Day 209: Isaiah 4, 5 and 6

Judge between me and my vineyard. (Isaiah 5:3)

In yesterday’s reading Isaiah contrasts Judah, who doesn’t have the sense to know it owes its sustenance to God, with a donkey who at least knows it can trust his master for food and water. In chapter five, the writer describes Judah using the metaphor of a well tended vineyard that nonetheless refuses to produce grapes.

The prophet speaks in the name of God the conseqence for the vineyard’s failure: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled (5:5).

The Book of Isaiah is full of judgment and consequence, but one of the keys to understanding Isaiah is to look beyond the judgment. God certainly does. According to Walter Brueggemann: The harsh judgments announced by the prophet are roughly matched by promises . . . that after the judgment of YHWH upon the city, there will be a renewal and restoration. That renewal and restoration does not in any way soften or diminish the judgment to come, but asserts that judgment is not the ultimate prophetic word to YHWH’s city. [1]

If you’ve ever suffered the consequences of bad decisions and thought, That’s it; life as I know it is over; then you need to hear the message of Isaiah. There are definitely consequences to our bad choices, but there is also hope that transcends those consequences.

What consequences have you suffered and then lived to tell about?

[1] Walter Brueggemann, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2003), 161.

Day 208: Isaiah 1, 2 and 3

The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know. (Isaiah 1:3)

In the Hebrew Bible the book of Isaiah follows right after Kings. Both concern themselves with the final days of Jerusalem. [1] There was a repeating history in Israel and Judah of unfaithfulness to Yahweh – specifically breaking the first commandment: You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3).

Isaiah’s first 12 chapters seem to focus on the prophet’s interaction with Ahaz, king from approximately 735 to 715 BC. Read about Ahaz in 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28. During the reign of Ahaz, Judah was the whipping boy of Aram, Israel and Edom. Rather than cry out to God for help, Ahaz used the treasures of the temple and bribed the king of Assyria to rescue him. At that time Ahaz began worshiping Assyria’s gods, adding them to his stable of gods from other nations.

Ahaz replicated Assyria’s altar for burnt offerings and placed it in Jerusalem’s temple. The bronze altar built by Solomon many generations earlier was moved aside – out of the way – and used for fortune telling. Isaiah puts it plain: Even dumb farmyard animals are smart enough to know where their food comes from, but not Israel. Ahaz doesn’t even know which side his bread is buttered on.

Have you ever been tempted to throw aside your faith in God? How’d that work out for you?

[1] Thoughts informed by Walter Brueggemann, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2003).

Day 207: Song of Songs 5, 6, 7 and 8

What shall we do for our sister for the day she is spoken for? (Song of Songs 8:8)

Here the writer explores the role of family in helping the young develop healthy sexual attitudes and boundaries. Keeping in mind Shulamith’s repeating charge: Do not awaken love until the time is right (2:7), we have a foundation from which to interpret 8:8-12.

The speaker has changed. Now we have the older siblings of a young woman asking how they can protect their little sister: If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar (v. 9). The poetically blunt message here is that walls keep people out and doors let people in. If our sister has good judgment and maintains healthy boundaries with boys, then we will reward her with praise. But if she is promiscuous and acts more like a door than a wall, then we will be her wall. We will protect her until such time as she is able to make better choices.

The message of verses 11 and 12 is clear. Solomon owns many vineyards and they are his; he can buy or sell as he pleases. Shulamith uses poetic language to say she has a vineyard as well. Regardless of Solomon’s wealth and power, she alone is steward over her own sexuality.

How can you help the children and teenagers in your life develop healthy sexual boundaries?

Day 206: Song of Songs 1, 2, 3 and 4

Promise me, O women of Jerusalem . . . not to awaken love until the time is right. (Song of Songs 3:5, New Living Translation)

This is a repeating charge in Song of Songs. Don't awaken love until the time is right. It can be found in chapters 2, 3 and 8. There has been a whole range of opinion regarding the love affair chronicled here. Is it a story of the relationship between God and Israel? Christ and the church? Two young lovers? A king and his bride? Over the years majority opinion has shifted between these options.

In the 1970s, Joseph Dillow wrote a great book called Solomon on Sex – The Biblical Guide to Married Love. He focuses on this repeating verse as the key to unlocking this work of Old Testament wisdom literature. [1]

God intended sex to be enjoyed within the bonds of marriage. Solomon's bride charges the women of Jerusalem with that very truth. Nowhere is the sexual relationship as delightfully expounded as in this biblical text, and nowhere can that relationship be expressed as beautifully as within the freedom of marriage.

How cool is that?

[1] Joseph C. Dillow, Solomon On Sex (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1977).

Day 205: Ecclesiastes 10, 11 and 12

Whoever watches the wind will not plant. (Ecclesiastes 11:4)

In the Gospel according to Ian Flemming we are introduced to Apostle Bond… James Bond. Bond has so many qualities that make him uniquely 007, but the one most crucial to his survival is that he never hesitates. He sees an opportunity and he acts. I think of Pierce Brosnan jumping off the hydroelectric dam and skydiving into the cockpit of a freefalling small plane, taking the controls and flying himself to safety (GoldenEye, 1995). Or there was the time Roger Moore had to escape in the everglades from the henchman’s lair surrounded by alligator infested waters. He simply ran across the pond stepping on the backs of each alligator in turn until he was safely across (Live and Let Die, 1973).

If that was me, I’d stand there having a debate with myself. “Should I go now? No. Maybe now? No.” And I’d wind up with a bullet in my back before I even made up my mind!

I had no idea the preacher of Ecclesiastes was a 007 fan, but apparently he was. He taught that it was better to seize and opportunity, even if it’s less than perfect, than to wait for perfect conditions that may never come. General George Patton remarked: “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”

How many good opportunities have we let slip through our fingers because we were waiting for the perfect opportunity? And did that perfect opportunity come? Probably not.

What are you waiting for?

Day 204: Ecclesiastes 7, 8 and 9

Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you   atmay hear your servant cursing you. (Ecclesiastes 7:21)

This is a wonderful example of Ancient Near East humor and wisdom rolled into one. First the writer warns that if we strain our ears listening for someone to praise us, we might just hear someone maligning us instead. If we would have minded our own business we wouldn't have heard the praise, but then we wouldn't have heard the insult either. And, who are we kidding? Even a dozen accolades can't take the sting out of one insult.

Reminds me of a pastor I know who had just finished preaching and was standing at the back door shaking hands. Several people told him they enjoyed the sermon, and he was rather enjoying it. Then a man walked up and asked, Is that the best you can do?

And part of what makes this all so funny is that we've done exactly the same thing. The writer continues: ...for you know in your heart that you yourself have cursed others (v. 22).

But it sounded so innocent when I said it about him, and so mean when he said it about me.

Listen hard enough, and you're guaranteed to hear something that hurts your feelings. And face it: There’s only one opinion that really counts.

Who are you listening to?

Day 203: Ecclesiastes 4, 5 and 6

All labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. (Ecclesiastes 4:4)

My truck is 13 years old with 180,000+ miles. It probably wasn’t the truck I would have picked out for myself, but the friend I bought it from needed a break. Now I can honestly say I love it – best vehicle I've ever owned.

There's nothing special about it. It's not an extended cab… doesn't even have power locks or windows. For my younger friends, that means I actually have to turn a crank to raise or lower the windows. I know. Archaic! Unlocking it requires a key! Look it up in an encyclopedia. Online, of course.

When I bought my truck, my kids Ben and Will were 9 and 6. Now they're 20 and 17. The three of us fit in the cab a lot easier then than we do now. Picture eyes bugged out, and elbows digging into ribs.

Here's my point. I'm content with my pick-up. Until, that is, I see a TV commercial for a flashy new car or truck... or I drive past the dealership... or I see a new vehicle in my neighbor’s driveway. Then my contentment evaporates and I desperately need a NEW CAR!!! One moment I'm not even thinking about a new car; next minute that's all I can think about. What was sufficient is no longer good enough; it's all about keeping up with the Joneses.

What new thing, bright and shiny, are you coveting?