At times, words of comfort can still be challenging. Such is the case with this week’s passage from Isaiah. Isaiah’s words remind us that we are ‘redeemed’ by God and that we are called by name. We are reminded that God will be with us when we pass through the waters. While these words offer promises that we will not be alone, they offer challenge in the tangible faith they require to be lived out.
ISAIAH 43:1-7
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,”
and to the south, “Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
This passage is a counterpoint to last week’s cautionary tale about the implications for us when we fail to rely upon God and some of the ordinary ways we turn from God. Whether it is as dramatic as speaking to power or as ordinary as respectfully asserting yourself, I do not believe we can be ‘I am who I am’ without the sustaining presence and promise of God. It is simply too hard and too dangerous. This passage proclaims those promises.
First, a brief recap of last week. Both Herod and Herodias behaviors revealed that they believed acceptance, power and position defined them. For them, and for us, these traits meant they mattered. These traits meant they were somebody. So being without them was unacceptable. Herodias wanted to head off (no pun intended) criticism and maintain her position as Herod’s wife. She had achieved power and position and was not about to give it up. Herod claimed to be intrigued by John the Baptist and claimed to protect him. But once beguiled, he over promised and in order to ‘honor’ his oaths and to save face, Herod had John beheaded.
In both cases, Herod and Herodias sought to establish themselves in the secular world and by secular standards—without regard for God’s promises. They needed to be recognized; they needed deference and in the most ordinary of ways, they needed approval. But ordinary or not, when ‘going along’ is motivated by our desire to save ourselves (ie avoid conflict or gain approval), a little piece of our integrity is chipped away. We become less. We live in fear of disapproval, rejection and of being seen as ‘not being enough’, inadequate or weak. We act as if we are exposed as weak, sinful, or inadequate, we will be diminished, ridiculed or abandoned. We try to decide what God can love rather than waiting and trusting. We act as if when we are defeated, injured, thought poorly of, or betrayed, that God has left us or we are being punished. We cannot separate our worldly circumstance from God’s love. When those are the stakes, It is no wonder we act more like Herod and Herodias. But such a life fails—and at its heart, it is a sinful existence.
In contrast, our most ordinary exchanges are altered when we rely upon God rather than ourselves. When we feel safe with God, we do not have to prove or defend ourselves as if our life depended on it. We don’t have to depend upon other people’s good or bad opinion for our sense of well being. We don’t have to take everything personally. Living safe with God, strengthens and frees us. When we rely on ourselves, we live a life of comparisons. We rise and fall by where we rank. . When we rely upon God, we live a life of gratitude.
Unfortunately, living safe with God is easier said than done. It preaches easier than it is lived. It turns out that trusting God is very difficult in the real world and especially so in hard times. It is nearly impossible to live dependent upon God when the world around us is falling apart. This was the predicament of the Jews in exile. It was a miserable time by all worldly standards. It is hard to think of yourself as God’s chosen people when your nation has been defeated, your temple destroyed and you are homeless. How could a loving God let all of this happen? How could the words of Isaiah be true? It is the Lord
who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
As wonderful and as comforting as these words are, they surely would also be nearly unfathomable in Isaiah’s day and they are no less so in ours. I asked the Faith in Real Life group how they had made it through the hardships, illnesses and losses of their lives. What had sustained them? We talked a lot about one day at a time and one step at a time. Whether it was conscious choice of faith or ‘I just did what I had to do’ really didn’t matter. Faith is much more about living than it is thinking or understanding. My dearest friend’s husband has a very dangerous and frightening medical diagnosis. He is about to choose a treatment that will give him a 50-50 chance of survival. But the treatment is very difficult. They are simultaneously grateful they have hope and terrified of the next months of uncertainty. Barbra (my friend) wondered aloud this week if she could survive. My response was to remind her that many women have had to travel this road. It always seems impossible. I told her to use the gift of time while she has the time. For me, that is the essence of a life lived in faith.
Living in the promises of God does not protect us. Ask the exiles; ask John the Baptist; ask Jesus; ask anyone who has suffered. But amazingly, most of us get through these times. It helps to remember that others have gone before us—either in scripture or in the lives of the people around us. It helps to be reminded that to believe in God is to give up our certainties about right/wrong or good/bad. We can only know what we do and do not like. We can’t know how any decision or action will turn out over time. It helps to remember that no matter how well we plan for contingency A, B, or C, it is very likely that Q will happen. We do what we can do in the time that we have—in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. We may sink into depression, rail in anger, complain fiercely. We may feel hopeless, abandoned and doubt our God. None of that matters. What matters is that we bring the whole range of our reactions to God. It is what we can do that day. The God who calls us by name is with us. We may only know his presence in retrospect. But his promise is true and worthy of full acceptance. Hold fast.
Isaiah was reminding the people, in the most dire of circumstances that God would not leave them comfortless. Such a promise is often outside of our understanding but it is the promise of faith. I will note that verse 3 and 4 still manage to introduce secular thinking into God’s promises. They suggest that God’s redemption of one people comes at the expense of another people. The Old Testament frequently tied the welfare of individuals and of the nation to ‘favor’ with God and or with obedience to God. Such thinking maintains the idea that we can see a correlation between our circumstance in life and God’s favor—and ultimately that our ‘good’ behavior influences God. Christian thinking, the cross in particular, has a different understanding. If the Son of God can suffer and can still trust God (albeit unhappily) unto death, any connection we make to the circumstances of our lives and God’s favor is hubris.
Isaiah laid the groundwork and Jesus fulfilled the promise. Walking by faith is not natural to us. We want safety on our terms. We want well being on our terms. But what we have is a promise and a tradition that gives life even when life is hardest. It gives us a way to live one day at a time. It gives us a way to live like we are loved. Remember God’s promise:
Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will gather….everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
This was a promise offered to a people who had lost everything. It is the promise that God will prevail. It is a promise each of us need.
Holy God, sustain us in our doubt and fear. Never let us forget that you have created and formed us. You call us by name. Let it be so.
