Isaiah 64:1-9
First Week of Advent
November 27, 2005
On one hand, I am rather full of anticipation of having the privilege and honor of helping to lead Ecclesia’s children through the Advent Season as we approach the celebration and commemoration of the birth of our Saviour. On the other hand, I am rather full of nervousness and trepidation at the prospect of examining these verses on behalf of the children at Ecclesia, not that I don’t feel up to it, but that this is a rather large task for which I’ve been made responsible. But regardless, I am looking forward to digging into these verses, coupled with arranging them with the traditional Christmas story. Join with me as we read, pray, meditate, and yearn with expectation as the arrival of the Christ child approaches.
Isaiah 64:1-9: I read through this passages attempting to place myself in the context in which Isaiah would have been proclaiming this lament on behalf of the people of Israel (or even on behalf of himself). I wondered what would have brought about this combination of declaring God’s promises, lamenting my indiscretions, and turning back to Him. And then I found that I couldn’t do it, at least not in the physical sense in which it was originally written. I have never been carted away to a foreign country in captivity because I sinned against God, though I knew better and had been protected and delivered by Him over and over again.
However, I have been in spiritual & emotional captivity. I have sinned against my Creator, a Creator that has led me, guided me, protected me, and provided for me. Israel was led into captivity by Assyria; I led myself into a place of bondage. I have felt the yearning and the lack of hope in any potential deliverance, along with the expectation and the abundance of hope that God will come to my aid when I repent and turn from my sins. I have been where Isaiah was in these 9 verses.
Here is how I view this breakdown:
V 1-5a) These verses are the way in which Isaiah reminds himself of the promises of God, as they are the way that he prepares himself spiritually for the dark confession that comes in the next section. The oracle here announces God’s power, God’s blessings, God’s protection, and God’s deliverance, in hopes that he will find himself worthy of these things, as he knows how far he has strayed from what God has asked him to do.
V 5b-7) “You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?” (Isaiah 64:5 TNIV) Here is the turn-around verse for this whole passage, the connector to the general Christmas story. With the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, Israel exits 400 years of having no direction, no contact with their God, as they suffered in their homeland. Though they had been released from bondage, Israel still had to bear the burden of disobeying God and not listening to his prophets throughout their many years of ministering to Israel. The verses in this section are a precursor to the 400 years of silence, as Israel finally realizes how much they messed up by not listening to the prophets’ words (as troubling and hard-to-swallow as they were). Isaiah is repenting for Israel, beckoning God to listen to their broken & contrite hearts, seeking deliverance from the silence and their wanderings.
V 8-9) Isaiah, after repenting, confesses to God that he knows that God is in control and places himself in His hands, no matter what the result. Isaiah declares to God that he is the creation and God is the Creator, allowing Him to work in him/Israel. Isaiah places Israel back under God’s protection, though they had failed & disobeyed, “Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people.” (Isaiah 64:9 TNIV) Israel is the Lords, just as we are His now.
In terms of Advent, this passage in Isaiah creates & fosters within us a hope that we too can experience the restoration that Jesus brings when He enters our lives, when we allow Him, individually and communally, to mold us into the image that He feels/knows is best for us. Might we enter into a place of repentance, acknowledging that we have failed, we have sinned, we have transgressed, but Jesus is there to forgive, there to heal, there to bless. He is coming; He is on His way.
November 27, 2005
On one hand, I am rather full of anticipation of having the privilege and honor of helping to lead Ecclesia’s children through the Advent Season as we approach the celebration and commemoration of the birth of our Saviour. On the other hand, I am rather full of nervousness and trepidation at the prospect of examining these verses on behalf of the children at Ecclesia, not that I don’t feel up to it, but that this is a rather large task for which I’ve been made responsible. But regardless, I am looking forward to digging into these verses, coupled with arranging them with the traditional Christmas story. Join with me as we read, pray, meditate, and yearn with expectation as the arrival of the Christ child approaches.
Isaiah 64:1-9: I read through this passages attempting to place myself in the context in which Isaiah would have been proclaiming this lament on behalf of the people of Israel (or even on behalf of himself). I wondered what would have brought about this combination of declaring God’s promises, lamenting my indiscretions, and turning back to Him. And then I found that I couldn’t do it, at least not in the physical sense in which it was originally written. I have never been carted away to a foreign country in captivity because I sinned against God, though I knew better and had been protected and delivered by Him over and over again.
However, I have been in spiritual & emotional captivity. I have sinned against my Creator, a Creator that has led me, guided me, protected me, and provided for me. Israel was led into captivity by Assyria; I led myself into a place of bondage. I have felt the yearning and the lack of hope in any potential deliverance, along with the expectation and the abundance of hope that God will come to my aid when I repent and turn from my sins. I have been where Isaiah was in these 9 verses.
Here is how I view this breakdown:
V 1-5a) These verses are the way in which Isaiah reminds himself of the promises of God, as they are the way that he prepares himself spiritually for the dark confession that comes in the next section. The oracle here announces God’s power, God’s blessings, God’s protection, and God’s deliverance, in hopes that he will find himself worthy of these things, as he knows how far he has strayed from what God has asked him to do.
V 5b-7) “You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?” (Isaiah 64:5 TNIV) Here is the turn-around verse for this whole passage, the connector to the general Christmas story. With the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, Israel exits 400 years of having no direction, no contact with their God, as they suffered in their homeland. Though they had been released from bondage, Israel still had to bear the burden of disobeying God and not listening to his prophets throughout their many years of ministering to Israel. The verses in this section are a precursor to the 400 years of silence, as Israel finally realizes how much they messed up by not listening to the prophets’ words (as troubling and hard-to-swallow as they were). Isaiah is repenting for Israel, beckoning God to listen to their broken & contrite hearts, seeking deliverance from the silence and their wanderings.
V 8-9) Isaiah, after repenting, confesses to God that he knows that God is in control and places himself in His hands, no matter what the result. Isaiah declares to God that he is the creation and God is the Creator, allowing Him to work in him/Israel. Isaiah places Israel back under God’s protection, though they had failed & disobeyed, “Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people.” (Isaiah 64:9 TNIV) Israel is the Lords, just as we are His now.
In terms of Advent, this passage in Isaiah creates & fosters within us a hope that we too can experience the restoration that Jesus brings when He enters our lives, when we allow Him, individually and communally, to mold us into the image that He feels/knows is best for us. Might we enter into a place of repentance, acknowledging that we have failed, we have sinned, we have transgressed, but Jesus is there to forgive, there to heal, there to bless. He is coming; He is on His way.
posted by APN | 6:30 PM
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