SCRIPTURE: Therefore I said, “Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people.” Isaiah 22:4
THOUGHT: If Isaiah would’ve known the terrible job before him I wonder if he still would’ve said, “Here am I; send me (Is. 6:8).” But he was humbled before the great God of the universe, aware of his own unholy life among an unholy people in the presence of so much glory. And he said yes to God.
Then God asked him to go condemn his own people and watch the nation crumble and perish. By chapter 22, he is weeping bitterly and there is no consolation.
It’s an odd contrast, but think of Jonah who wouldn’t shed a tear over a city under God’s judgment. Jonah’s consolation would have been for God to destroy that city, but the people repented and God withdrew his hand (Jonah 3:5-4:11).
Jonah pitches a fit, but Isaiah weeps bitterly. The destruction is at hand – he sees it coming and preaches with every ounce of his strength for a turnaround. But it doesn’t happen.
My question for pondering this morning is where are you on the spectrum between Jonah and Isaiah? Do you pitch a fit at God’s grace and longsuffering for unlovely people, weep bitterly at coming judgment, or fall somewhere between?
PRAYER: Oh God, your ways are just and your grace is undeserved. Your will be done – in my heart and in our world.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
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