Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 1:7-17
New Testament Reading: Luke 12:32-48
We
often read OT history of judgment into our Christian present and future as a
warning of our impending punishment by an angry God. This presents some
problems. (1)We have to explain how fear of punishment can make our behavior good
enough to save us when the whole of the OT shows we cannot. (2)We have to
explain why faith in God’s acceptance is not good enough. (3) We have to try to
explain how a vengeful God of the OT became the loving, forgiving God of the NT.
Isaiah
is famous for its condemnation of unfaithfulness by an angry God and its
promise of salvation by the Suffering Servant. Historically Isaiah is about a
time ~2700-2400 years ago. It is certainly true that Isaiah recounts the Lord’s
displeasure with the spiritual failure of Israel and Judah. This whole puzzle
of the vengeful God of the OT and loving God of the NT seesaws on of Isaiah.
The
Lord chose Israel as a special people and led them out of slavery in Egypt. He
gave them a land and permission to destroy the original inhabitants and seize
their belongings. He promised them everything good in the land and said in so
many words, “If you keep the faith it all is yours. You will know you are
faithful when your lives reflect my commandments.” Unfortunately Israel and
Judah walked away from the promise and every obligation of the covenant. That
covenant said simply, provide worthy worship of the Lord and let your respect of
his creation and every person in it be governed by the same goodness.
The
angry Lord through Isaiah said that he would use the gentile nations, Assyria,
Babylon and Persia to scatter this nation of God’s chosen people to the corners
of the world and destroy their land because of their failure. So he did.
The
Lord condemns their religious practices and false piety (Is 1:7-14), “What to
me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of
burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the
blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who
asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is
futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and calling of
convocation -I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Your new moons
and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I
am weary of bearing them.”
Yes,
historically Isaiah is about a God angry at his chosen ones. But we can view it
another way. Israel and Judah showed the failure of all humanity to be holy.
Spiritually Isaiah is about the persistence of the pride of humanity across
historical time. The Lord indicts Israel through Isaiah but the words strike painfully
close to home. We are as human today as Israel was then.
In the context of our world today, God’s anger
revealed in Isaiah 1:7-17 ought to make everyone think about their
worship. For many people today, our religious celebrations have degenerated
into hardly anything more than commercial gift-giving exercises of Christmas
and Easter, and social activities.
We
build great monuments to God and Christ, like the $700,000 steel crosses erected by a church out on Rt. 153, or the massive church on I-75 at Northside Drive as you enter Atlanta.
I understand the pastor had his name carved in a boulder out front. We erect
expensive signs illuminated by computer-controlled light emitting diodes
advertising family swim day, youth basketball leagues and catchy quotes from
the Bible or sermon titles (I’m guilty of that).
I
am sure most of these folks are well meaning. They want to proclaim Jesus to
the world…but I wonder how well the money is spent. To me, we always walk a
fine line between building monuments to wealth and commitments to piety.
Piety
is a personal thing. How many of us come to worship inside our sanctuaries and just
go through the motions? Do we sing hymns but not heed the words? I am not sure much
has changed in 2700 years.
The
fact Isaiah seems a parallel to us suggests the OT is more about the timeless reality
of faith, and the connection of humanity to a compassionate God that we do not
merit. After all, God condemned Israel
in Isaiah and then offered a path to rigteousness in Is 1:16-17, “Wash
yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before
my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the
oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”
These
words should sound vaguely familiar to our OT and NT ears. These are the activities
of the Suffering Servant restated in Is 61:1-2 and quoted by Jesus verbatim in
his first declaration in the synagogue as he began his ministry. In Luke 4:18-19,
Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the
year of the Lord’s favor.” The catch is, we cannot make ourselves clean, do
good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, and all the rest, only the Lord can.
It
is hard, but if we avoid thinking God’s judgment of the OT is vengeful, but if
the Lord, angry though he is, has in mind an unfolding plan from the beginning
to the end for a creation, it begins to make sense. In the beginning, the Lord
said creation is good and God does not forsake a covenant. God reinforced it to
Abraham, and again to the Hebrews who escaped Egypt by fleeing into the desert.
The
Lord knew at the outset that even his chosen people would sink to these depths.
According to scripture that did displease him. He used gentile Assyria as the
rod against his own people to devastate their land and scatter the inhabitants.
He then used Babylon and Persia (modern day Iran) to finish the job and take
the elite into captivity and destroy his temple.
As he
promised, a remnant survived to return to Jerusalem. The remnant had hardly rebuilt the temple
when they lapsed in to their old ways of corrupt worship right up to the
appearance of Jesus. Yet, the Lord’s covenant made at the outset of creation,
“It is good” remains in force and was promised again in Isaiah. Jesus Christ is
the gift that fulfills the covenant and brings us into grace in spite of
ourselves.
Let
us walk through Luke (12:32-48) to understand how an angry God can remain
compassionate not vengeful. Luke 12:32
says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to
give you the kingdom.” This is the natural consequence of the promise of the Suffering
Servant, the year of the Lord’s favor.
If you do nothing else, please keep Luke’s verse in mind throughout your
day. The Lord gives us his kingdom as his good pleasure as promised. It should humble
us. When you hear God’s anger in Isaiah remember this blessing fulfills his
promise.
Luke
12:34 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What
else can that be but a personal question, “Where are our priorities?” (Is1:7-17)
Verses
35-38 say that we are blessed if we properly locate our priorities. Jesus uses
the analogy of the gracious master who comes home late at night, tired and
ready to retire after a long celebration of a wedding, only to find his
housekeepers awake and waiting for him. Overjoyed, he tells them to go in and
sit down. We can imagine he is tired, probably had more than enough to eat and
drink yet he bathes, puts on clean clothes and returns, gathers the food and
serves his housekeepers. Blessed are the slaves who become the master and the
master who becomes the slave.
Someone
who is not a Christian reading this passage probably thinks this is the most
outrageous thing imaginable. Can you imagine your boss humbling himself to you after
a long trip, just because you were alert and waiting for him?
The
next two verses (39,40) read, “But know this: if the owner of the house had
known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be
broken into. You also must be
ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” As I explained to
the children Jesus extends this earlier story saying we need to be prepared all
the time for this invitation to an unexpected feast.
As
we read on, Peter asks whether Jesus is talking about disciples, pupils, or
both. Luke 12:47-48 reads, “That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did
not prepare himself or do what was wanted will receive a severe beating. But
the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light
beating.” Jesus answered that the responsibility for readiness, or proper
behavior and stewardship, is on everyone, but the person who knows this has a
heavier responsibility than those who may not know it. If you are not ready for
any reason you are going to incur some consequence but watch out if you know
what to do and don’t do it.
The
last part of v48 clarifies our obligation. “From everyone to whom much has been
given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted,
even more will be demanded.” Our faith equips us to walk righteously and
proclaim the good News according to our abilities. Our every ability is a gift
from God. Whether a general or private, a teacher or pupil, a cook or
dishwasher, we are responsible for our part of God’s house. Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock,
for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” In other words,
be prepared, the kingdom of God at hand.
This
sermon has struggled to make the point that we cannot read scripture linearly
as time history without overlooking the significance of God’s plan. It is as
true today as in Isaiah’s time; God and the nature of humanity is time-less. You
may recall a few weeks ago we talked about Paul’s sense of history as past,
present and future. Everything that has and will happened already is already in
God’s mind.
If
we keep that in mind as we carefully read the OT, we can restate the covenant
with Israel like this, “Because I am a
compassionate God, I have created the whole world and humanity as a good thing.
The body of humanity, your body, comes from its earth and your knowledge and
life comes from God. I have chosen you specially to reveal my goodness. If you
have faith in me you will be holy like me and reveal my commandments in your
behavior as the signs of your own holiness. My commandments are not rules for
living. You don’t get any reward for following them. They are the measure of your
holy life. If you cannot reveal my commandments in your life… you cannot be
holy.”
Paul
who never read the Gospels, understood this painfully. He laments that our God-given
knowledge is the undoing of our humanity in Romans 7:18-19. Paul said, I know what is right. Yet I do
what is wrong because I am not God. This is the key!
If
we read the NT scriptures carefully we realize that the covenant with the
Hebrews is more than God’s special relationship with a select people. I suggest
this covenant as revealed in Jesus goes something like this, “My chosen people are a part of the world of all humanity. All your bodies
come from the earth and your knowledge comes from me. If you use the knowledge
I have given you, you will measure yourself and show that you cannot
demonstrate my holiness even under the threat of your downfall. Yet I am a
steadfast and compassionate. I love all created humanity and this world from
which I chose you. I shall restore everyone to my kingdom that admits and
proclaims only I can do this thing. I am the Lord. I make you holy by my choosing and neither
your Godly knowledge or your God-given body can do it for you.”
This is
undeserved gift of grace waiting for the taking. I hope it is your treasure
because where your treasure is; there your heart will be also. As you enjoy the
wait for that treasure, ask yourself two questions, “Who has given the most and
who has received the most?” Then remember
from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the
one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. AMEN
No comments:
Post a Comment