The illogical love of God – Wednesday, 1st week of Advent – Isaiah 25: 6-10a
There is something most illogical about the love of God. He just forgives and gives. The reading of today reflects this predilection, this preference or special liking He has for His people.
In 753 BC Syria and Israel invaded Judah (Jerusalem being the capital) in the south in an attempt to force it into an anti- Assyrian coalition. It was the Assyrians who were gathering on the northern borders in an attempt to invade Judah. This came to pass with the conquest of Israel in 733 BC and Israel and Syrian became vassal states of Assyria which had now become a super power.
Judah saw her brothers and sisters in the north now under Assyrian rule but did not seem to have learnt her lesson for Judah now began to beat the drums of war against Assyria, this time under the promptings of another neighbour in the South, Egypt. Isaiah spoke out against these unholy alliances. His fervent, sometimes bitter words, failed to move King Hezekiah who revolted against Assyria with the help of Egypt only to be crushed in 701 BC with great devastation to her people. Hezekiah had to surrender and pay a huge indemnity to the Assyrians.
The future was now bleak for the people of Judah. Their lives and future were a pile of ashes and devastation. Food was hard to come by and hope was a distant possibility. In the midst of this the prophet Isaiah gives us today’s message of comfort and boy does it astound us.