Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
9 All the people will know it—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
who say with pride
and arrogance of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them
and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west
have devoured Israel with open mouth.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them,
nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed in a single day;
15 the elders and dignitaries are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
16 Those who guide this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,
nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly and wicked,
every mouth speaks folly.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns,
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,
so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath of the Lord Almighty
the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
they will not spare one another.
20 On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;
on the left they will eat,
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring:
21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;
together they will turn against Judah.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
HOLY SHIT that took a hard left turn into crazy-town halfway through! I picked it because it was all warm and fuzzy and Christmas-y at the beginning and didn’t read past verse six. The first half is all warm and fuzzy, and it would be super easy to do a blog post about just that. But I’m here to find radical love and fight hypocrisy throughout the whole Bible, so I guess I better deal with this insane, cannibal-fueled second half.
My good study buddy Google showed me some commentary on this section. It has it’s own name: The Speech of the Outstretched Hand. And it really is about some hardcore judgement. But the more I read about it, the more I see God as a spurned lover. Have you and your partner ever gotten in a fight, and things have spiraled downward and you start saying things you don’t mean and that have nothing to do with the original argument, just trying to score points? Now I believe that God is a God of love, and not vindictive, but He’s also not just going to roll over and take it. And for me, reading this rather horrific second passage in that light helps make it more understandable.
God having hurt feelings sounds kind of trite, but if he loves us, and also is angered by us (both Godly emotions are listed in the Bible repeatedly), couldn’t he also be hurt by us? The reason I’ve started thinking about him as a spurned lover, at least in this passage, is because of two lines. First, 9:13: “But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.” Okay, not an argument for abusive relationships. But it takes two to argue, so it’s more of an argument for recognizing our own fault and reaching out to make amends. Second, the footnote of 9:7 compares God’s “zeal” to that of a “jealous [often a synonym for faithful, not jealous in a harmful way] lover who will not abandon his people.” All of this second half of the chapter is brought on by a God who has been hurt by our actions, specifically our pride. I for one know I would be crushed if my husband said “I don’t need you,” so I definitely feel for God right now.
Also let’s just take a quick aside about the whole “feed on the flesh of his own offspring” and “Manesseh will feed on Ephraim” business in verses 20 and 21. That’s pretty gross. Again, it can be seen as both metaphor and literal. Israel was at war around the time of this writing, and the atrocities of war are just that, atrocities. Sometimes, those that survive the war are faced with equally horrific conditions, like starvation. I don’t know if there is any documentation of starving and cannibalism after the Assyrians invaded Israel, but even if it didn’t happen in this particular war, we all know it does, heart-breakingly so, happen. So, while this is, unfortunately, something that can literally happen, it can also be a burn-your-eyesockets-vivid metaphor for brother turning on brother. If we do not have God in our hearts, if we have turned away from God, where is our brotherly love? Will we not only think of ourselves and hurt our brothers (and sisters) for personal gain? As an aside from my aside, to address those who say you don’t have to have God in your heart (aka not be “Christian” or “religious” to be a good person) so this doesn’t really apply, I agree, kind of. I think God is greater than the tiny religious boxes we put Him in, and therefore anyone who considers the needs of others, and is acting out of kindness and concern, has God in their hearts. Or at least God has them in His.
So what to do with this spurned lover God and gloomy talk of judgement and wicked people? How about let’s try to avoid it. Maybe avoidance is the wrong word, let’s try to prevent it. That’s better. Let’s take a lesson from the prideful and arrogant people of Ephraim and Samaria in verse 9, and not be like them. Let us be humble enough to recognize our wrongs, which is hard to do, and also apologize for those wrongs, which is even harder to do. Praying to God for forgiveness is great. We are human and fallible and prone to mistakes on a daily basis and definitely need it. But asking for forgiveness of others in our life, if done with intention, can also be an act of reconciliation with God. After all, as 9:6 tells us, “For to us a child is born…And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Jesus is born, Jesus is here, Hallelujah. Through him, God has already outstretched a hand of reconciliation. All we need to to do is ask forgiveness and reach back.
God vs. The Patriarchy 
[…] Saints Day, the rest of the chapter frames the day’s reading nicely. (Unlike my reading from Isaiah 09 last Advent, which starts out all warm and fuzzy and full of Christmas spirit and took a hard left […]
LikeLike