Tag: Isaiah
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God is unfair
“Before I was born, the LORD chose me”, before I could relate to God’s will in any way, God had already chosen to love me unconditionally. That is totally unthinkable for human relationships and totally unfair by our standards. But hey, God gets to set God’s standards, right? People have always struggled with this unfair…
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What’s your name?
“I have called you by name—you are mine.” says the God of Israel in today’s reading Isaiah 43:1-21. The same who said: “Do not use my name for evil purposes” (Exodus 20:7). And the same who revealed God’s name to Moses: “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). Allowing someone to use your name really…
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God’s people
What makes your people special? In yesterday’s reading Israel was called God’s servant. Verses 1-7 of today’s reading Isaiah 42:1-25 comprise the first of four “servant songs” in the book of Isaiah. It culminates in the prophecy: “Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples; through you I will bring light to the…
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Comfort my People
The book of the second Isaiah starts beginning with chapter 40. Deutero-Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55) was written during the Babylonian Exile and is a book of hope quite different from Proto-Isaiah (Isaiah 1-39) announcing doom’s day. Today’s reading Isaiah 40:1-31 starts with a shout-out to the homeland: “Comfort my people,” says our God. “Comfort them! Encourage…
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Resurrection
What is so cool about Christianity? Hope for resurrection? Not really, that has been part of Judaism for a long time as today’s reading Isaiah 26:1-21 shows: “Those of our people who have died will live again! Their bodies will come back to life. All those sleeping in their graves will wake up and sing…