In the valley……………………… Part II Isaiah 59:9-21
Sunday November 22, 2015 10:00 am
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| an earlier year's snow |
My
dogs, unaware of the seasons cold, want to romp and stomp outside and let me
know with their insistent yelps. I stop and let them out and they immediately
head for the sunny bench seat of the deck and look at me with surprised eyes as
the nip of the chilling air works through their fur. It won’t be long before
the give the same insistent yelps to, “Let me back in, I’m cold!”
So
here I am, safe warm, fed. Coffee cup near. I am so fortunate, I realize that
deeply, and I am thankful that God has made provision for me. I am blessed
beyond knowing with so much abundance of everything. “Thank you God!”
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| Coffenburry Lake, Fort Stevens,Oregon |
After
my devotional time this morning, and prayers, I felt that I should spend some
time finishing up my study of Isaiah 59. If you are reading this now, and
didn’t read Part I, it’s on this blog page and it’s entitled, At the
Crossroads. I strongly encourage you to read Part I first to gather the themes
present in this chapter. A week has
passed in my life since writing Part I. So much has happened in that time. My
life is packed full of people, events, drama, chores, activities, choices and
the list goes on. At this moment, I am
taking a break to feed my soul. If I don’t, I will be worn down and weary
before the week begins.
So,
back to our study. We left off with verse 8 of Chapter 59 of Isaiah. Previously,
we had looked at the questions of why God might not be hearing us; what things
in our lives might be separating us from Him. We then looked at our own selves
in terms of our responsibilities in this world to others. We explored what the
nature of man looks like when we turn away from God and how those evil actions
result in pain for others and ourselves as we lose all peace. Now this take a
look at the rest of the chapter.
Isaiah 59:9 – “Therefore justice is far from us, Nor
does righteousness overtake us: we look for light, but there is darkness! For
brightness, but we walk in blackness!” King James
Isaiah 59:9 – “It is because of all this evil that
deliverance is far from us. That is why God doesn’t punish those who injure us.
No wonder we are in darkness when we expected light. No wonder we are walking
in the gloom.” New Living Translation
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| Last fall leaves on the Fort Stevens rrail. |
Over
the years, circumstances came up and the wife experienced increasingly
bitterness towards her husband. “Why didn’t he talk with her the way he used
to?” “Why didn’t he pick the first
spring flowers and bring them home like he used to?” The list grew and grew and
emotionally they began to grow apart. Finally, on one of their weekend drives,
she couldn’t bear it any longer. From her side of the front seat she began, “I
don’t know what’s wrong between us? We aren’t as close any more!!!” The
husband, paused a moment, patted the space on the seat next to him and gently
told his wife, “I haven’t moved.” The wife, in a moment of realization, saw the
distance between them, realized it was her that moved away and scooted across
the distance to again be next to her sweetheart.
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| Mushrooms, quietly growing near the path. |
With us, as humans, we
complain about God often, (me too, I’m embarrassed to admit). “Why is He taking
so long to fix this situation?” “Doesn’t He know how much I’m hurting?” “Why isn’t He answering my prayers?” “Doesn’t
He care about me?” And on it goes.The first place to start when we feel like
this is taking personal inventory asking ourselves the question, “Am I
harboring anything in my life that would come between me and God?” Bringing our weaknesses of heart, mind and
emotion to Him and asking Him to cleanse us, forgive us and heal us is the
first therapeutic step in restoring that closeness, and peace.
I’m going to veer off
for a second and discuss another aspect I’ve mentioned before in my blog, God’s
timing. I’m the first one to admit, it’s hard to wait for the answers to
prayers. There are circumstances that are so painful to endure; broken
marriages and relationships, people we love caught in addictions, people we
care about with diseases and illnesses, financial problems, work problems, our
own problems of health, mind and circumstances. I don’t like suffering, it
hurts. If it goes on for a long time, it’s discouraging and depressing. I’m
also impatient and want things to be fixed right away. I know I’m not alone
there.
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| Fort Clatsop trail...winter beauty. |
Going through a valley
of any kind, we want to get to the end of it, like David we sigh, “Oh Lord how
long? Once, earlier in my life, when prayers I’d prayed for years seemed to
never get answered I read Psalm 75 which talks about God choosing the right
time to act. The waiting on God isn’t easy for me, its as if my heart sees the
waves, of trouble, disappointment, persecution, and I sink into the sea of
doubt and fear. I have to work on bolstering up my faith with prayers, Bible
reading, and asking other Christians to pray with me. It’s not something that
comes “naturally” to us, it’s something (faith) that comes supernaturally.
So back to verse 9,
looking for light is an analogy that’s an easy one for us to identify with.
Once, a year ago, I was on my way to a 2 day trip to Seattle and hurried down
the stairs to the front door. I had turned off all the lights to save money,
and near the end of the stairs I misjudged the distance, and down I went,
suitcase and all. I sat stunned, pain going through my body and after a survey
for broken bones, dusted myself off and got back on my way. Question? Would
having a light on prevented that fall? Most likely.
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| A fern,saying it's last goodbye to the season. |
Vs 10- “We grope for the wall like the blind, and we
grope as if we had not eyes; we stumble at noon day as at twilight; we are as
dead men in desolate places.” King James
Vs 10- “No wonder we grope like blind people and
stumble along. Even at brightest noontime, we fall down as though it were dark.
No wonder we are like corpses when compared to vigorous young men!” New Living
Translation
I’ve
had two blind friends in my life. Both of them were young adults when I knew
them. We were all students in the music program at the small community college
we attended. They were bright, talented, interesting people. On occasion I
would take them places. They had their own strategies for getting around. If it
was a location, or room they were familiar with they would make their way
around. If they needed my help, they would hold on to me firmly and follow my lead.
They had learned to cope with their blindness and engage in world around them.
This verse isn’t talking about people who are blind like this. It’s talking
about people who lose their sight suddenly, or are alone in an unfamiliar
place, desperately trying to find their way around.
I’ve
felt like that more than once in my life. Things have been too stressful and
painful and seemed to go on without end. My Bible is full of notes in the
margin that mark those valleys in my life. My Bible is also full of places
where I’ve noted, “Delivered!!! Answered prayer!!” Those answered prayers while
in the valley of weeping or trials, are places I can look back to as
testimonies of the faithfulness of God. These answers to prayer in the past,
are encouragers to me now to not despair, to not give up, to believe that in
due time help will come, right will prevail, and God will triumph over evil.
Let’s go on to the next set of verses.
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| The lake is quiet as my dogs and I hike on silent, woodland floors. |
Vs
11- 14 We all growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves; we look for justice,
but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions
are multiplied before You and our sins testify against us; for our
transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them; in
transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing from our God, speaking
oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of
falsehood. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth
is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter King James.
Isaiah 59 Vs 11-14
“We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for justice,
but it is nowhere to be found. We look to be rescued, but it is far away from
us. For our sins are piled up before God and testifying against us. We, we know
what sinners we are. We know that we have rebelled against the Lord. We have
turned our backs on God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been,
carefully planning our deceitful lies. Our courts oppose people who are
righteous and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth falls dead in the streets,
and fairness has been outlawed.” New Living Translation
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| There is beauty in the winter forest. |
God
gives more than one, “Do over.” For
those of you to whom that phrase might not have meaning, let me explain. In
Little League baseball, the very youngest children have what’s called T-Ball.
It’s where they learn the beginnings of what baseball is. Sometimes, the little
ones are so fragile when they miss, and so heartsick, the coach will call out,
“You get a “do-over” That means it’s as if the ‘miss’ never happened. They get
to try again. God gives us lots of, “Do overs!” I’m so grateful. Every day is a
new day, every moment is a new moment as long as I, don’t move away from God
by choosing behaviors that are contrary
to His revealed will and goodness and, (this is important) when I recognize
those failures on my part, I need to realize or confess them, and ask His
forgiveness and I am restored into fellowship with Him, my peace returns, and
my faith renews, I am back in the “light” of His love.
Vs
15- “ So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.” King
James
Vs
15- “ Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who tries to live a godly life is soon
attacked.” New Living Translation
I
don’t want to branch out into a political discussion here other than to say,
currently in many realms, schools, governments even families, verse 15
describes a culture where ‘freedom of choice’ is increasingly becoming freedom
of choice for those who oppose godly family values, not those who are trying to
uphold the sanctity of the home, and faith in God. Wow,
so what does this mean? Are things
hopeless and we as Christians can only aspire to struggle, and fight, and
barely survive? Well, we haven’t reached the end of the chapter yet.
Vs
15 – 18 “ Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him. That there was no
justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no
intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own
righteousness, it sustained Him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation of His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for
clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds,
accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;
the coastlands He will fully repay.” King James
Vs 15-18 “Yes truth is gone and anyone who tries to
live a godly life is soon attacked. The Lord looked and was displeased to find
that there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help
the oppressed. So He himself stepped in to save them with his might power and
justice. He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of
salvation of his head. He clothed himself with the robes of vengeance and godly
fury. He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his
foes in distant lands.” New Living Translation.
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| The forest has always called my name. I am at home in the woods. |
Like
many people, I like to find heroes, people I can admire, look up to and at
times go to for help. Often times, heroes are only people we read about, or see
on televisions. I like to think of the
God of the universe being a hero to those who love him and to whom he says,
“You are my children.” As one of God’s
children, I can claim the promises in His word to help me, to defend me to
rescue me. I have to make sure that when I stand up for a cause, I’m not trying
to run ahead of Him and do His job. This is difficult, at least for me. I pray
for wisdom and then trust that God will make a way where there is no way.
The
image of God being mad when he looked down from heaven and sees people being
mistreated and doing something about it is powerful. I believe that this
passage is talking about Jesus, and the fact He came to earth to save us from
our sins and to give us eternal life. I’ve heard others say, this passage is
talking about the end of the age. I see that, I think it could be both in a
way. It reaffirms that God the Creator has clear ideas of what is right and
wrong instead of being a God who says, “Anything goes.” For me, that helps set my life in place where
I feel safe, and helps me believe that eventually things will work out. A
favorite verse of mine is
Romans 8:28, “For all things work together for good
to them who love God and are called according to His purposes.” King James
Just
a couple more sections of this chapter, and the best is in the last, so hang
on.
Vs 19 “So they shall fear the name of the Lord from
the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in
like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a stand against Him.” King
James
Vs 19 – “The at last they will respect and glorify
the name of the Lord throughout the world. For he will come like a flood tide
driven by the breath of the Lord.” New Living Translation.
Millions
of us watched footage of the horrible earthquakes and flood tides in Japan.
Nothing, no walls, no dams, nothing could stop the surge of water that wiped
out everything in its path. The King James version of this verse shows the
enemy, Satan, coming in like a flood, and the Spirit of the Lord lifting up a
stand against him. God stops the flood of evil by His Spirit of righteousness.
This is a wonderful image and has encouraged me in times where certain
situations seemed to have no end of people coming in who appeared to be evil in
their intent. I knew that God wasn’t blind and eventually, with prayer of
people who were His children, God would right the wrongs and stem the tide of
unchecked evil.
The
New Living Translation, has a little different slant, they see God, as
sovereign blowing his breath and forcing the flood tide of righteousness across
the land wiping away the evil. This is an encouraging image. We are not caught
in a world where might is right, and having power gives you immunity from
breaking values of integrity, honesty and mercy. There is a God, and a righteous
God who loves mercy, loves integrity and loves compassion. If I have to choose
sides, ( and each of us has to) I choose the side of good.
Vs
20- 21 “The Redeemer will come to Zion and to those who turn from transgression
in Jacob, says the Lord. “as” for me” says the Lord, “this is my covenant with
them. My Spirit who is upon you and My words which I have put in your mouth,
shall not depart from your mouth nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor
from the mouth of your descendants
descendants,” says the Lord, “from the his time and forevermore.” King James
Vs
20-21 “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem, “ says the Lord, “to buy back those
in Israel, who have turned from their
sins.” “ And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord, “my Spirit will not
leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your
lips and the lips of your children and your children’s children forever, I, the Lord have spoken.” New Living
Translation
In
the old days, a redeemer was someone who “bought someone back” from slavery,
from bondage, from prison. I like the analogy of God being my Redeemer. It’s
more than having a hero, it’s more than having a ‘big brother’ who’ll stick up
for you, it’s having the God, the Creator of the universe who says, you follow
me, become one of my children and “I’ve got your back.” “I will help you. I will uphold you by my
righteous right hand.”
Well,
believing God’s got my back is comforting to say the least. Learning to walk by
faith and not by sight, well that’s challenging but I choose to believe.
“He’ll
go with you through your valley,
Cause
He’s gone with me through mine.
And
there ain’t no hill or mountain
Impossible
to climb.
So
when you’re feeling kinda lowly
Like
you can’t go on,
Just
put your hand in His hand
And
He’ll give to you this song.
To each of you in your own valley, take heart, God
hears and answers prayers. Seek Him while He may be found and He will hear you,
answer your prayers and hold you by your right hand, you don’t have to go it
alone, God’s got this, and He’s got you.
Be blessed and continue to look for your joy in the
morning. Robin
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