New heavens and a new earth

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:

What did I like about today’s passage?

While gentleness was a characteristic Isaiah described in his picture of the servant we believe to be Jesus – “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out,” (Isaiah 42:3a), the promise was also, “In faithfulness he will bring forth justice” (42:3b). As Isaiah’s account concludes, it’s time for some tough, decisive action.

Isaiah’s words here begin with a history lesson, remembering God’s power displayed around Moses and Israel’s rebellion despite God’s kindness. This brought the country to exile from their promised land, a physical reminder of their hearts’ distance from God.

The prayers seeking restoration look like a call to rebuild particular cities, and these were answered, but God’s rebuilding plan was much bigger. They extended to “new heavens and a new earth.” The freedom, joy and healthiness described sound like something to look forward to in our future, not some glorious period in Israel’s past.

I love that Isaiah’s concluding vision from God goes way beyond a restoration of religion. The whole system that God gave to point the way to him becomes redundant in God’s presence. Even the food laws that Isaiah didn’t seem to see ending (like a ban on eating pig flesh) would get surprisingly rolled back as God’s kingdom progressed (see Acts chapter 10.)

People still get to choose whether to go God’s way or their own, just as we all chose how to respond to Jesus. It’s ultimately a life or death decision. But the way to life is open.

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

God has a comprehensive and effective plan to replace evil with good, darkness with light, suffering with joy and broken relationships with love-fuelled, functional family bonds.

He has communicated this in a variety of ways in history, including large scale movements of his chosen people and powerful words like Isaiah’s, received by people looking to God for hope in difficult circumstances.

God keeps his promises and acts decisively. He will bring judgement, but not before we have all had a chance to respond to Jesus. His love is shown most powerfully in the day we remember today, Good Friday, when Jesus fulfilled his calling to be the suffering servant, “led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah chapters 52 and 53) before seeing “the light of life.”

What am I going to do differently as a result?

Simply praise God this weekend for his love and for including us in his family.

Who am I going to share this with?

People I worship with this weekend, and afterwards when we have experiences to share.