Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Isaiah 5 (& 6)

I've found myself thinking a great deal that I need to face the specter of fear. Having turned down a lot of opportunities to move forward with my desires to be part of God's light to the world, I am talking more and more about the times I've been afraid. In part it's to confess and, in response to something I heard Rick McKinley say, trust that if I'm honest about it God will transform my fears into courage.

When you are afraid it's easy to think, "if I knew how God would take care of the opposition I might be able to move forward against the fear". It's an illusion I think because often the provision is wrapped up in the opposition. In other words, what you want God to keep from happening may very well happen, but you will find out that what you were afraid of isn't that bad because of the power of God to provide. Instead of eliminating our fears to get us to act He eliminates the fear by our actions.

Sometimes that's a letdown. Sometimes you do what God asked and He doesn't do what you asked. He's only parted the Red Sea once as far I know. I'd love to see Him do that again, prefferably before He serves up a serving of "Obediance Du jour".

I say this having forgotten that when Moses stepped up to that water God had NEVER parted the Red Sea.

Now I never think about what I'm really afraid of anyway. It's just a lot of vague "What-ifs" only a few of which can coexist simultaniously. I think God has a lot of fun surprising me when I do obey.

But there is still that emotion that has crippled me and the sadness I've faced is that I think "I could obey God if He just..."

Today I came across Isaiah 5.

The first part is a parable of a man and Vineyard and how he's cared for it yet it bears worthless grapes. It's a story of God and his relationship with the house of Israel. It says so in vs. 7.

Later the dialogue turns to how luxuriant His "vine" has become for itself. He points out that they are "Heros in mixing strong drink". Their sin is not their drunkeness itself, but their drunkeness helps them to ignore the call of the Lord to justice and righteoursness for those in need among them. Because of Isreal's selfishness He plans to cause their crops and vines to produce less.

Then in vs 18-23 it goes into the part that stood out to me last night. This is a people who keeps laboring to do it their way (cue the Sinatra) which happens to be sinful (it usually is). Yet they keep insisting that God act before they start acting like the people He's called them to be.

God's reply is that He will show His work by withering their root and their blossom. In other words, God is not above showing His power through discipline. Something I'm sure they didn't expect.

That would be enough correction there, but then the next chapter is the famous Isaiah 6 where God tells Isaiah to relay the following message: "Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand." (v. 9) In other words, God isn't hiding at all. It's the people who refuse to grasp it "Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed."

It might be oversimplifying to say that this relates directly to my fear, but it certainly isn't unrelated.

This is the part where I'd lay all them out for readers, but I think I'll let it hang here if anyone wants to work that out for themselves.

posted by Scott # 5:04 PM

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