“Some glorious future prospects”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Sunday, December 12, 2021

Isaiah 12:2-6 (Forward, p 44) CEV p. 706

I have long been confused over the proper use of the two English words, ‘will’ and ‘shall’, and today’s passage, at least initially, does little to help me. Verse two says, “Surely, it is God who saves me; I will trust in him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, and he will be my Saviour.” So, there we have ‘will’ twice.

Then in verses 3-4, we have the word ‘shall’: “Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. And on that day you shall say, give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; make his deeds known among the peoples; see that they remember that his name is exalted”.

Well, I am no English major, nor would I ever claim to be one, but the present usage seems to offer an explanation. It would appear that while both are verbs and both denote some future event, ‘will’, both on the part of God and humans, seems to indicate an intent or a firm resolve. This is what I or we will do in the future. On the other hand, ‘shall’ seems to indicate an outcome, in other words, what will happen.

And so, the prophet has resolved to trust God and not be afraid, no matter what, because—this is important, being the underpinning to this resolve--God will continue to be his Saviour, stronghold and sure defence, now and into the future. And then, because of this, we able to ‘draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation’ (or the CEV puts it, ‘able to get water from the well of victory’). It is God’s resolute loyalty and faithfulness and dependability that are the rock on which we stand, rather than our own faith, no matter how strong. But once we place our firm trust and dependence in that solid rock, which is God, we are enabled to praise God and give Him thanks for all His mercy and goodness. And oh, what a glorious future prospect that is for all of us.

Forward notes: “Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation” (verse 3).

“Growing up, I didn’t always feel like my hometown held a lot of bragging rights. Sure, we had a pizza joint on every corner and a bounty of drive-thru coffee stands, but I didn’t always know what to brag about when it came to the place I called home. But one day, it hit me: our little Pacific Northwest town had unbeatable well water. Often voted Best Water in State, we residents greedily drank from the pure, untreated water without a second thought.

“Sometimes I wonder if it was any different when Isaiah spoke of drawing water from the wells of salvation. In joy, we drink of the bounty of God’s goodness. We taste and see that God is good, resting in the forever-lifeline of syncopating ourselves with the rhythms of Christ. Sometimes (and dare I say often), we do not realize what we already have because it’s so real, so natural, so seamlessly easy. But when we recognize the salvation joy that is ours, we glory in the bragging rights that have been ours all along.”

Moving Forward: “Gaze at the natural world and let your senses come alive with the beauty of creation. Then, say a prayer, thanking God.”