“Some good news in the midst of bad”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, December 30, 2024
Isaiah 25: 1-9 (Forward, p. 62) CEV p. 717
No wonder many people have trouble with the Scriptures, given that certain books, like Isaiah, seem to jump around all over the place. In chapter 24, there is little else than an abundance of ‘doom and gloom’:
“The earth wilts away; its mighty leaders melt to nothing. The earth is polluted because its people disobeyed the laws of God, breaking their agreement that was to last forever” (verses 4-5).
“The earth is under a curse: its people are dying out because of their sins. Grapevines have dried up; wine in almost gone—mournful sounds are heard instead of joyful shouts” (verses 6-7).
No one plays tambourines or stringer instruments; all noisy celebrating has come to an end. They no longer sing as they drink their wine, and it tastes sour” (verses 8-9).
It would seem from this that the entire earth--and everything upon it, including all its people--was slated for death and destruction. But then, in today’s portion, in the first 5 verses, we read that it is Israel’s enemies that will face the strong arm of God’s wrath. For Israel, it will be something entirely different:
“On this mountain [Mount Zion] the Lord All-Powerful will prepare for all nations a feast of the finest foods. Choice wines and the best meats will be served. Here the Lord will strip away the burial clothes that cover the nations. The Lord All-Powerful will destroy the power of death and wipe away all tears. No longer will his people be insulted everywhere. The Lord has spoken! (verses 6-8).
“At that time, people will say, ‘The Lord has saved us! Let’s celebrate. We waited and hoped—now our God is here’” (verse 9).
Now I am more than just a wee bit confused—on two counts. Firstly, it suggests that Mount Zion, Jerusalem, will be the centre of God’s action. And secondly, it says that all nations will be recipients of this. So, what about the nations, the enemies, that were the subjects of God’s wrath only a few verses previously?
The answer, actually, is quite simple, if only one notices the change of tense in the verb. The judgments of the Lord upon His enemies and His defence of His chosen people are things of the past. But now, in the future, God promises a new thing—God will do this and that. In other words, it is a blessing that will adhere to all the peoples of the earth sometime ‘down the road’. Indeed, it has not yet happened—at least not in its fulness, so this is something that we can all look forward to. Glory be to God.
Forward notes: “Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces” (verse 8).
“My grandmother taught me what it means to be a good person who treats others with dignity and respect. When my brother and I would fight with a friend or family member, she would often say, ‘You always hold a light for the devil to see.’
“As a teenager, those words really didn’t mean much to me. But they stuck with me. Those words remind me that no matter who I encounter or how they may treat me, I need to see God’s image in them.
“When my grandmother passed away, the family gathered. And I cried. I cried for the loss of wisdom that she still had to share. I cried for my kids, who would never meet her. I cried for not being there when she died. As the psalmist says, tears had become my food when she died.
“Eventually, the tears dried (mostly). I still miss her every day—her wisdom, her strength, her laughter, and, especially, her cooking. But the love of family and friends, standing in for God, wiped away the tears from our faces. God has a way of showing up, even in the tears.”
Moving Forward: “Whose tears will you help wipe away?”