ISSL Reflections June 26 2022 Isaiah 51:1–8 Post 3

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VII.
Once again hear Isaiah ask the people to “Listen … Look.”

Do you know people who when asked to “look” notice first the discouraging things and others who notice first the encouraging things?

As you listen to Isaiah, do you think he is hoping the people will be discouraged or encouraged?

VIII.
Isaiah 51:1-8 (New Revised Standard Version)

Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.

Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.

For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.

Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation;
for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.

I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.

Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
you people who have my teaching in your hearts;
do not fear the reproach of others,
and do not be dismayed when they revile you.

For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool;
but my deliverance will be forever,
and my salvation to all generations.

IX.
As I listen to Isaiah I hear him speak of “comfort,” “joy,” and “gladness.”

And then, “I called …” and “I blessed …”

What do Isaiah’s words help you see and hear when you look and listen?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 26 2022 Isaiah 51:1–8 Post 2

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IV.
As Isaiah asks the people to listen and look, what might he be asking them to recall?

To where and when might their memory take them?

V.
Isaiah 51:1-8 (New Revised Standard Version)

Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.

Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.

For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.

Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation;
for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.

I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.

Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
you people who have my teaching in your hearts;
do not fear the reproach of others,
and do not be dismayed when they revile you.

For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool;
but my deliverance will be forever,
and my salvation to all generations.

VI.
“Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.”
“Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;”

Today many speak of “formation.” Maybe it is even thrown around a bit too much and loses some of its edge.

Notwithstanding the possible overuse of the word, it seems Isaiah is asking the people to look back and consider what has “formed” them and brought them to be the people they are.

What do you notice about their formation?

Do you want to take some time today and give some consideration to acknowledging people, places, events and times that have been important in your formation?

Charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 26 2022 Isaiah 51:1–8 Post 1

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I.
This week we again listen to Isaiah and with even more emphasis Isaiah calls on us to pay attention –

“Listen to me …Look …
Look … Listen to me …
give heed … Lift up your eyes …
and look … Listen to me …”

What do you hear and see?

II.
Isaiah 51:1-8 (New Revised Standard Version)

Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.

Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.

For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.

Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation;
for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.

I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.

Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
you people who have my teaching in your hearts;
do not fear the reproach of others,
and do not be dismayed when they revile you.

For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool;
but my deliverance will be forever,
and my salvation to all generations.

III.
Of the things that Isaiah calls on the people to listen to, to listen for, and to see, what captures and holds your attention?

Maybe that he speaks to those who “pursue righteousness” and “seek the Lord”?

Or maybe that he calls them to recall the “rock” and “quarry” from which they came and form an essential part of their nature?

Or maybe it’s his speaking to those “people who have my teaching in your hearts.”

Where do you find yourself among his hearers?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 19 2022 Isaiah 49:18–23 Post 3

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VII.
As we come to the prophet’s words today, notice what is said about “the children.” What was the source of their protection?

VIII.
Isaiah 49:18-23 (New Revised Standard Version)

Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.

Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land—
surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

The children born in the time of your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing:
“The place is too crowded for me;
make room for me to settle.”

Then you will say in your heart,
“Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away—
so who has reared these?
I was left all alone—
where then have these come from?”

Thus says the Lord God:
I will soon lift up my hand to the nations,
and raise my signal to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

IX.
Sometimes protection comes from unlikely sources. Does that seem to be something the prophet wants the people to notice?

This encourages me to look for those times when I was discouraged or fearful and recall how relief came my way.

When have you been surprised by encouragement or relief or maybe even God’s quiet presence from unlikely sources?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 19 2022 Isaiah 49:18–23 Post 2

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IV.
Once again notice the beginning and ending words of this passage –

“Lift up your eyes all around and see …
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”

It seems the prophet encourages his hearers to wait not passively but with their full attention to what they might see.

What does he encourage his hearers to notice?

V.
Isaiah 49:18-23 (New Revised Standard Version)

Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.

Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land—
surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

The children born in the time of your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing:
“The place is too crowded for me;
make room for me to settle.”

Then you will say in your heart,
“Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away—
so who has reared these?
I was left all alone—
where then have these come from?”

Thus says the Lord God:
I will soon lift up my hand to the nations,
and raise my signal to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

VI.
It seems he asks them to notice times of waste, desolation, devastation, loneliness and bereavement.

Do we notice these or do we avoid noticing them?

Even as the prophet calls their attention to these, he also asks them to notice when hope and restoration might enter the picture.

What stands out to you as you look around? Waste and desolation, or hope and restoration?

“Those who wait for [The Lord] shall not be put to share.”

Do you find hope in such a promise?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 19 2022 Isaiah 49:18–23 Post 1

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I.
Notice how this week’s Scripture focus begins and ends …

“Lift up your eyes all around and see …

Then you will know that I am the Lord;

those who wait for me

shall not be put to shame.”

The prophet asks of us to open our eyes, take in all we see, acknowledge what we see and pay attention to where such vision leads us.

The prophet claims it leads to the acknowledgement of “the Lord” and recognition of at least some of The Lord’s blessings.

As you listen to the prophet, notice what he thinks the people will see.

II.
Isaiah 49:18-23 (New Revised Standard Version)

Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.

Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land—
surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

The children born in the time of your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing:
“The place is too crowded for me;
make room for me to settle.”

Then you will say in your heart,
“Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away—
so who has reared these?
I was left all alone—
where then have these come from?”

Thus says the Lord God:
I will soon lift up my hand to the nations,
and raise my signal to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

III.
Who do the people see coming to them?

Where do you think they are coming from?

What evidences of God’s care and grace is the prophet asking the people to notice?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 12 2022 Isaiah 49:1–13 Post 3

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VII.
The prophet tells the people –

“For the Lord has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.”

What words of comfort stand out to you the clearest?

VIII.
Isaiah 49:1-13 (New Revised Standard Version)

Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.

He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.

And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.”

And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—

he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
“Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favor I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages;

saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;

they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.

And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.

Lo, these shall come from far away,
and lo, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

IX.
What comfort do you hear?

“surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.”

“saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’”

“they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.”

“For the Lord … will have compassion on his suffering ones.”

Take some time to rest in these words from the prophet and be open to the words of comfort and compassion that come to you today.

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 12 2022 Isaiah 49:1–13 Post 2

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IV.
As you listen to both the words of the servant and the words of The Lord do you find anything in the spirit and work of the servant you can identify with?

V.
Isaiah 49:1-13 (New Revised Standard Version)

Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.

He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.

And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.”

And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—

he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
“Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favor I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages;

saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;

they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.

And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.

Lo, these shall come from far away,
and lo, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

VI.
How would you summarize the work the servant is called to?

How does the servant “feel” about his task and his ability to accomplish it?

If you were this servant, what would you ask from The Lord?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 12 2022 Isaiah 49:1–13 Post 1

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I.
Last week we ended our reflections on Isaiah 47:1-25 asking if Isaiah offered any hope.

With that thought still before us let’s listen to Isaiah once again and pay attention for any and all words of hope he offers.

II.
Isaiah 49:1-13 (New Revised Standard Version)

Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.

He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.

And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.”

And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—

he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
“Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favor I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages;

saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;

they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.

And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.

Lo, these shall come from far away,
and lo, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

III.
We hear the “servant” speak and we hear the “Lord” speak.

Where does the servant find himself?

Successful or unsuccessful?

Hopeful or discouraged?

Wanting to lay down the task before him or simply to lay down?

And as you hear the Lord speaking – what stands out to you with the most force?

The promises of coming help? Or the promise of comfort? Or the promise of compassion?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 5 2022 Isaiah 47:10–15 Post 3

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VII.
Two questions for today.

What “path” does the prophet send his words describing?

Does the prophet give any hope in these words?

VIII.
Isaiah 47:10-15 (New Revised Standard Version)

You felt secure in your wickedness;
you said, “No one sees me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge
led you astray,
and you said in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”

But evil shall come upon you,
which you cannot charm away;
disaster shall fall upon you,
which you will not be able to ward off;
and ruin shall come on you suddenly,
of which you know nothing.

Stand fast in your enchantments
and your many sorceries,
with which you have labored from your youth;
perhaps you may be able to succeed,
perhaps you may inspire terror.

You are wearied with your many consultations;
let those who study the heavens
stand up and save you,
those who gaze at the stars,
and at each new moon predict
what shall befall you.

See, they are like stubble,
the fire consumes them;
they cannot deliver themselves
from the power of the flame.
No coal for warming oneself is this,
no fire to sit before!

Such to you are those with whom you have labored,
who have trafficked with you from your youth;
they all wander about in their own paths;
there is no one to save you.

IX.
How would you describe (in the prophet’s words or your own words) those who “wander about in their own paths…”?

If the prophet is correct that “evil … you cannot charm away…” where is any hope?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}