From the ‘Preaching-class I am required to take… February 6, 2021…
The Scripture is from Isaiah 40: 21-31…
Like the mighty eagle soaring through the sky,
Through the airy kingdom tones of music fly!
Lifting up the soul
toward a higher goal
Lift the soul toward a higher goal!
This was a song that I had learned during my sophomore year of high school, and the words and music were So ‘Inspiring’ and ‘Majestic’ that I remember them all of these years later!!
And a first-reading of this passage from Isaiah 40 gives much the same impression!
Look at verse 26 where the prophet says;
“Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
… and verse 31 where we read…
“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
…the imagery and Majesty of these words are so Powerful that I’m sure they have inspired many a’ song!
Our God is AWESOME!!
And it would be Very easy to just walk away right there and leave everybody feeling happy, and even Inspired!! But… there is a problem with that! You see, Isaiah is Actually starting out by reproving the Jews!
The commentary ‘Barne’s Notes’, regarding verse 21, tells us…
“This is evidently an address to the worshippers of idols, and either designed to be addressed to the Jews themselves in the times of Manasseh, when idolatry abounded, or to all idolaters. They had had abundant opportunity of learning [of God’s] existence and of becoming acquainted with his majesty and glory…… The prophet, therefore, asks them whether they had not known this [or] Whether their conduct was the result of ignorance? And the question implies emphatically that they had known, or had abundant opportunity to know of the existence and majesty of God. This was emphatically true of the Jews, and yet they were constantly falling into idolatrous worship.
Now, we could spend Weeks or Months studying how many times the Jews turned to God only to ‘forget’ within a fairly short time and turn away again. But for today, let’s just consider the story of the entire population of Israel crossing the Jordan into the ‘Promised Land’… Do You remember the story?
God miraculously caused the Jordan River to dry-up during its flood stage and ALL of Israel crossed over on Dry Ground!! God had Joshua choose one man from each of the twelve tribes to pick-up a stone from where the priests had been standing in the middle of the dry riverbed and build an alter on the far side at Gilgal, which they did. EVERY ONE of the Israelites crossed over… EVERY ONE of them had a Personal Knowledge of the Power of their Lord God!! So, what do you suppose happens? In Judges chapter 2 verse 8, the next book in the story, we read…
“After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.[…] They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. “
So here we are…one generation later…and nobody remembers God! Later on during one of their ‘faithful’ periods, we’re told that the people rebuild the alter at Gilgal, only to have it forgotten yet again down the road.
And as Powerful and Majestic as these verses from Isaiah seem to be, the prophet is actually calling the people to task for ‘forgetting’ God yet again and turning to other ‘gods’ and idols!
You know, the nation of Israel was God’s chosen people! He worked miracles for them time-after-time… Saving them time-after-time… and still they would ‘forget’ and turn away!
How about THIS country of OURS?!? God has never made a specific ‘covenant’ with us as He did the Israelites… but through the Love and forgiveness of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been Truly blessed… as Long as we continued to obey and Follow His commands!
But what might happen if we Don’t? Let’s keep the ‘eagle’ simile and consider the image given us in the 8th chapter of Revelation, verse13 (from New Living Translation);
“Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.””
This country… this WORLD… of ours is in trouble! “Terror!… Terror!… Terror!”… and it is up to each of Us… that is, it is up to Each of YOU… to do something about it!! How?
First of all, READ your Bible… understand what God has been telling us! Discern the meanings and the messages that are there in Plain sight! Pray & discern what it is God wants You to do about it! And then, most important of all… DO IT!!!
God’s Love is Beautiful! But God’s Justice is Final!!
It is all fine-and-well to soar with eagles… to sing with the Joy and Praise that fills us with the Glory and Power and Majesty of God! But unless we are Also studiously Doing His work… Creating disciples of Christ… it may Well all be for naught!
And all of God’s people say…
scluebbert 