ISAIAH 55:1-9

BACKGROUND

This section of the book of Isaiah was written during Babylonian exile.  The people of God were feeling abandoned by God.  They questioned his power, and maybe even his existence.  They were tempted to worship the gods of their captors.  After all, they thought, the Babylonians won, and they lost.  Many thought that maybe the Babylonian god was more powerful.  Who knows?

DETAIL                                                       

  • The opening word is “Ho”, which I understand to be a call to listen to what is going to be said.  Maybe it is like our “hey!” or “listen up”.
  • The beginning of verse 2 gets to the heart of the problem.  The people have directed their attention elsewhere.  They no longer put their trust in the Lord God Yahweh.
  • Verses 1-3 are an interesting invitation.  God is hosting a banquet, and it is free!  This banquet idea is a metaphor for our relationship with God.  This is his way of saying “Come to me.  Forget about those other ‘gods’.  Worship me.” The words are sweet.  I especially love verse 3:  “Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.” Can you feel how strongly our God wants to be in relationship with us?
  • Verse 4 reminds Israel that their king (not that Babylonian king) will be a “leader and a commander for the peoples”. 
  • Verse 5 proudly claims that a time is coming when nations and peoples will come to you, not you to them.  Your kingdom will be restored to its former glory. 
  • Verse 6 is an invitation to return to the Lord, while we still have the opportunity.
  • Verse 7 is a reminder that our God is merciful and forgiving.
  • To me, verses 8 & 9 call to mind Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  In that sermon, he tells us God sees things differently—the meek, poor in spirit, and those who mourn are blessed, rather than the rich, the powerful, and those living life with gusto.  The “higher” thoughts are those that care for the disadvantaged.

THE TAKEAWAY

God still yearns for us to be in a relationship with Him.  But we still “spend our money… and labor for that which does not satisfy.”  It’s not like there’s an admission price.  God’s grace is a free gift; there for the taking. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Lent is a good time to re-evaluate where we focus our energy and direct our attention.  Where does God fit into our lives?  How is our relationship with Him?  How can this relationship be strengthened?


1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13

THE BACKGROUND

Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth because they were experiencing numerous problems.  Paul had taught them sound Christian principles.  But after he left, things started going haywire.  These problems needed to be addressed. 

One of these problems was that they misunderstood one of Paul’s teachings.  Paul taught that with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are no longer in bondage to sin; we are free from the law of Moses to live our lives in the Spirit. Some in this Corinthian church took this as permission to embrace an “anything goes” lifestyle.  In today’s passage, Paul teaches that responsibilities and consequences are still part of a Christian life.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

THE DETAIL

  • In the first paragraph, Paul reminds the reader that all their ancestors came with Moses from Egypt, and all experienced the same things.  Then, he throws in the clincher—God was not pleased with most of them, and many of them died [as a result].  We get details in the next paragraph.  (vv. 1-5)
  • He next prefaces the detail with the intent—that all this happened for our benefit.  It was a sort of warning-lesson, so that we don’t do what they did.  (v. 6)
  • He refers to Exodus 32:1-25, when he speaks of idolatry in verse 7.
  • And he’s talking about Numbers 25:1-9, when he talks of sexual immorality.  (v. 8)
  • And even though he talks of putting “Christ” to the test, he means Jesus-God.  The reference story here is Numbers 21:4-9.  (v. 9)
  • Finally, complaining is about the story told in Numbers 16:41-50.  (v. 10)
  • He reiterates his earlier thought that these stories were given to us to instruct us.  “Don’t be like this!” he seems to say.  We shouldn’t be arrogant about our spiritual freedom, lest we fall.  (vv. 11-12)
  • Next, is the oft-quoted verse that God doesn’t test us beyond what we can handle.  Or, at least that’s how we often mean it or take it to mean.  We often forget the second part of that verse that He will provide a way out.  More on that below.  (v. 13) 

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus made it very clear that the Law of Love far outweighs strict compliance to the Law of Moses.  But these rules govern our living, including [most of] the laws of Moses, and provide a framework for righteous living.  Are we allowed to mow our lawns on Sunday?  Of course we are.  But we are also expected to honor the intent of the law, and set aside a day for rest and spiritual rejuvenation.  If we don’t comply with those laws, should we expect to be immediately struck down, like those in those Old Testament stories?  Thankfully not!  But these stores are there to guide us in the way that God would like us to live our lives.

If I were the victim of a hate crime, spousal abuse, or drug addiction, I would have a lot of difficulty swallowing the first part of verse 13.  It says that God would not have allowed me to be a victim, if He didn’t think I could handle it in the first place.  Fortunately, the second sentence helps to clear the air—part of the “way out” is the loving support of friends and family, shelters for the abused, rehab centers for addiction, and (hopefully) justice for the perpetrators. 

I had an aunt who was famous for saying "God will punish you, if you do that."  If we ignored her, sometimes we got caught, but other times we got away with it.  Why?  In the gospel lesson, Jesus provides another perspective on this topic.


 

LUKE 13:1-9

THE BACKGROUND

Jesus has been on a roll.  He has been preaching, teaching, and healing.  In the last chapter especially, he focused on keeping our priorities straight, and making sure that our actions are God-oriented.

THE DETAIL

  • While Jesus is teaching, some remind him about some people from his home area that were slaughtered by Herod while they were making a spiritual sacrifice to God.  Worse yet, Herod’s people co-mingled their blood with the sacrificial blood, which desecrated their sacrifice and death.  This was, of course, an atrocity.  Perhaps the people reporting this to Jesus insinuated that these Galileans might have deserved this fate; that they were sinful, and being punished by God.  Jesus’ response is that those Galileans weren’t any worse sinners than the ones who reported it to Jesus.  He tells those who told him this need to repent, because the same could happen to them. (vv. 1-3)
  • Next, Jesus brings up another incident to make the same point.  “Remember when that tower in Siloam fell, and crushed 18 people?  They weren’t worse sinners than you, so you’d better repent!” (vv. 4-5)
  • Jesus then follows up with a story about a fig tree that does not bear fruit.  The owner wants to cut it down, but the gardener wants to give it another year. Will that tree be cut down next year? Nobody knows, and that’s the point. We should all start bearing fruit, while we have a chance!  (vv. 6-9)

THE TAKEAWAY

Jesus makes it clear that not all disasters are the Hand of God in action—some things just happen. The main thing is that we have a good relationship with God.  That’s what Jesus means when he tells us to repent.  If we have a strong relationship with God, we will have the strength to endure these hardships.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

So, why do bad things happen to good people?  Paul insinuates that God is involved, and Jesus says that sometimes bad things just happen.  Who is right?  Maybe they both are, but at different times and situations.  But Jesus' advice for us is not to "be good", but to "be close".