Isaiah 7:10-14 ♦ Isaiah 9:6 ♦ Isaiah 9:12b, 17b, 21b
The world is a mess. Judah is being invaded, and King Ahaz is playing nicely with the bad boys, the wrong side. In Chapter 7, God sends Isaiah to talk with Ahaz, and it’s not going well. The Lord told Ahaz to ask for a sign, and Ahaz refused, saying he would not ask or put the Lord to the test, even though this was God’s invitation to him. Isaiah then gives a sign from the Lord: Immanuel—God with us—is to come.
I wonder how often we fail to ask God for a sign. A sign of assurance that we are on the right path or making the best decision. Do we look for something we might discover along the way to give us assurance, like a bird, butterfly, or beautiful sunset, rather than asking for something specific as confirmation? Do we play small when we’re invited to be bold in our faith and our prayers?
In Chapter 9, we again have the prophecy of Jesus’s birth, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. We hear about the disobedience and arrogance of Ahaz and the oppressors continuing to get worse. The oppression and fighting continue to escalate. The Lord raises his hand in anger and punishes them. They can’t stand against their oppressors and are defeated. This chapter has both destruction, judgment, and death…and life and salvation.
Twice in the midst of these chapters, we are given the prophecy of the Messiah. The gift of life and salvation, the one who is and is to come. Jesus shows up in the messiness of this war, just like he shows up in the messiness of our world today, and in our individual lives. He’s in the thick of it with us. Do we recognize his presence in our messiness, and do we welcome him into our messes?
Three times in Chapter 9, God stretches out God’s hand in anger. I wonder if the outstretched hand in verses 12b, 17b, and 21b is not only God’s fist raised in anger and punishment, bringing destruction and death, but also God’s open hand extended as an invitation to repentance and reconciliation? An invitation to return from their sins and to return to their God, to life and salvation. Is God issuing an invitation to come back into relationship? Like the invitation to ask for a sign God extended in Chapter 7?
Kathy Jo McLean is a SAM (Synod Authorized Minister) serving the PALM Churches (Piedmont Area Lutheran Ministries) as Assistant Minister at St. Stephen’s Lutheran, Gold Hill, and Mt. Gilead Lutheran, Mt. Pleasant. She and her husband, Jimmy, live in Mooresville and are blessed with two daughters, their husbands, and two grandchildren. Kathy Jo enjoys photography and time outdoors. Forrest, their 80-pound Collie believes he is a lapdog.
To Consider
Where do you experience God’s hand calling you to repentance?
How do you respond when God’s direction is not the answer you desire?
Where do you see Jesus in the messiness of life?
Prayer
God, thank you for your guidance, direction, and correction in our lives. We ask you to continue to guide and protect us from ourselves, even though we are kicking and screaming along the way. Open our eyes to the places and spaces you invite us to enter and the doors you close on our journey. Amen.