Proper 16: Old Testament, Isaiah 29:11-19                            

Isaiah 29:11-19

The whole of the Old Testament is built upon expectation. On the heels, and I meet right on the heels of our first parent’s fall into sin, the Lord was promising them rescue, (Genesis 3:15).  It is a stunning thing to consider. Truly.

In today’s reading we have Isaiah doing his part to keep that expectation in the minds of his hearers. And he does it by reminding them that God works His purposes even when those who claim to follow Him have it all wrong. In this particular case, they are wrong by their own stubbornness. Matthew and Mark have Jesus citing a portion of this passage where He highlights the feigned submission of the Jews of His day. And in the Isaiah passage, that attitude is used as a type of motivator for how the Lord will choose to show His glory.

“Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts  are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore I will again do wonderful things with this people …” (Isaiah 29:13-14a, emphasis mine). 

Isaiah goes on to highlight the ministry and power of the promised Messiah. The deaf will hear and the blind will see. And I love verse 19: “The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.”

I think we often get in our Lord’s way. Perhaps we don’t readily recognize His work in our midst because we are covering it with our own plans, our own “wisdom,” or simply our disobedience. Let’s make fresh resolve by God’s grace, to simply sit back and watch. He will often include us in His work. But He does not need us. Perhaps remembering that will help us see, hear, and exult in what He has planned.