16For I will not contend forever, neither will I be always angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls who I have made. 17For the iniquity of his covetousness was I angry, and struck him; I hid my face and was angry; and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.
Isaiah 57:16-179Then shall you call, and Yahweh will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly; 10and if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity be as the noonday; 11and Yahweh will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make strong your bones; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters don’t fail. 12Those who shall be of you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Isaiah 59:9-12Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; neither his ear heavy, that it can’t hear:
Isaiah 59:1 web
Just read the passages again. What do you see here? Somebody who has crossed the line with God and he is about to punish them. He is upset over the backsliding and sin. Look at verse 17 in the first part. Even after sinning and getting thumped by God, the person continues to slide. Now, before this little episode, it does say that no matter how much it is deserved, God won't always be angry or contend forever. He is already planning to be merciful in his discipline.
I have to ask myself, "Why am I being punished? Why am I getting thumped on?" I like to think of my self as not doing a thing wrong and like Job, I am just having it laid on to test me. Yeah, that's it, it is just to increase my righteousness. Oops, I just went from sin and backslide to sliding back even more. Even if I didn't do anything to deserve my current situation, it never hurts to take a real look at my actions and deeds over the past little bit. Who is really to blame? Who really caused this problem? Um... it looks like it just might have been me. Now what. How do I get out of this mess?
Call on God. He will answer. He is present and ready to comfort. Just stop. Remove those deeds and actions that you did. You know the ones, the lies are only to yourself. There might be times where I might be as chaste as Job, but this sure ain't one of them. Instead, focus on serving the needs of others. Lift up the oppressed and people who are weary in their soul. Get back to the basics of what is right. God will take care of the rest.
Healing will come. Strength that starts deep in the bones. Nourishment for yourself that overflows and becomes a life source for others. Look at verse 12...
Those who shall be of you shall build...
Isn't God's promise great? It just can't be said better than this:
Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; neither his ear heavy, that it can’t hear:Isaiah 59:1 web
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Last Updated: 3:19 PM 10/16/2005