God Provides (And So Should We)

1st Lectionary Verse (the other three verses will follow; the Psalm verse later tonight and the next two on Thursday and Friday FYI)

Isaiah 43: 16-21 (NIV)

¹⁶ This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,

¹⁷ who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

¹⁸ "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

²⁰ The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,

²¹ the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.

Analysis- This passage of the Bible is taken from the book of Isaiah, which is a book rooted in prophecy, both pointing to and fulfilled in Christ. That is, at least in my opinion, how scripture from this book should be looked at within the grand context. On a more specific look into what this passage means, we can look at chapter 43 and see at the beginning of the chapter focusing on the emphasis of importance in the formation of Israel (with Old Covenant realities in mind; I will give a general outlook of my scriptural perspective in a later post soon) and what God has done for Israel.

Verse 14 begins a different section of the chapter entitled "God's Mercy and Israel's Unfaithfulness." This weeks Old Testament lectionary passage focuses on God's mercy, but the verses following show how even the people of Israel (God's chosen people) have been unfaithful despite God's mercy. This leads to the prophecy of Israel's undoing which is embodied in what I believe is ultimately a bigger statement of mercy for all in the embodiment of Christ.

With that bit of context out of the way, we can look more closely at what the specific text says within verses 16-21 and how we can respond to it with full knowledge of the fulfillment of the prophecy and as followers of Christ or even those who aren't but can embrace the truth in the theme/moral of the verses. Verses 16 and 17 allude to the time when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt across the Red Sea which was parted and which closed over the following Egyptians once the Israelites were safely on the other side.

Immediately following is a commandment to forget the past and look ahead to what the Lord will provide along with what he is providing. This section of verses closes with what I think is God's intention: That we give God our praises, not just because of what he has done, but what he is still doing and what he will do for us. I especially appreciate the imagery of water in the desert, which I take as a symbolic (and perhaps literal so long ago) expression for how God takes care of us in tough times.

With all that said, I must say that this passage still leaves the question of how we give God our praises, and that question has many answers. It would be easy to just praise God in private for what he has done for us as individuals, but I think that those of us who have made a commitment to follow Christ can (and should in my opinion) take this further. Matthew 25:40 popped into my mind as I read this: "....I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (NIV)

I'm sure we can all point out times in our lives where we had an opportunity to serve someone and took care of ourselves instead. I'm not saying this to make anyone feel guilty as I have done this more often than I would like to admit (my wife is pointing out my hypocrisy as I type this). We can provide for others in many ways, and this doesn't mean we have to bear the weight of the world on our shoulders. Quite the contrary; We can join with others to help each other. On an individual level, those of you with children or families probably serve someone in a small but significant way multiple times everyday.

I guess to sum it all up, we should be Christ to others because of what continues to be done in us and as best as we can we shouldn't prevent ourselves from helping those who we might not normally see fit to deserve our mercy. God showed mercy to Israel IN SPITE of Israel's unfaithfulness. Wouldn't it be beneficial for us to care for those on the margins of society? Let's keep in mind that as we serve others we find ourselves being served as we open ourselves up to God working in us.