Preparing for worship with Isaiah 42

Isaiah 42:10-17 TNIV

Sing to the Lord a new song,

his praise from the ends of the earth,

you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,

you islands, and all who live in them.

Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;

let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.

Let the people of Sela sing for joy;

let them shout from the mountaintops.

Let them give glory to the Lord

and proclaim his praise in the islands.

The Lord will march out like a champion,

like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;

with a shout he will raise the battle cry

and will triumph over his enemies.

“For a long time I have kept silent,

I have been quiet and held myself back.

But now, like a woman in childbirth,

I cry out, I gasp and pant.

I will lay waste the mountains and hills

and dry up all their vegetation;

I will turn rivers into islands

and dry up the pools.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsake them.

But those who trust in idols,

who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’

will be turned back in utter shame.


My thoughts -

This passage seems a little like the one the other day in that here we have a call to give God praise in destruction. Sing praises. Sing a new song. Rejoice as God lays waste to mountains and vegetation. Celebrate as God brings about destruction.

Honestly this sort of thing makes me uncomfortable. God's love I can handle. God's call for goodness, righteousness, and justice I admire and desire to participate in. But God's awesome power. That makes me a bit nervous. Awesome is a word we throw around a lot but the power and might of our God is truly, breathtakingly, awe inspiring. And downright terrifying.

So I'm not comfortable with this praise in laying waste thing. I like my warm fuzzies. I want to feel good. But what is really going on here? Did I just distract myself with the part of the passage that made me uncomfortable? What is this awesome, powerful God that we worship doing with that awesome power?

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsake them.

So, God is destroying God's enemies, bringing about destruction so vast and incomprehensible that mountains will be laid to waste. I don't even know what that means but it sounds horrifically gruesome. And yet, in the same breath God is leading the blind, guiding them gently along what could otherwise be treacherous paths. God is making smooth terrain for them to travel. God is protecting them. God is shepherding them, keeping them safe and ensuring that no harm will come to them.

This powerful God that is bringing about destruction is the same gentle living hand guiding the weak and the vulnerable. To the powerful, their power is nothing compared to the one that created everything. But this power is used for the aid, comfort, guidance and protection of the weak.

To those who are enamoured with their own power. To those who worship the labor of their own hands. To those who create gods for themselves out of the fleeting, useless things of this life the power of God, the Lord Almighty, is a destructive force. This God breaks down and tears apart the powers of this temporary fleeting life. This God destroys that which distracts us from eternity, that which keeps us from living our true lives.

But to those who are weak this powerful God is their strength. To those who are vulnerable this powerful God is their shelter and their protection. To those who know they need to rely of God this power is not destructive but comforting.

This loving, guiding, comforting, caring, tender, gentle powerful God is more than worthy of our praise. Let us sing joyfully God's praises. For this God is our shelter, our shield, our protection, our guide, and our peace.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8