The readings these Wednesday evenings all come from First Isaiah
Text Theme Subject Occasion
Isaiah 2:1-5 The Way Toward Hope The Mountain of the Lord – 1st in series of 4 “Signs of Hope” Advent Midweek 1 – November 27, 2016 – Zion Lutheran – Iowa City
The readings these Wednesday evenings all come from First Isaiah There is only one book of Isaiah in the Bible It is written in 3 distinctive parts The first warns of danger from within and without (Chapters 1-39) The second tells of being in bondage (chapters 40-54) The third tells of coming home (chapters 55-66) Some describe Isaiah as the Shakespeare of Hebrew literature His vocabulary and images are rich He’s quoted more than any other prophet in the New Testament He didn’t spend his time in some literary ivory tower but in the corridors of power He was an adviser to the kings of Judah and helped set the course of his nation Isaiah is written through a crucial time in Jewish history – midway between the founding of the kingdom under King Saul, during the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming home from Babylonian captivity. When Isaiah began his work, Judah seemed strong and wealthy But he saw signs of grave danger: People were using their power to harass the poor Men went around drunk Women more concerned with their clothes than their neighbors’ hunger People kept up their religious appearances but did little more Outside dangers loomed all around Neighboring nations were rattling swords and spears Huge empires were growing: Egypt, Assyria Should Judah choose an empire as an ally or stand strong/autonomous? Isaiah was calling the people to regain their footing and resist sliding downward Some of his words are harsh and unyielding: change must take place! He wasn’t a yes-man – he often stood alone against tides of optimism His name means “The Lord Saves” he warned against relying on military power or wealth or on any force other than God would lead to disaster Isaiah’s prophetic voice is heard thru the reign of 4 kings He was martyred by King Manasseh who would not tolerate the prophet Manasseh is forgotten – Isaiah’s book endures: a mighty pen Before us last Sunday and now this evening is an island early on in Isaiah’s prophecy
2
He has a vision of the Mountain of the Lord An amazing location – highest of the mountains And all nations shall stream to it This is beyond gravity but the magnetism of the reign of God This mountain is Zion (a name dear to our hearts) People will want to be there Let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob. Isaiah tells that people will want to come to learn at Zion God’s ways and God’s paths God is going to arbitrate for many people At the mount of Zion God will help people sort out their differences Then comes this MAJESTIC CADENCE
they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. You can visualize it can’t you The anvil and hammer A sword heated and pounded wide and smooth; then bent to plow The anvil and the hammer A spear heated and pounded long and hooked; an edge on the inner curve And then let us remember Isaiah prophesied about 200 years into the iron age Iron – a new technology so to speak The bronze age had ended and iron took over Bronze made beautiful implements for cooking, serving and display As a weapon, bronze was brittle and broke easily Comes the new technology – iron Ore smelted and then carbon controlled – iron was perfect for weapons Isaiah invites the hearers of his song to reconsider what the new technology is for Swords or plow shares? Spears or pruning hooks? Isaiah protests war – don’t do it! Don’t teach it! How is it for us with new technology? Have you noticed how much new technology is being developed?
3
The Space program gave us duct tape and soluble drinks and protein shakes Particularly this evening, consider computers and smart phones This is such new technology we can hardly keep up (My friend Christopher dropped out of his PhD program in computer science because the professors weren’t keeping up with the field) The technology is extraordinary for agriculture Beyond plow shares and pruning hooks Program a planter for a field – seeds per acre, seeds per meter Program a combine for a harvest Technology for the household Answer the phone, adjust the temperature, turn on lights Technology for health care, industry, manufacturing And communicate, communicate Email, twitter, Instagram, Facebook “Hi!” “I love you!” “See you soon.” “What would you like for supper?” Yet every new technology can be used as a weapon to attack To develop swords and spears In this age to bully, belittle, attack, diminish, threaten, challenge A new technology for making war – subtle or not so subtle On the Mount of Zion, Learning the ways of God and God’s paths Neither shall they learn war, anymore With the prophet I invite you
O (people of Zion) come, let us walk in the light of the LORD! Neither shall we learn war anymore
Isaiah 2:1-5 The Way Toward Hope The Mountain of the Lord – 1st in series of 4 “Signs of Hope” Advent Midweek 1 – November 27, 2016 – Zion Lutheran – Iowa City
The readings these Wednesday evenings all come from First Isaiah There is only one book of Isaiah in the Bible It is written in 3 distinctive parts The first warns of danger from within and without (Chapters 1-39) The second tells of being in bondage (chapters 40-54) The third tells of coming home (chapters 55-66) Some describe Isaiah as the Shakespeare of Hebrew literature His vocabulary and images are rich He’s quoted more than any other prophet in the New Testament He didn’t spend his time in some literary ivory tower but in the corridors of power He was an adviser to the kings of Judah and helped set the course of his nation Isaiah is written through a crucial time in Jewish history – midway between the founding of the kingdom under King Saul, during the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming home from Babylonian captivity. When Isaiah began his work, Judah seemed strong and wealthy But he saw signs of grave danger: People were using their power to harass the poor Men went around drunk Women more concerned with their clothes than their neighbors’ hunger People kept up their religious appearances but did little more Outside dangers loomed all around Neighboring nations were rattling swords and spears Huge empires were growing: Egypt, Assyria Should Judah choose an empire as an ally or stand strong/autonomous? Isaiah was calling the people to regain their footing and resist sliding downward Some of his words are harsh and unyielding: change must take place! He wasn’t a yes-man – he often stood alone against tides of optimism His name means “The Lord Saves” he warned against relying on military power or wealth or on any force other than God would lead to disaster Isaiah’s prophetic voice is heard thru the reign of 4 kings He was martyred by King Manasseh who would not tolerate the prophet Manasseh is forgotten – Isaiah’s book endures: a mighty pen Before us last Sunday and now this evening is an island early on in Isaiah’s prophecy
2
He has a vision of the Mountain of the Lord An amazing location – highest of the mountains And all nations shall stream to it This is beyond gravity but the magnetism of the reign of God This mountain is Zion (a name dear to our hearts) People will want to be there Let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob. Isaiah tells that people will want to come to learn at Zion God’s ways and God’s paths God is going to arbitrate for many people At the mount of Zion God will help people sort out their differences Then comes this MAJESTIC CADENCE
they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. You can visualize it can’t you The anvil and hammer A sword heated and pounded wide and smooth; then bent to plow The anvil and the hammer A spear heated and pounded long and hooked; an edge on the inner curve And then let us remember Isaiah prophesied about 200 years into the iron age Iron – a new technology so to speak The bronze age had ended and iron took over Bronze made beautiful implements for cooking, serving and display As a weapon, bronze was brittle and broke easily Comes the new technology – iron Ore smelted and then carbon controlled – iron was perfect for weapons Isaiah invites the hearers of his song to reconsider what the new technology is for Swords or plow shares? Spears or pruning hooks? Isaiah protests war – don’t do it! Don’t teach it! How is it for us with new technology? Have you noticed how much new technology is being developed?
3
The Space program gave us duct tape and soluble drinks and protein shakes Particularly this evening, consider computers and smart phones This is such new technology we can hardly keep up (My friend Christopher dropped out of his PhD program in computer science because the professors weren’t keeping up with the field) The technology is extraordinary for agriculture Beyond plow shares and pruning hooks Program a planter for a field – seeds per acre, seeds per meter Program a combine for a harvest Technology for the household Answer the phone, adjust the temperature, turn on lights Technology for health care, industry, manufacturing And communicate, communicate Email, twitter, Instagram, Facebook “Hi!” “I love you!” “See you soon.” “What would you like for supper?” Yet every new technology can be used as a weapon to attack To develop swords and spears In this age to bully, belittle, attack, diminish, threaten, challenge A new technology for making war – subtle or not so subtle On the Mount of Zion, Learning the ways of God and God’s paths Neither shall they learn war, anymore With the prophet I invite you
O (people of Zion) come, let us walk in the light of the LORD! Neither shall we learn war anymore
