Scripture Focus: Isaiah 27.2-6, 13
2 In that day—
“Sing about a fruitful vineyard:
3 I, the Lord, watch over it;
I water it continually.
I guard it day and night
so that no one may harm it.
4 I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
I would march against them in battle;
I would set them all on fire.
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;
let them make peace with me,
yes, let them make peace with me.”
6 In days to come Jacob will take root,
Israel will bud and blossom
and fill all the world with fruit. 

13 And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. 

Reflection: Previsualizations of Promises
By John Tillman

In many of Isaiah’s writings three things are being described at the same time—the destruction of Israel in the immediate future, the return from exile in the near future, and the ultimate fulfillment of Israel in the far future.

When we remove things from this context we can misinterpret them. For example, the often-quoted promise that God will “keep in perfect peace” those who trust in God, (Isaiah 26.3) may have been misread by Isaiah’s audience. They could easily have interpreted it as an assurance of earthly political peace and the absence of suffering or conflict. We might do the same.

Of course, we can and should pray this verse and long for peace. However, any earthly peace we create or experience now is representative, not ultimate. This doesn’t mean earthly peace is pointless. Peace we create now points to the peace to come.

God gives his people previsualizations of ultimate reality. These are intermediary places or persons or events that stand as a picture of the promises of God. 

The Tabernacle and the Temple of Jerusalem previsualize Heaven and the City of God, where people can approach God, see his glory, and understand his holiness. 

Joseph, Moses, and David previsualize a suffering servant, a liberating savior, and a reigning king that are fulfilled in Jesus.

Enslavement in Egypt and exile in Babylon describe our current state. Liberation from Egypt and the rebuilding of the temple previsualize our ultimate future. We live now as exiles and foreigners in a world enslaved and ruled by sin, but one day we will be ultimately freed and the world we are meant to live in will be rebuilt. This will be the ultimate fulfillment of all God’s promises, including Isaiah 26:3.

Isaiah 25-27 describes the coming of God’s heavenly city to Earth, similar to John’s account in Revelation. (Isaiah 25.6-8; Revelation 21.1-7) This banquet is for all the peoples of the world and every face will be covered in tears, yet God himself will wipe those tears away. 

We can take refuge in him and make peace with him. As we do, he will wipe every tear from our eyes and we will bear the fruit that we were always intended to bear. (Isaiah 27.5-6) This promise we may know and fulfill now in part, but then, we will know fully and be fully known. (1 Corinthians 13.12)

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Our days are like the grass; we flourish like a flower of the field;
When the wind goes over it, it is gone, and its place shall know it no more. — Psalm 103.15-16

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 27 (Listen -2:16)
Luke 9 (Listen -8:05)

Read more about Fruitful in Suffering
Joseph shows us a preview of Jesus, the suffering servant, upon whom the Holy Spirit would rest and be given without limit.

Read more about Public, Prayerful, Persistent Protest
Daniel’s protest softened the heart of a king and changed the leadership of an entire nation. What might ours change today?

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 26.17-18
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pain,
so were we in your presence, Lord.
18 We were with child, we writhed in labor,
but we gave birth to wind.
We have not brought salvation to the earth,
and the people of the world have not come to life.

Reflection: A Difficult Birth
By John Tillman

Humanity was created to create. God’s command in Eden was to enhance, to cultivate, to grow—to birth more life from life. Despite our fallenness, we can take up our Edenic call to birth goodness. Birthing life is a holy and painful process and it does not always go smoothly.

Isaiah describes an agonizing and difficult birth. The woman strains, groans, and cries in her effort. But after all of that sweat, pain, and blood, she has no child to hold. She hasn’t birthed anything at all—only “wind” or ruach.

Ruach is a common word meaning wind, breath, or spirit. Ecclesiastes 2.11 uses it to express a similar feeling of uselessness and pointlessness. After all his work, even working with the blessing of divine wisdom that was beyond any other human, Solomon came up short. All his labor was meaningless. A chasing after ruach.

Isaiah sits in mournful disappointment following this failed birth. Israel was supposed to birth goodness, salvation, and life into the world. Instead, they brought death, enslavement, and evil. 

We may feel similar disappointment. Like Israel, the church is to birth goodness, salvation, and life into the world by being Christ’s embodied presence. It is a difficult birth. Despite all our labor we may at times despair. Has the church failed? Is our labor meaningless?

John picks up Isaiah’s image of a woman in labor in Revelation. John encouraged his readers that birthing is not over and it will not fail. The woman in Revelation is supernaturally assisted in her birth. (Revelation 12.2-6) Today, God’s people still struggle in labor, and God still steps in to supernaturally help us. 

“There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.” — Samwise Gamgee, The Two Towers

In a way, we are all Samwise. Gardeners, meekly navigating an impossible course between mighty foes. By rights, we shouldn’t be here. We aren’t strong enough to bear this burden. Yet, where we are incapable or fall short, God will step in.

Along with us, God strains, groans, and cries as a woman in labor. (Isaiah 42.14; 49.15) People, groups, or nations may fail now, but God won’t. In the end tears, sweat, and blood will all be wiped away by God’s tender hand.

There will come a day when the difficulty of labor will be forgotten in the joy of the birth of God’s kingdom. (John 16.21-22) “…and no one will take away your joy.”

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves. — Psalm 126.6-7

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 26 (Listen -2:58)
Luke 8 (Listen -8:09)

Read more about This Present Age
You have placed us here and called us now, to live for you in this place, in this culture, in this time.

Read more about New Year, New Adam, New CreationBetter than a baby new year, Jesus is a new Adam. All creation will be renewed in him.

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 23.8-9
8 Who planned this against Tyre, 
the bestower of crowns, 
whose merchants are princes, 
whose traders are renowned in the earth? 
9 The Lord Almighty planned it, 
to bring down her pride in all her splendor 
and to humble all who are renowned on the earth. 

Reflection: Kingmakers Unmade
By John Tillman

Until Alexander the Great built a land bridge to completely destroy the city 300 years before Christ, Tyre had been an island beloved by kings. It made its fortune and gained power by trade across the sea in many luxurious items.

Tyre was a city-state that, historically, was friendly to Israel. Tyre’s king, sent gifts to David and his son sent gifts to Solomon. Tyre remained on friendly economic terms with Israel. Historians partly credit the vast power, influence, and wealth of Tyre to its strategic location and its partnership with the most powerful kings Israel would ever have.

Isaiah called Tyre “bestower of crowns” and they were connected through trade to royalty across the Mediterranean and throughout the region. “Tyrian purple” was traded with Egypt and Israel and the color remained a mark of royalty and wealth through the New Testament and the Roman Empire.

The term “kingmaker” refers to those who through wealth, power, guile, or all three elevate someone of their choosing to a position of power. You probably know the names of some modern kingmakers. They don’t usually want to be the king. That’s too much work. They just want to pick a king of their liking. Their wealth and influence afford them the opportunity to shape the world.

This is not necessarily bad. It is part of the Edenic command to “subdue” the earth and create growth, blessing, and abundance. Originally this meant agriculture, but economic growth is just agriculture of a different kind. Historically, however, the wealthy and influential tend to end up like Tyre.

Jesus wasn’t joking when he said how hard it was for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. Wealth has unique and difficult dangers that can poison us. Long before the rich young ruler sadly walked away from Jesus, Tyre was given as an example to the world that God would end the pride of those who elevated themselves.

Tyre is a universal warning to all people but even more so to those of us blessed with even moderate wealth. Theoretically, wealth is a neutral tool—neither evil nor good. But in practice, as we shape our world with this tool, it is exceedingly rare that it does not also shape us. 

We should take care that our hearts are shaped by Jesus’ warning and that we use our resources to shape a world that testifies to his kingship.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. — Psalm 90.12

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 23 (Listen -2:50)
Luke 5 (Listen -5:04)

This Weekend’s Readings
Isaiah 24 (Listen -3:11), Luke 6 (Listen 6:46)
Isaiah 25 (Listen -1:59), Luke 7 (Listen -7:14)

Read more about Solomon’s Folly
We are so easily overawed by wealth and wealth so easily overturns our morality.

Read more about Urgent Desire for More
The wealthy young man wasn’t ready to give up earning and he didn’t yet trust what he would stand to inherit.

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 22.12-13
12 The Lord, the LORD Almighty,
    called you on that day
to weep and to wail,
    to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”

Reflection: Icarus and Israel
By Erin Newton

Icarus was a boy in Greek mythology whose father crafted for him waxen wings. He warned the boy not to fly too close to the sun or too low toward the sea. Icarus was careless and prideful and flew too close. His wings melted under the sun’s rays sending the boy to his death. Even today, people are warned, “Don’t fly too close to the sun!”

The prophet Isaiah turns his attention to Jerusalem again. It is another forecast of judgment upon Israel. The scene breaks with a vision of the people on the rooftops eating, drinking, and being merry.

They are celebrating when they should be lamenting. God commanded his people to repent and show their sorrow. Instead, the people are filled with pride, self-assuredness, and the sense that they are invincible.

Self-sufficiency blinds them from danger. The walls they have built, the weapons they have forged, the armies they have built up give them a sense of security even when God has promised destruction.

In the Valley of Vision, the people are blind. Instead of being alert, looking for God to act, they are drunk on their own power.

Like the Greek tragedy of Icarus, Israel carelessly journeyed outside the parameters set by God. What happens when we are so sure of ourselves, so self-sufficient that we scoff at warnings?

On a large scale, we operate with the attitude that all our ventures will not fail. We have made ourselves a firm foundation built upon our hard work. We rarely need to ask for help and think of ourselves as never wrong. The pains of the world around us are simply beyond the scope of our concern.

On a personal level, we trust in our own goodness. We have lived a Christian life for so long that our good deeds have certainly outnumbered our bad deeds by now… or so we hope. We have a tidy list of Christian chores to do each day that builds our sense of self-sufficiency. We lean heavily into our own understanding and trust in ourselves.

We like to think we aren’t so foolish as to ignore the call to repentance. When we hear about abuse, violence, slander, or intimidation done under the name of Christ, we are forced to react. Do we shrug it off thinking, “I could never commit that sin,” or do we respond with heartfelt grief and sorrow?

Divine Hours Prayer: The Morning Psalm
But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; let them be merry and joyful.
Sing to God, sing praises to his Name; exalt him who rides upon the heavens; Yahweh is his Name, rejoice before him!
Father of orphans, defender of widows, God in his holy habitation! — Psalm 68.3-5

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 22 (Listen -3:53)
Luke 4 (Listen -5:27)

Read more about A Sword Unsheathed
The watchmen called out warnings but no one listened…The fire alarms went off but no one fought the fire.

Read more about The Limits of Ministry
God requires watchmen on the wall to faithfully call out warning but holds people responsible for their response.

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 21.6-7
6 This is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, post a lookout
    and have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

Reflection: Be on Lookout
By Erin Newton

Ancient cities that stood a chance against an invasion were those with walls and towers. The walls were built to provide protection and watchtowers were a means of looking beyond the immediate landscape. Those on a tower could signal for help, much like the beacons of Minas Tirith in The Lord of the Rings.

Isaiah’s prophecy continues to describe impending disaster. The vision of judgment returns to Babylon though she had been the center of prophecy earlier. This time, God commands Isaiah to send someone to the watchtower to wait for a sign. The lookout was to stay alert, fully alert.

What was the lookout expecting to see? Signs of chariots and horses, people coming from distant lands. The fall of Babylon had been prophesied and they awaited the confirmation, “Babylon has fallen!”

Isaiah preached to his defeated brethren. Exile awaited them. Israel longed to see the fulfillment of the prophecies against their enemies. Yet, the person on the tower was not directing armies. They had to sit by and wait.

What does it mean to be fully alert? In this instance, it is not a call to arms. It means an attentiveness to what is going on around them. It means watching for God to work. To be alert is to be undistracted by the world.

The New Testament continues this call to be alert. Jesus told his disciples to watch and pray in Gethsemane. Peter failed to stay alert but was more than eager to defend Jesus when Judas betrayed him.

Some Christians with a vigilante spirit confuse the call to alertness with a call to arms or a declaration of war. The New Testament is not calling us to be ready to defend our Savior with a sword.

However, there is the call to stay alert for the return of Christ. But those who are alert will be dressed in battle gear unlike any military uniform. “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet” (1 Thessalonians 5.8).

Most often, alertness is linked to prayer. It is the same command from God to Isaiah and Jesus to his disciples. Watch and pray. Perhaps it would serve the Great Commission more if we understood our position on the watchtower as an attentive messenger and not a zealous militia.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Love the Lord, all you who worship him; the Lord protects the faithful, but repays to the full those who act haughtily. — Psalm 31.23

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 21 (Listen -2:32)
Luke 3 (Listen -5:24)

Read more about The Sword Versus The Cross
They might wave a “Jesus” flag, but they want to be saved by less demanding things. Many want to be saved by the sword.

Read more about Of Pride and The Sword
In scripture the sword is not inanimate. The sword is hungry, with an appetite to devour individuals, races, nations, kings, and empires.