The Shoes of Isaiah
One Year Bible (Sep. 17)
Isaiah 25:1-28:13
The Shoes of Isaiah
“LORD, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.” (26:8)
Can you in your wildest dreams imagine walking “In the shoes of Isaiah” preaching a message of judgment and upcoming prophecies to nations being disciplined by the LORD?
Actually, my question was not worded correctly as the LORD asked him to “remove his shoes and go naked through the town.”
Isaiah does exactly as the LORD asked of him and look at the words that he speaks to begin our passage today, “O LORD, I (Isaiah) will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things!” (25:1)
In the midst of the rubble around him he continues to speak life and hope, “But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O LORD, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall or like relentless heat of the desert.” (25:4)
I live in the heat of the desert and it can be 113 degrees on some days. To be caught in the heat without cool water, shelter, and air conditioning is like being caught in a storm beating down on you. The storm that Isaiah is talking about, however, is brought on by oppressive acts or ruthless people… God is dealing with them and he has called Isaiah to stand, naked and barefoot in front of all the ungodly people to bring God’s words of judgment.
Can we begin to grasp the burden of being a prophet of God?
I don’t think we can begin to relate to the enormous calling that came with his “Vision in the heavenlies”. We all want the VISION, but would we want the burden of the VISION’S IMPLEMENTATION?
Have you heard the phrase, “Not my monkeys. Not my circus.”
It is a boundary statement that means “Not my problem. I don’t have to involve myself.”
Isaiah never got “Convenient Boundary Theories”. God’s boundary was his boundary. God’s calling was his obedience. That is not a popular theology today in our day…
Isaiah continues to point us to judgment and hope that will occur after God’s mighty cleaning, “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a WONDERFUL feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. There he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away ALL tears. He will remove forever ALL insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken.” (25:6-8)
Does this prophecy sound familiar? It should because we are told again about the banquet table of the LORD and how he will remove ALL tears… Justice and Mercy will one day reign and "in that day" we will understand more, but until then….
Today, I went down for a little “banquet”, actually it was a “free breakfast” at a hotel and I experienced insults and mockery before a single bite. All, I can say is that I would never want to be called to be a prophet. It is so stressful to deal with people that are not on a page of paper but right there in front of you spewing insults and mockery. This was Isaiah’s life… (and he was without clothes or shoes).
I don’t like conflict and I would certainly hate to be “In his shoes” (Or without shoes in his case).
My daughter and I went down to the breakfast buffet and the woman standing in front of me (for over 15 minutes) was berating the woman who was serving the food. She told the server that she was rude and that she should remember her order every day and on and on and on. She raised her voice and was swinging her arms in the air. Everyone in the room was “eyeing” this woman. The server that got a “Heaping Helping of Unhelpful Hash” just bowed her head and said “Okay” and she tried her best to get everything the woman ORDERED. The server spoke Spanish and was trying her best.
I remained silent for a very long time., (Not my monkeys. Not my circus.) I even physically took two steps back. Every fiber in my being hates conflict, but my heart hurts even more for bullies.
Then came the moment… The unhinged woman turned to me and started berating the woman serving her and telling me “How rude this server was and how she couldn’t get anything right”. This was after her 15-minute unleashing…
I looked at the woman in response to her comments to me and said, “I only see one person being rude here today and it isn’t her”, and then turned to the server and thanked her for her patience and service. The manager of the hotel showed up around then and this woman tried to get the server fired… I put in a positive word for the server to the manager. Insults and mockery hurt!
The prophet, Isaiah, dealt with evil, insults, and mockery day in and day out while walking through the streets naked and barefoot bearing the LORD’s message.
Look again at his words and let them sink in, “LORD, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to GLORIFY YOUR NAME.” (26:8)
These words are the mark of a true prophet, Walking in “The Shoes of Isaiah” ...
