What are God’s expectations of us? There are many ways to approach this question. Isaiah points to one such way. It describes the vineyard owner’s displeasure with sour grapes. Yes, God expects from us a good and bountiful harvest.
The Song of the Vineyard seems to begin as a love song. But then comes a discordant note––the grapes are sour, the juice undrinkable. The prophet asks his hearers to judge between the farmer and his vineyard. Just who is at fault here? What has happened?
Isaiah told the Israelites that God had ordained them to practice justice and righteousness. Primarily that meant they were to be neighborly––agents of compassion for others and advocates for the underdogs in society.
Isaiah proclaimed that hope was coming soon. He described a time when God would reign and the world would be in peace. The world was in shambles, but Isaiah called his people to hope. That hope however, required them to do something.
In Jeremiah's day, Israel was dependent on alliances, but these man-made arrangements provided a false sense of security. Jeremiah warned that the deals they thought would save them would work only for the short term.
Isaiah promised that, when the Messiah comes, the house of the Lord will be established as the highest of the mountains. We believe the Messiah has come in the person of Jesus Christ. In him, we see a new way of living, by serving people in his name.
What does it mean to praise the Lord? Being overused, this phrase has lost its meaning. Remember Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and the PTL Club? PTL stands for Praise the Lord. The Bakkers ran a lucrative business under that name for twenty-five years.
This sailor twice over has embarked from among us on a dark and silent tide that will take him beyond the boundaries of place and time to where in his final, peaceful harbor he will indeed see his Pilot face to face and hear long-expected words of welcome.
Just imagine what it would be like to be God, listening to all those prayers--millions of prayers each hour. What do all these prayers say? If there is one common denominator, I suspect that it could be summarized by the words, “Give me!”
Of all the prophets in the Old Testament, I think I would have liked Jeremiah the best. But I also think I would have wanted to be around him the least. Does that make any sense? I’ll try to explain…