The book of Isaiah begins with
these words: “The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah
and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of
Judah.”
Notice how this first verse
mentions the kings who reigned while Isaiah prophesied?
This first verse clearly sets
Isaiah’s work in a political context. The connection between Isaiah’s message
and the rule of the kings is clear. Imagine if Isaiah were alive and writing
this today, and began by saying “The vision of Isaiah which he saw in the days
of Clinton, Bush, and Obama.” For Isaiah, it’s clear that religion and politics
DO mix.
So, in 60 seconds or less, what
do we know about these kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah?
Well, Uzziah built up the
economy and the military strength of Judah. Everything was great, especially
for the wealthy and the powerful – you know, the people who matter. However,
all this greatness went to Uzziah’s head. As the 26th chapter of 2nd
Chronicles notes, “When he had become strong, he grew proud, to his
destruction.”
Eventually Uzziah contracted
leprosy and so the kingship was taken over by his son Jotham, who continued his
father’s policies. In the meantime, the neighboring nation of Assyria was
growing in power, and becoming a threat.
After Jotham came Ahaz. By this
time Assyria was gaining control over parts of Judah, and other nations also
began posing threats. Ahaz saw Assyria as the lesser of these evils, and made
an alliance with Assyria for protection against those other nations.
And finally, Hezekiah. Hezekiah
saw Assyria as a danger to Judah, so he made an alliance with Egypt for
protection against Assyria. When the king of Assyria – Sennacharib – did invade
Judah, even Egypt was unable to stop Assyria, and Assyria gained control over
all of Judah.
Isaiah looked at these shifting
alliances and believed that the problem was that the kings of Judah had put
their trust in human institutions and human rulers, rather than in God. They
made alliances with other nations, instead of making an alliance with God.
Proof of this misplaced trust
could be seen in how the kings of Judah had ignored God’s instructions to care
for the poor and downtrodden. They had neglected to care for them as God had
instructed. In their arrogance, they had worked to protect the wealth of the
wealthy; they had worked to protect the power of the powerful; but they had
ignored the needs of poor and the oppressed.
And when you do that, everyone
loses.
Which is exactly what happened
when Assyria invaded and took control.
“Therefore… God stretched out
his hand against [Judah] and struck them… He will raise a signal for a nation
far away… Their arrows are sharp, their bows are bent” [5:25]. Assyria was on
its way.
Or, to change the analogy: the
vineyard that was supposed to produce delicious grapes good for eating or
winemaking instead produced nothing good or edible. The only thing to do, then,
is to tear it down and start over.
And here’s why:
God expected justice, but saw
bloodshed;
God expected righteousness, but
heard cries of injustice, cries of despair, cries of suffering at the hands of
others.
And those cries always find
their way into God’s ears and into God’s heart. God heard the cries of the
Hebrews enslaved to Pharaoh years before, and now God heard the cries of the
poor and the oppressed in Judah.
You know this is important to
Isaiah, because he repeats it, almost word-for-word, just a few verses later:
“The haughtiness of people shall
be humbled, and the pride of everyone shall be brought low; and the Lord alone
will be exalted on that day.”
And all because of what Isaiah
describes in chapter 5: the kings and the people have ignored justice. They
have not done what is right. They’ve indulged themselves in parties, drinking
from morning to night, while many live in poverty. They have not protected the
vulnerable. The wealthy and powerful have taken pride in their wealth and their
power, while neglecting the growing poverty and helplessness of so many.
They even boast in this. Isaiah
3: “The look on their faces bears witness against them. They do not hide it.
They even tell the innocent how fortunate they are.”
Imagine, a wealthy person
telling poor people how fortunate they are, or a free person telling slaves how
fortunate they are… Ridiculous, right?
Strangely enough, a few weeks
ago Michelle Obama gave a speech in which she mentioned how she wakes up every
morning in a house that was built by slaves.
Which led Bill O’Reilly to argue
that those slaves were “well fed and had decent lodgings provided by the
government…” so what’s the big deal?
And that is exactly the kind of
privileged, arrogant, racist language that Isaiah so sharply condemns. “They
bear witness against themselves when they tell the innocent how fortunate they
are.”
We NEED Isaiah’s voice today. We
need to hear his words, and listen to his message. Because what’s happening
today isn’t so different than what was happening 2700 years ago when he wrote
those words.
William Barber has read Isaiah.
You’ve heard of William Barber, right? If you haven’t, go home and google him.
Read his speeches. Watch them on youtube. Or call Chalice press and order one
of his books.
William Barber has read Isaiah.
And Isaiah calls upon us to “pay people what they deserve; share food with the
hungry...” and let their cry be heard.
Basically, what Jesus and Isaiah
are saying to the world is, Poor Lives Matter. Broken Lives Matter. Bruised
Lives Matter. Oppressed Lives Matter.
They say this, because these are
the lives that are being ignored. These are the hearts that are crying out to
God.
Meanwhile, those in a position
of privilege turn their back on this message. “Why do you say, ‘Poor Lives
Matter?’ Why do you say ‘Oppressed Lives Matter?’ ALL lives matter. You
shouldn’t single anybody out.”
And yet, they have already been
singled out. They have been singled out by a society that refuses to grant them
equal rights, equal opportunity, equal freedom.
Isaiah didn’t say, “rescue
everyone; defend everyone; plead for everyone.”
Isaiah said, “rescue the
oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.” He specifically mentioned
those who suffered from the injustices of his society. Society tried to ignore
their cries, but Isaiah wouldn’t allow their cries to be silenced.
None of the town’s white
residents have received a summons.
Meanwhile, we are 2½ months away
from the first presidential election since the Supreme Court removed the racial
protection clause of the voting rights act. The court removed those racial
protections, saying that they were no longer necessary since racism doesn’t
exist anymore. Yet the removal of those protections is exactly what has allowed
actions like those happening in Sparta to take place. Racism clearly does exist.
And the people are crying out.
But there is another court, a
court even higher than the Supreme Court. And in that courtroom, according to
Isaiah, “the Lord rises to argue his case.” In that courtroom, the cry of the
people is heard. In that courtroom, the Lord declares: “You elders and princes
and people, it is you who have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is
in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of
the poor? [3:14-15].
The Lord presents his case to
the people. “Go ahead,” God says; “judge between me and my vineyard. What more
could I have done?”
Even to those who are guilty,
the verdict against them is clear.
This theme continues all the way
to Isaiah 58, where God calls upon the people to “loose the bonds of injustice,
undo the thongs of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free; to share bread
with the hungry, to house the homeless poor, to cover those who are naked.”
Do this, God says, and “your
light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up
quickly. You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of
streets to live in.”
That is our calling. And that is
why we declare that Black Lives Matter, and Brown Lives Matter. That is why we
declare that Queer Lives Matter. That is why we declare that Poor Lives Matter.
That is why we declare that Immigrant Lives and Refugee Lives Matter.
Because God hears the cries of
the oppressed, and pays particular
attention to those cries.
Because Jesus proclaimed good
news to the poor and the oppressed.
Because we are called to heal the
brokenness of the world, and allow
God to work through us in bringing about a kingdom of healing and wholeness.
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