Reading for May 28th

 Read Isaiah 63.1-19. In 63.1-19: The day of vengeance. In verses 1-6: In vivid and frightening imagery, human frustration and longing for the end of violence calls forth this powerful picture of God acting alone to pass judgement on the warring nations. Where no human ruler could impose justice and peace (v. 5), God had to act directly and decisively (vv. 5-6). In verses 7-14: In the past, God's presence had accompanied the people and given them victory over their enemies (v. 9). In the present, the rebelliousness of the people grieved the spirit of God, aroused the divine anger, and led to failure and defeat (v. 10). The people of Israel had learned this lesson in the past when failure humbled them (see Josh 7.1-26), and now they had to relearn it (vv. 11-14). In verses 15-19: Even after temporary success had brought about partial change in Judah's fortunes (v. 18), new threats and new oppressions had robbed the people of the justice and prosperity they sought (v. 19). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 27th

 Read Isaiah 62.1-12. In 62.1-12: A city not forsaken. In verses 1-5: As the situation in Jerusalem failed to change after the downfall of Babylon, the prophet reassured the people of God's intense love for the city. These are presented here in terms of the intense love for the city (vv. 4-5). In verses 6-9: The wealth and food that foreigners took were prime examples of the frustrations and disappointments of the past. The people must pray that such injustice never again occurs (vv. 8-9). In verses 10-12: A note of urgency colors the prophet's insistence that God's promise will not fail. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 26th

 Read Isaiah 61.1-11. In 61.1-11: The year of the Lord's favor. In verses 1-4: All that God had promised regarding the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem would shortly be fulfilled. In verses 5-9: Expectation of God's direct action to overthrow the present world order becomes a marked feature of the hope expressed throughout chs. 56-66. Where chs. 40-55 had recognized the hand of God at work in the rise of Cyrus, king of Persia, to direct the destiny of Judah, now Israel awaits a more direct divine intervention. In verses 8-11: Assurance that this transformation will take place derives from the very nature of God. Love of justice and hatred of all forms of wrongdoing are aspects of God's rule. Comments or Questions.

Reading for May 25th

 Vision of the new Jerusalem.

In chs. 60-62: After setbacks and dissensions in chs. 56-59.  60--62 recover the vision of the future central to chs. 40-55. Jerusalem will be rebuilt, a city of peace and righteousness. These chapters reflect the spiritual reawakening that came with the rebuilding and restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem in 520-516 BCE. More broadly, these chapters express a positive, if ideal, portrayal of human beings living in peace, prosperity, and harmony. They reveal a goal to strive for, not a simplistic expectation of a condition of human a happiness that will drop down as a gift from heaven. 

Read Isaiah 60.1-22. In 60.1-22: Arise, shine for your light has come. In verses 1-7: The expected return had not occurred. At best, only token numbers of the former population had come back. The vision of a great return was still a distant dream. A new pattern of Jewish life emerged that established rules of conduct for living as peaceably as possible in alien lands. In verses 8-14; The high point of the great vision of 45.22-23, that foreigners too would share in the coming salvation and prosperity, is here sharply reduced to granting them the role of being servants and suppliers to the restored Israel. In verses 15-22: Hope for the future Jerusalem as a city of wealth, learning, and authority contrasts with the revelations of conflict and violence that 59.1-8 has revealed. The need to restore a vision of God's intentions for Jerusalem became urgent as a counterweight to the current difficulties. The Temple was restored and a new focus provided for those who worshipped the Lord in every land. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 24th

 Read Isaiah 59.9-21. In verses 9-15a: The Lack of an effective administration of justice allowed violence and corruption to flourish. Those who had won power under foreign masters were now unwilling to relinquish control and to empower a new order of religious leaders. It was not until the work of Ezra and Nehemiah, in the middle of the fifth century BCE, that the situation began to be put right. In verses 15b-21: Without protection that God alone can bring,the helplessness described so vividly in vv. 10-11 must continue. The assurance in v. 21 that God's word will prove effective indicates that Chs. 56-59, at one time, formed a separate collection to which this section was a conclusion. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 23rd

 Read Isaiah 59.1-8. In 9.1-21: Why God's face is hidden. In verses 1-8: God's salvation has not come, not because God is weak and powerless, but because the people's wrongdoing creates barrier between themselves and God (vv. 1-2). The rebukes (vv. 3-8) condemn violence, injustice and brigandage, whether arising from lack of any recognized authority to implement justice, or whether because those who weld power in Jerusalem are themselves the chief culprits. Comments or Questions...

Reading for May 22nd

 Read Isaiah 58.1-14. In 58.1-14: The fast acceptable to God.  In verses 1-10: A fresh problem concerns those who maintain a bold public display of piety, but whose actions and way of life flout the basic requirements of justice and goodness. The central issue is fasting, self-denial aimed at concentrating mind and body on prayer, which was publicly declared by wearing sackcloth (a rough garment) and smearing the face and hands with ashes (symbol of mortality) (v. 5). Yet such deeds unaccompanied by compassion and concern for those less fortunate were meaningless to God (vv. 6-9). In verses 11-14: The efforts to restore Jerusalem had focused on externals--restoring ancient buildings and replanting neglected fields--instead of the inner recovery of spiritual health and wholeness. Only a renewal of this inner direction of life could bring about the true rebuilding of the city. Comments or Questions..