Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Isaiah 48:12-21

“Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy…”

I could do well to meditate on Isaiah more often, and I’m grateful for its prominent place in the cycle of readings. The authors are inflamed with the belief that God works through created events, people and circumstances to bring about God’s dream for the world. In today’s passage, the writer reveals God’s plan to use the Persian king, Cyrus, to overcome Babylon, and free the Israelites from their captivity (“The LORD loves him [Cyrus]; he shall perform his purpose on Babylon, and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.”) The language of much of this section of Isaiah mirrors the Exodus event, and, in a way, trumps it. The Israelites leave Egypt but struggle through the wilderness, as they desperately search for water. Here, in the “second Exodus” from Babylon, the people will not thirst when God leads them home (v. 21)

            I must admit that I’m hesitant to see Stephen Harper or Barack Obama as God’s definitive  instruments to bring about a world of peace and justice, and yet I’m inspired by the full arc of the Biblical narrative to believe that God does indeed have a dream for creation. I’m inspired by a vision where all of creation is freed from captivity (cf. Romans 8). The Christian proclaims the good news that “if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

            When I meditate on this passage, I consider God’s desires for the world, my own desires for the world, and the agreement or conflict between the two. Do I reflect enough on my own captivity or the captivity of those around me? Am I aware of the chains of addiction, or greed or loneliness that imprison people in my own neighborhood? Could I adopt the voice of Isaiah and proclaim God’s good news of release to those around me, “Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea…” , not through dramatic acts of parting seas or conquering invaders, but through the simple ways God has always acted: befriending the stranger, loving the enemy, laying down our lives for our friends? Such a vision is consistent, I think, with our desire to be a vibrant community in downtown Kitchener.

-David Shumaker