I have read the Isaiah passage, and the Gospel lesson which incorporates it, any number of times. I suppose the geopolitical state of the world today caused it to land differently this year. We live in a world today whose geopolitical nature has changed drastically these last few months and, in some sense, the likes of which we have not seen or experienced since the end of WW2. For my part, I grew up in a world defined by a Cold War. We knew they were our likely equal in any battle, and they knew we were theirs, so confrontations were fought through proxy wars. But just to be safe, we practiced hiding under our desks in the event of a nuclear attack. It’s good to see people laughing at that. My kids ask why in the world our leaders thought hiding under a school desk in the event of a nuclear attack would do any good. It was a different world.
With
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, though, perceptions have changed. I am not even sure I think Russia’s army is
top 10 in the world now. When Putin and
his sycophants threaten us, I mostly chuckle at the conventional threat Russia
seems to pose. I even wonder now, if
Putin launched all 5500 nuclear missiles at once, how many would even make it
out of their silos?
We have the
luxury, though, of living several thousand miles away, protected by armed
forces that would make Ukrainian armed forces seem ill-prepared and
ill-equipped by comparison. Unlike our
brothers and sisters in Ukraine, Putin is no threat to our survival or
comfort. Our utilities will likely work
this week. There will likely bee no
explosions to wake us at night. None of
us will be forced to retreat to a non-existent subway for shelter.
Seeing
those events and reading about the struggles of Ukrainians, though, reminded me
of the context in which the Isaiah prophesy was given. And, that reminder serves as a point of
instruction for all of us. Isaiah
teaches us about the nature of prophesy and about how God works among us, no
matter what is happening in the world around us.
Before we
get to the words spoken by God to Ahaz in our lesson today, we need a quick
geopolitical reminder. Assyria, led by
Tiglath-pilezer, is the super power on the world’s stage. Tiglath-pilezer is one of my favorite names
in the ANE. I lobbied hard for David to
be Tiglath-pilezer when he was in utero.
It is a name that stands out, but can be friendly when it is not being
powerful. I mean, it lends itself to
“Tiggy,” right?
Yeah, Karen
did not like it either, obviously. I
have even lobbied for it as a name for a cat.
There’s been no Tiggy the cat in the McVey household, and we have nearly
as many cats as kids!
Tiggy has
been busy conquering much of the ANE. He
has become an existential threat to everyone in the area. God’s people, just to remind us, are divided
into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. They should be united, but sin gets in the
way. The northern king and the king of
Aram decided to unite to fight the Assyrians, and they invited Judah, Ahaz
specifically, to join their alliance.
Ahaz declined. So, Aram and
Israel decided to fight Judah instead of Assyria. Ahaz’ response was not good. He stripped the Temple of gold and other
jewels, sent them to Tiggy, and asked Tiggy to protect him. Ahaz chose to take matters into his own hands
rather than trust God, despite the prophet’s instruction.
God allows
some wrestling. He lets Ahaz complain
and grumble and fear. God tells Ahaz
that, though there will be some struggle, Judah will survive. Ahaz cannot believe the prophet’s voice. So God offers the king of Judah the
opportunity to pick a sign that he might believe the Lord is with the prophet
and behind all this promise and instruction.
Now, let me
just give a bonus lesson here. If you
ever find yourself in a mystical encounter with God and He offers you the
opportunity to choose a sign to know that it is Him, pick the sign! I do not care what sign you pick. Just pick the sign! It never goes well when human beings tell God
they will not pick a sign.
Our passage
picks up in the story with God telling Ahaz to pick a sign as a low as Sheol or
as high as heaven. Ahaz can choose
anything he can think of to discern whether God is truly behind the voice of
the prophet. Anything! It could be a wet or dry fleece. It could be a parting of waters. God has offered Ahaz any sign. And Ahaz says, “Nah. I’ll stick with my own negotiating and
military skills.” Guess how this story
is going to end. You are right. This will eventually end in Exile. Judah, like Israel, will be disgorged from
the Land for Covenantal unfaithfulness.
If the king is rejecting God and His prophet, you can imagine how well
the people are following God’s instruction.
To be fair, they seem to be doing a better job than their northern
brothers and sisters, but God does not grade on a curve.
Isaiah
responds by declaring God’s weariness with mortals. A few colleagues were convinced this week
that verse 13 should not be in Scripture.
God would never weary of us. I
had to laugh and remind them “have you met any human beings?” Isaiah addresses Ahaz by Ahaz’ family, house
of David. In case you all have
forgotten, David’s house has done some pretty stupid things despite God’s
covenant. Of course, to be fair, David
did some sins despite the Covenant being sworn with him. Some apples fall close to their trees. Then comes the prophesy, the young woman will
bear a child. We know the prophesy as it
gets read every Christmas season. The
prophesy finds its ultimate fulfillment in the birth of Jesus to Mary.
The problem
with prophesy, of course, is that there is no guarantee it will be fulfilled
only once. Another such famous one would
be “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” That
was fulfilled when God led Israel out of Egypt during the Exodus, but the
Gospel writers apply it to the Holy Family when Herod dies. Good, I see the nods. Prophesy is challenging for a variety of
reasons, not the least of which is how many times it might be fulfilled by God.
Speaking of
which, how many women do you think lived in the southern kingdom and gave birth
to a child? How many times was this
prophesy, then fulfilled in Judah, long before Jesus’ birth in Jerusalem? Those of us who prefer a one prophesy one
history correlation might argue about the Immanuel. Of course, the birth of a child in Israel
meant that the family would participate in Messiah’s reign. Ownership of the Land was almost a
sacramental act. How did one know that
one was an inheritor of God’s promises?
Through the ownership of the Land.
What terrified families was losing their land. Families would labor, literally, consoled by
the fact that, even if they did not see the full promises of God in their
lifetime, their descendants would. If
you ever had parents or grandparents who pestered you about children when you
got married, imagine how challenging that nagging would have seemed had your
loved ones imported sacramental-like importance to you having children. I know, right? For Israel, the birth of a child extended the
duration of the Covenant another generation.
But look
closer at Isaiah’s words. Before the
child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose
two kings you are in dread will be deserted.
In other words, Aram and Israel will be carried off into Exile before
they can conquer Judah.
What
happens? The northern kingdom is carried
off into Exile. The southern kingdom gets
a reprieve despite Ahaz’ refusal of God’s providence and deliverance, thought
it gets carried off into Exile in the end.
The sign from God is one that both saves and condemns.
Which, when
we think about it, is the same sign we will celebrate at the Feast of the
Incarnation, right? The same sign that
we think demonstrates the ultimate fulfilment of this prophesy. Why does Jesus come and dwell among us during
the Incarnation? To serve. To save.
To heal. Pick your favorite
descriptor that does not include judging.
What happens when He returns? He
judges. The time for saving will be at
an end for those who have rejected Him.
In a very real way, this season reminds us of that sign from God. As we speed toward the Incarnation, you and I
are reminded that we live in the sign of saving or healing or embracing. But, and there is always a heavy but in the
life of the Church, we know that one glorious Day, He will return to do away
with sin and death for good. He will
cast aside that which is evil, that which rejects Him, and remake the world as
He did way back in the beginning. Then,
will that promise made in Isaiah be truly fulfilled. We who call Him Lord will commune with Him as
did Adam and Eve. Our questions will be
answered. Our booboos will be
kissed. And our Father will take great
delight in our joy of His new creation, much as parents next week will be joyed
at the unwrapping of those special gifts for their own children! That is the ultimate promise and prophesy for
which we all yearn.
It is
appropriate, then, on this the fourth Sunday of Advent, that we let our
children tell the story. Like those who
have come before, we know the promises are alive for another generation. In some ways, the struggles with lines in the
pageant are not unlike our own struggles in life. But like life, the pageant has moments of joy
and laughter and even profound awe. In
acting out a play, we remind ourselves again that, despite how we may weary God,
as any child might a parent, still He loves us, treasures us, and wants what is
best for us! Thankfully and mercifully,
even when we did not understand what we truly needed, He sent His Son, Christ
our Lord, to incarnate His love of us and remind us of His call on each and
every life. More amazingly, though, He entrusted
that story to us and instructed us to share with a generation yet unborn, that
they, too, might know His love and His redemptive power and, most especially,
His promise!
In Christ’s Peace,
Brian†
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