January 29, 2011 – Isaiah 29

This is a very up and down chapter.  We start off with Ariel, or Jerusalem, is going to be set upon by many nations.  Like David before a city that he conquered, the armies will surround it and all hope will seem lost.  But at the last minute, through only the power of God, the city will be saved.  Then there is a section about even when this is done, the people will not believe it because they are like the blind, they are drunk but not because of drink.  They have not taken God’s mercy and love to heart.  But in the end, God will redeem them.

This chapter should give us hope.  When things are looking grim or there seems no way out, that is when we are to rely on God.  It is in those moments when only God can save us.  But we also hear that when we do not trust in God fully, when our hearts are hardened or our faith is weak, when we ignore God and try to figure it out on our own, God is still there.  He does not leave because we have been disobedient, but remains to save us still.

Wise confounded by the Word.  This is suppose to be the connection to tomorrow’s reading.  I guess it is referring to the part about trying to read the scroll.  It is sealed for those that can read and unsealed for those that cannot.  It is referring to all God’s works that were done and yet Israel still does not fully trust in God. 

I also liked the part talking about being a clay pot that feels the one that made us cannot really know anything about us.  That just seems silly to think, yet we often may feel that God can’t really understand what my struggles are.  That is one reason Christ came, so that we could find it easier to trust that God knows about our suffering and can relate to us on a more personal level.