiah 45 in your own translation of the Bible. God was extended toward Cyrus in ways that were remarkable.
God called Cyrus the "anointed" one, (45:1).
God opened doors and leveled the path for Cyrus, (45:1, 2).
God gave Cyrus stored-up treasures and riches, (45:3).
God specifically called Cyrus by name, (45:3, 4).
God strengthened Cyrus for the task at hand, (45:5).
Cyrus made no bow of the knee or turn of his heart toward God. He didn't earn or deserve God's favor. In grace and generosity, God extended God's Self toward Cyrus. The dividing line between "sacred" and "profane" became increasingly blurred. It's much more difficult to know who is in and who is out.
As I think about it, Cyrus is a pretty good symbol for you and me this Advent. God comes, and comes in the most outrageous and scandalous ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment