"He will be a King! But he won't live in a palace. and he won't have lots of money. He will be poor. And he will be a Servant. But this King will heal the whole world."
Again, God doesn't care who you are or what you do on the outside. But, it does sounds like God is ensuring that Emmanuel isn't like Naaman at all. God is warning the people what is coming, regardless if the people listen to Isaiah or not. Are they really not believing Isaiah because it seems too good to be true?
I think that many people didn't believe Isaiah because they didn't fully grasp it. It's easy to look back from our perspective and see Jesus as fulfillment to the prophecy of Isaiah but I think at the time it was a little more difficult.
ReplyDeleteJews today still wait for a Messiah. Still read those prophesies looking and hoping. Some Jews hold on to their Jewish customs but recognize Jesus as the Messiah who has come and will come back.
I think overall, God works in a way that makes it hard to impossible to PROVE that he's working. Just like at the end of the Shack. Mack got in the car accident. Was the Shack real? Was it a dream? God lurks in the spaces of doubt pushing us to rely on faith. And in times when faith waivers, then we lean further on grace and trust that faith with be restored.
This was a really scripture-heavy story, so Adam and I spent a lot of time going back to the actual chapters referenced.
ReplyDeleteIsaiah 9
"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."
In the story it says "He will be a King! But he won't live in a palace. And he won't have lots of money. He will be poor." BUT the 9:6 - 9:7 definitely make it sound more like he will be an actual king ~ "government on his shoulders" & "reign on David's throne" Are these verses that Jews reference in their argument that Jesus did not fulfill prophecy?
Isaiah 11
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
From what I can tell...Jesse was Jesus' (27x"great") grandfather (according to Matthew) - but Jesse isn't even mentioned in the Storybook, it only mentions David.
Isaiah 40
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
I'm thinking this is the part that relates to Jesus being our "rescuer" and that he will "make everything the way it was meant to be."
Isaiah 50
ReplyDelete4 The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
5 The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious,
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
Is this all supposed to be a reference to the persecution of Jesus? So maybe this is the "he will suffer and die" part?
Isaiah 53
The whole chapter is a direct prophecy of Jesus' persecution, conviction, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and penance.
Isaiah 55
Basically a self-authentication of God's all-knowing and all-powerful attributes. I didn't necessarily see any specific verses that directly relate to text from the Story.
Isaiah 60
I'm pretty sure this chapter is all about Israel becoming a great nation once again - which isn't in the Story at all. This seems like a prophecy about Israel in the future - maybe in Revelation times? Not sure at all why this chapter is listed for this Story.
I think the Chapter references are a little off to be honest. The story talks about Mary being young and unmarried, which is in Isaiah 7 (not on the list). The last paragraph of the Story talks about Jesus' return, the abolishment of death and suffering, etc...which seems to be from Isaiah 65.
Whew! That was a lot of prophecy to read through!