Katie Derksen
Over the last few years, I've really enjoyed the chance that preaching gives me to delve deeper into the Word of God, to study it and to learn more about some of the ways in which God desires us as followers to act and to live. I really enjoyed studying theology at Canadian Mennonite Bible College when I was a student there, and when I graduated, I had it in my mind that I would continue reading after I was done school, except that this time around, I'd get to read what I wanted, not what a professor said that I should read. Don't get me wrong, I liked a lot of the readings that I did – sometimes, though, I would get frustrated when the class spent a lot of time on something that I was only marginally interested in, and just skimmed over something that I was really interested in.
However, I've found it challenging over the last couple of years to make the time to read on a regular basis. I can't count the number of books that I've started to read, only to get sidetracked by something else, such as planning a service trip, and by the time I get back to whatever book I was reading, I've forgotten enough of what came before to have to start all over again – which, unfortunately, I rarely do.
Preaching, though, gives me a chance to slip back into a bit of a student roll – I get to dive into the Bible, into commentaries, into writings that other people have done on the verses that the lectionary has given me to speak on. Now I know that those who are students right now are probably thinking that I'm absolutely nuts for missing, of all things, doing readings, but hey, each person has different things that they enjoy, or at the least, that they idealize.
This time round, though, as I was preparing for this sermon, I thought that I'd try something a little bit different. The book of Isaiah often comes up in lectionary readings – he is, after all, the most major prophet of the Old Testament, and the one who spoke most often about the coming Messiah. I've usually appreciated what Isaiah has to say, and yet, I don't really know all that much about him. So I thought that this time, I'd look a bit into who Isaiah was, instead of focusing mainly on what Isaiah said. This will by no means be an exhaustive look at Isaiah, but it's a place to start.
Like I mentioned, Isaiah is one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, if not the foremost one. He had an active ministry for sixty years – that's a very long time by anyone's standards, and when you take into account that most prophets were not liked by the people they were speaking to, that could make that sixty years seem even longer. Not only was he active in prophesying for sixty years, but some believe that he continued to write after that time – it's believed by some scholars that the second half of Isaiah was written by Isaiah after his "retirement" from active ministry.
It is largely agreed upon that the book of Isaiah can be split into two parts: chapters 1-39, and chapters 40-66. Some scholars also believe that the book of Isaiah was written by at least two separate people. For one reason, the themes of the two halves can be seen to be disparate: the first half speaks often of judgment and condemnation, and the second half speaks more of redemption and comfort for God's people. Between the two sections, there are many similarities in tone and language, but some believe that the differences far outweigh the similarities. However, some scholars continue to support the idea that the entire book was written by one person.
Like I mentioned, some believe that the tones are different enough, the main thrust of the passages contrasting enough, that there is simply no way that they could have been written by the same person. In fact, there are even those who believe that the entire book of Isaiah is peppered with writings from people who came after Isaiah himself had passed on. It is important to remember, though, that as one scholar said: "...This [insertion of relevant material after Isaiah's actual time] was in no sense a deliberate falsification of the record" (The Interpreter's Bible, page 151). It was done in some cases to expand further on something that was felt to be evident in Isaiah's initial writings, or to include something that had become associated with the name of Isaiah.
Regardless of whether it is believed that the book was written by one man or more, the literary strength of what is contained in the book of Isaiah cannot be denied. Many words seemed to have been chosen specifically for their power and impact. Both prose and poetry are used in the book, and some believe that the poetic content cannot be rivaled anywhere else in the Bible, even in the Psalms. Our scripture reading from Isaiah today comes at the beginning of the second half of Isaiah, where the focus slips away from condemnation and judgement into comfort, and is a great example of the power that the author had with his words.
Isaiah believed strongly in the fact that God not only created the world, but also is active in it. The entirety of chapter forty speaks to God's activity in a world that is intimately known. Verse 12 speaks of God having "measured the waters in the hollow of his hand," and having "weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance." We heard Don read of how God calls each of the stars out, and not only numbers them but also calls each by name, and not a single star is missing.
Isaiah believed firmly that God is everlasting. As it is paraphrased in The Message, "God doesn't come and go. God lasts.... He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything inside and out." (Isaiah 40:28b, c; The Message by Eugene Peterson). God outlasts rulers and princes, idols and nations.
This everlasting God, the Lord of all creation, is not a being so far removed from what has been created so as to be out of touch with the creation. Isaiah directs some comments to despairing thoughts of a God so far removed: "Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God."" (vs 27). Isaiah knew that God's followers would feel that God is separate and out of touch with the world, but he knows that this is not the truth. A God who knows not only the numbers but also the names of each of the stars in the sky would surely know the details of each person's life!
Throughout the passage that we heard from Isaiah this morning, we hear a plea from a loving, compassionate man who has spoken often on behalf of God, who is also loving and compassionate. Isaiah encourages God's followers to remember what they have heard from the beginning, "from the foundations of the earth" (v 21c) - that God is intimately involved in God's creation, that God knows what goes on in the lives of those he created. Today's passage both starts and ends with this plea, this reminder, of the intimacy of God's involvement in our lives.
Despite the vastness of creation, despite all that God watches over, God is not only intimately involved in our lives, but God also never tires: Isaiah reminds us that "He does not faint or grow weary..." (V 28c), but always watches over God's people. Not only that, but God is more than willing, and more than happy, to share with those who follow her that limitless strength.
In a world that so vast, that can be so incomprehensible at times, it can be easy to get bogged down, and to despair. And yet, we're reminded time after time that it doesn't have to be that way. As Isaiah puts it: "Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?" (Isaiah 40:21). We've heard it a million times, and sure, we remember it, but it's hard to actually feel it: God's here, active in Creation. We might not understand all that happens, but God's in there, doing things that we simply cannot begin to comprehend.
The book of Isaiah contains some scathing condemnations, of kings, of nations, and of the sins of the people. And yet, it also contains some of the more memorable poetic verses of encouragement and of the sustenance offered to us by God. For all this to come from one man is amazing, and yet I believe that, with a full reliance on God, it is possible for all this to come from one person. Whether or not the book of Isaiah was written by one man or more isn't the point, though. The point is that there is much contained in this book that we can still learn from. There is much in this book that can make us squirm in our seats, but there is also much that can bring comfort in times of sorrow, and sustenance in times of dryness. The God who loves us is amazing, and is beyond our comprehension.
I find comfort in the fact that I cannot understand God, and that God's understanding is unsearchable (v 28d). To me, it means that all that I don't understand in this world, God does, and I don't necessarily have to worry about it. It means that when things simply don't make sense, God is still there, and is still reaching out to the world in love and compassion. If God is bigger than my comprehension, it means that there is more to this universe than I can see, even if I were to spend my entire life studying it and exploring it. It means that when, like the Israelites, I sin and fall far short of God's expectations, grace is still offered to me, when I can't even begin to understand why it is.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth" (v 28). Like the children's song says: "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do." God doesn't grow weary, despite our relentless capacity to muck things up. God doesn't turn away, even when we don't listen to those he's put in place to tell us what he thinks. Isaiah spoke to God's people for sixty years, alternately condemning and comforting those whom God loves. At the end of the day, though, the message that comes through is one of love and concern, that God is active in creation and in history, and that God wants to help us be the best that we can be, to follow God with our whole selves, and to act that out in the world.
Sometimes, God has to send people like Isaiah to help us hear that, as much as we might not always understand it, God's out there in the world, tireless and waiting for us to notice him, to ask for the strength that God is just waiting to share with us. If we open our eyes and our hearts, we can hear that message daily.