Justice and the Prophets
God Promises a Just Kingdom
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)
The Lord Loves Justice
- Isaiah 49:1-7 Good News Translation
Israel, A Light to the Nations
49 Listen to me, distant nations,
you people who live far away!
Before I was born, the Lord chose me
and appointed me to be his servant.
2 He made my words as sharp as a sword.
With his own hand he protected me.[ a]
He made me like an arrow,
sharp and ready for use.
3 He said to me, “Israel, you are my servant;
because of you, people will praise me.”
4 I said, “I have worked, but how hopeless it is!
I have used up my strength, but have accomplished nothing.”
Yet I can trust the Lord to defend my cause;
he will reward me for what I do.
5 Before I was born, the Lord appointed me;
he made me his servant to bring back his people,
to bring back the scattered people of Israel.
The Lord gives me honor;
he is the source of my strength.
6 The Lord said to me,
“I have a greater task for you, my servant.
Not only will you restore to greatness
the people of Israel who have survived,
but I will also make you a light to the nations—
so that all the world may be saved.”
7 Israel's holy God and savior says
to the one who is deeply despised,
who is hated by the nations
and is the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you released
and will rise to show their respect;
princes also will see it,
and they will bow low to honor you.”
This will happen because the Lord has chosen his servant;
the holy God of Israel keeps his promises.
For Reflection
Following years the Babylonian exile, the Jews in Jerusalem were suffering the injustices of a God-less culture. No longer a mighty nation, they were humiliated by the inability to restore their previous prosperity and glory. The prophet Haggi proposed that the rebuilding of the temple would solve their problems. Ezra and Nehemiah sought ethnic purity.
But Isaiah saw a radical solution that was contrary to their previous religious and cultural traditions. Instead of centering the faith in an edifice or isolation, Isaiah proposed the development of a new inclusive community that welcomed all people, Jews and Gentiles. This "greater task" would establish a renewed relationship with God. It was anchored not in ethnic purity or a grand temple, but rather in God's hesed, reliance on God's steadfast love would establish both righteousness and praise. Attracted by the peace and justice of a Jerusalem transformed by an everlasting covenant, non-Jews would come from afar and bring with them the collective wealth of all nations.
Sound familiar?
Pray
Pray so that you might understand and accept God's wisdom in God's overture to participate in God's "greater task."
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