Links for today’s readings:
Jul 22 Read: Isaiah 51 Listen: (4:35) Read: Psalm 119.49-72 Listen: (15:14)
Scripture Focus: Isaiah 51:21-23
21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted one,
made drunk, but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
your God, who defends his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
who said to you,
‘Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
like a street to be walked on.”
Reflection: Pushovers
By Erin Newton
Songwriters, like poets, have the ability to capture human emotions and bring them to life in new and memorable ways. As heartbreak and being wronged are common mortal ailments, songs that express pain or outrage are some of the greatest bops of all time.
Take for example, the formerly viral song by Gotye, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” the artist belts out:
Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I’d done
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know
Or take the classic by Nancy Sinatra, “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” when she learns of the infidelity of her lover, she taunts:
These boots are made for walkin’
And that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you
The raw emotions portrayed are those of pain and anger. But they’re often the emotions of someone who has already processed the pain, gained a sense of self and regained power to some extent. They find a way out of that former abuse or neglect and they stride out the door to freedom.
Israel had gotten into bed with other lovers, so to speak. The prophet Hosea gives a vivid picture of how the nation traded loyalty to God for the pleasures of another kingdom. In Isaiah 51, the chapter ends with a stark picture of Israel’s situation. She lay on the ground as her tormentors walked right over her.
In much of the Old Testament, God’s people (collectively and individually) have gotten themselves into such predicaments. But despite their shortcomings, God sees how they’ve been a pushover, weak, and powerless.
We have a term for an easy victory—a walkover. We refer to people who are easily pushed into doing things they might not really want to do—they are walked all over by the aggressor.
But God has compassion. God promises to reverse the situation, granting power to the powerless and bringing down the haughty. There is a sort of hope in Isaiah that God’s people would gain strength of character and boldness in piety, so much so that they will shake off the shackles of their tormentors.
Do you find yourself walked over by a friend, family member, abusive partner, or members of an organization? God, the slayer of dragons, will hear you and restore your dignity.
Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
You are my helper and deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry. — Psalm 70.6
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.
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