Faith

All sin is bad before God, but premeditated sin is worse – Saturday, 15th Week in ordinary time – Micah 2:1-5

Between the years 787 BC and 750 BC, the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom have two great prophets each. In the North, Hosea and Amos prophecy to Israel with its capital in Samaria and in the South, Isaiah and Micah prophecy to Judah with its capital in Jerusalem.

Micah was a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah. His name is an abbreviated form of the name Mikayahu which means, “Who is like the Lord?” The book’s superscription (1:1) places his prophetic activity during the reigns of three kings of Judah: Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. It identifies him as a resident of Moresheth. This village in the Judean foothills was about 40 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem on the border lands between Judah and the Philistines.

Unlike Isaiah, who was a native of the holy city, Micah was an outsider from the countryside. The prophet Micah was thus like the prophet Amos, a man from the country sent to the cities to bring the word of the LORD and this must have made him quite a controversial figure. He would have been unpopular with the leaders whom he condemned (3:1–4) and the wealthy whom he criticized (2:1–5). He was quick to separate himself from priests and other prophets, whom he considered to be corrupt (3:5–8).

He ministered during a time of change in the politics of Israel and Judah. Assyria was threatening the borders of Israel and Syria, so those two countries bullied Judah to make an alliance with them against Assyria. But instead, Ahaz, king of Judah, made a pact with Tiglath-Pilesar, king of Assyria (2 Kings 16). Thus, Assyria overran Israel in 722 and dragged the people into exile but left Judah untouched. Later however, Assyria nearly conquered the whole of Judah, but was miraculously thwarted by the Lord (2 Kings 19).

It was also a time of religious confusion. While Jotham was a good king, he permitted some idolatry to continue under his leadership. Yet his successor Ahaz launched a full-blown project of idolatrous worship in his effort to win the trust of the Assyrians and firm up his alliance with Tiglath-Pilesar (2 Kings 16). During this time, the northern kingdom of Israel was in a continuous pattern of idolatry.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Faith

A second chance – Friday, 15th Week in ordinary time – Isaiah 38:1-6,21-22, 7-8

Today’s text is the last of the readings taken from the prophet Isaiah and a text that brings us to the end the first part of a three part section that divides the book of Isaiah. The structure of the text has been rearranged for easy reading. You will notice that we read verse 1-6 and then 21-22 and then go back to verse 7-8. This is because verses 21-22 are clearly out of place. They should have logically come after v. 6, as they do in the parallel account in 2 Kgs 20. But the two accounts from Kings and Isaiah are not identical and it appears that the version in Isaiah is abbreviated from that in Kings. If that is so then Isaiah 38:21–22 was inserted by a later reader who thought the account incomplete.

In today’s narrative we hear of the illness of a good king, Hezekiah who was also a faithful king who mostly followed God’s will. Among a line of kings who were steeped in idolatry and immorality, Hezekiah stood out for his goodness. Since Hezekiah died in 686/687 B.C., his sickness may have occurred in 702 B.C., that is, fifteen years before. We know from comparing 2 Kings 18:2 with 2 Kings 20:6, that Hezekiah was 39 years old when he learned he would soon die. The narrative of today seems to have taken place sometime before the Assyrian invasion by Sennacherib in 701 BC. (Isaiah 38:6). The events of this chapter are also recorded in 2 Kings 20:1-11.

We are not told how Hezekiah became sick but God was remarkably kind to Hezekiah, telling him that his death was near. Isaiah plays a central role in the king’s dialogue with God. It begins by the prophet telling the king, who is terminally ill, that it is time for him to put his affairs in order for his approaching death. Not all people are given the time to set their house in order.

We are told that king Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall. This “wall” was not any wall but the wall of the temple, God’s dwelling house. It shows us how earnest Hezekiah was in his prayer. He directed his prayer in privacy to God, and not to any man. Hezekiah prayed that God would remember the good things he had done in the service of Yahweh during his life.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Faith

Breaking wind – Thursday, 15th Week in ordinary time – Isaiah 26:7-9, 12,16-19

The prophet Isaiah foresaw that Assyria would one day be replaced by a new emerging power; the Babylonian empire. Babylon was a nation far more destructive than Assyria. It was they who would attack Jerusalem and eventually succeed in destroying it. This is taken up in chapters 13-27 with will climax in chapter 39 with the fall of Jerusalem. chapters 13-27 has a large collection of poems that express God’s judgment and God’s hope for the nations. In chapters 13-27 we will also learn of the fall of Babylon and also the fall of Israel’s neighbours.

The kings of Babylon claimed that they were higher than all other gods and so God vows to destroy Babylon and all of Israel’s neighbours who practiced the same kind of pride and injustice. Isaiah predicts their ultimate ruin. But in the book of Isaiah, Gods judgment in never the final words for Judah.

Chapters 24-27 are called by scholars the “little apocalypse” of Isaiah because they deal with a future theme, an apocalyptic theme. The prophets often did this. They would talk about an immediate event going on around them but they used that as a model of something that would be fulfilled to a greater extent in the future. It is sort of like prophetic bifocals; you see something close but you can also use that to see something much further away.

Chapter 26 is the third of four chapters describing God’s victory over all His enemies (24:1-27:13 )including Babylon. It is the day of God’s ultimate triumph; the day when God will reign over Israel, and over all the world. This section describes the song that Jerusalem will sing on that day. It will be a song of salvation when their enemies are defeated. Our text of today talks of elements in that joyful song that will be sung in the land of Judah because God has come to reign. Our text covers only certain parts of chapter 26 and so I recommend you read the entire chapter because I am going to make references to some parts of chapter 26 not in our text.

Verse 1 kicks off this song of praise. Jerusalem will be the strong city (verse1) unlike the old Jerusalem which was ravaged by wars and attacks. The new Jerusalem will have strong walls and an imposing army. While the walls will keep the unwanted away it is the gates that will be open for the righteous to enter. The righteous who will be welcomed in its gates are those who have kept the faith as opposed to those who have compromised the faith.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Faith

Pride has its fall – Wednesday, 15th Week in ordinary time – Isaiah 10:5-7,13-16

In Chapters 7-10:4, the Lord reveals how he would use the nation of Assyria as an instrument of judgment against Syria, Israel and Judah. The purpose of this judgment was primarily to bring the people to repentance (Isaiah 1:16-28). It was also intended to bring the northern kingdom of Israel (sometimes called Ephraim) to an end. The nation of Israel knew that God’s judgment was upon them when the Syrians and Philistines attacked them but they were indifferent. So arrogant were they that they boast how resilient they are. In Isaiah 9:10 onwards they say “The bricks are fallen down, (talking of their defeat) but we will build with dressed stones. The sycamores have been cut down but we will grow cedars in their place. Both their boasts speak of rising up stronger but in reality God will wipe them out.

To do this God will use the nation of Assyria (vs 5). They are to be the rod of God. The rod and the staff were sticks used by shepherds to guide and correct their sheep. Using this analogy, God is communicating his desire to use the nation of Assyria like a stick in His hand; a stick that will be used to correct Syria, Israel, and Judah. God would use an ungodly nation like Assyria against his people whose actions are as ungodly as Assyria. In this sense, Assyria was on a mission from God. They were doing God’s will. They were running His errands when they came against Syria, Israel, and Judah. God gave them permission (“I send him” verse 6) to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Thus, the nation of Assyria is to be the intentional instrument of God’s judgment even though Assyria itself did not know that they were but an unintentional instrument. As the reading of today tells us, Assyria were unable to recognise themselves as instruments of God to carry out his judgment and began to think that they were an emerging super power. Assyria had such an inflated view of themselves that they regarded their princes to be on the level of the kings of other nations. Having conquered Israel, Assyria set its eyes upon Jerusalem. (10:9-10). In doing so Assyria went far beyond what the Lord had intended (Isaiah10:5-7) and was also punished by God.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Faith

Is your problem big? Then God is bigger – Tuesday, 15th Week in ordinary time – Isaiah 7:1-9

Today’s teaching requires a historical and a pastoral approach. We are introduced to King Ahaz in chapter 7 of the Prophet Isaiah. We are no stranger to Ahaz as we have heard of him in 2 Kings 16. He was a wicked King who ruled Judah in the south. He worshipped false gods and sacrificed his very son to the pagan god Molech (2 Kings 16:1-4).

At this point in history Rezin king of Syria and Pekah king of Israel of the northern kingdom made an alliance with the intention of attack Jerusalem. As the combined armies of Israel and Syria approached Jerusalem, it looked like everything would be lost. The prophet Isaiah comes to him with a clear message from God; Ahaz was to trust God even when all seemed to be lost. Isaiah is asked to take his son Shear-Jashub as a walking object lesson because the name Shear-Jashub means, “a remnant shall return.” Sadly, in this name we are already told the end of the narrative for Ahaz does not trust in God and the people will eventually be taken into exile. Finally, a remnant did return from exile and Isaiah’s son who because a walking object to Azah is proved true.

King Ahaz and his people react with fear instead of with trust in God. They were shaken and unstable in their hearts. Instead of telling their problem how big their God is they told their God how big their problem was. Azah entered into an ungodly alliance with Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and even gave Tiglath-Pileser silver and gold that was found in the house of Yahweh as a present to win his favor and protection (2 Kings 16:7-9).

The attack by Syria and Israel did not result in the defeat of Judah. However, while the attack was unsuccessful, the war against Judah greatly weakened the kingdom of Judah. 2 Chronicles 28:6 documents the damage for us. Pekah the king in the north, killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day. He also captured 2,00,000 men, women and children, but sent them back to Judah at the command of the prophet Obed (2 Chronicles 28:8-15). 2 Chronicles 28:5 says that the Syrian army carried away a great multitude as captives.

When Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-Pileser, his new master, in Damascus, he saw the pagan altars and places of sacrifice. He copied these designs and remodelled the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem after the pattern of the pagan temple and altars in Damascus. Ahaz is a powerful, extreme example of someone who enters into an ungodly alliance for “good” reasons yet becomes thoroughly corrupted and compromised (2 Kings 16:10-18).

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading