February 17, 2011

2-17-11 Thursday, 5:10 am Springfield, 58 degrees, partly cloudy, with the full moon providing broken silver linings to the west.

Yesterday was long, exerting, and fruitful. Following my last meeting of the day, with a delightful young couple who will be married in March, I came home completely worn out, having appropriately invested the energy of my day in prayer, leadership, preparation, learning, planning, and pastoral care. Lunch with a group of pastors hosted by Ridgecrest Baptist was especially beneficial, as I got to catch up with several local pastors who I see about twice a year. The book study was centered on The Minister as Shepherd by Charles Edward Jefferson. (Written in 1906, the insights of this book are relevant in 2011!)

Isaiah 30

“”Woe to the rebellious children,’ declares the Lord, ‘who execute a plan, but not mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin; Who proceed down to Egypt, without consulting Me…Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.’” (Verses 1-2). The people of God, His chosen nation, are not consulting His will, nor depending upon His deliverance. They load their treasures on donkeys and camels and head to Egypt for protection and safety (verse 6).

In my imagination I picture the chaos and panic of a nation facing an invasion of a powerful foreign army. Given the options available, fleeing to Egypt seems the best and most hopeful. Isaiah was one of the lone voices saying “don’t depend on them for protection – depend upon God, He will deliver you.” How would this message be worked out today? What are the tempting substitutes for God’s deliverance? How does God work among the nations today – Is Israel, with its secular government still the apple of His eye? Is the United States, as a nation, capable of relying upon God instead of its nuclear arsenal? Should I as an individual continue to pay the monthly fee to the security company which monitors my house? Is there anything or anybody that I rely upon or look toward more than God? (pension plan, health insurance, motorcycles, education, civil government?)

The second half of this chapter is a glimpse of how the future can be different for God’s people, when they turn to him and totally trust him. Verse 18 speaks to this possibility “Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.” A close, intimate, responsive relationship with God is possible as described in verses 20b-21 “your teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. And your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.’”