This morning I find myself houose-sitting and in a beautiful setting of wide-open expanse. It’s a beauty not everyone knows to appreciate but it’s absolutely breathtaking. The wide open sky, the dog and kitty at my feet, the chickens clucking and the birds singing. It really is quite beautiful.
I also am reading Facebook posts of Ukrainians and their ongoing suffering. One writer in particular I follow is in the capital city and writes frequently of some of the horrendous atrocities.
So when I read Isaiah in light of the beauty around me and the hardship in other places, I understand better the hope and joy it must be for a people to read that they (the Israelites) will one day be brought back to their home, that there will be peace in the land, and that they will conquer their enemies as God brings justice. Their longing, their joy and their hope at such words is perhaps quite strong in their context of suffering. After all, Israel as always been surrounded by her enemies, often displaces among the nations, and as the saying goes, “there’s no place like home.”
It’s also the celebration of D-Day today. That’s something also to celebrate.
Isaiah 12 is all about celebration. It is the praise that one has when realizing the mercy and forgiveness of God (v. 1). There is much joy now that the Lord has brought salvation. It produces much thanksgiving and singing.
The people of Israel had been displaced as God brought judgment upon their sin. But now he had forgiven them, and was restoring them. Whether that is on a national level or a personal level, it truly is a time of great joy.
