-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)
In our initial reading of Isaiah 50-51, God is (justifiably) upset with His people, reminding them that He’s still their father and that He didn’t sell them off but it was their own sins that has removed them, and then moves on to say in verse 2: “Why was no one there when I came? When I called, why was there no one to answer?...” (REV translation). Can you feel the pain? I am constantly amazed at the longsuffering patience of God toward His creation, and particularly the longsuffering patience of God toward me specifically. I read stuff like this, as a father, and I can imagine the pain: the righteous indignation of a faithful father whose children have abandoned him to chase after their own foolishness. I was also that child who chased after foolishness, and now with my new perspective it makes me even more ashamed.
Isaiah 50: 4-6:(REV translation) “The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught, so that I will know how to sustain with words the one who is weary. Morning by morning he wakens me, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn backward. I gave my back to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those who plucked out my beard. I did not hide my face from shame and spitting.” There are some critical traits we should emulate here, there are some habits that this servant of God has that we who wish to be servants of God should follow. First note that God has given him words to say, to sustain the weary. Every morning, God speaks to him and teaches him. God speaks to him, and he humbly listens, and then walks in humility: accepting abuse, violence, and shame from those around him, while remaining obedient to God.
I am fully convinced that God is still speaking to us. The real question is, how many of us are listening? “When I called, why was there no one to answer?” On the rare occasions that we do listen, how many times do we rebel, or go backward? “No, I don’t really have time for that right now, I’m busy ______ing my _____.” Fill in your own blanks. How many of us will humbly accept scorn or abuse (like Jesus did), and compare that to how many of us “know my rights and will defend them!” If we were to grade ourselves, what do you think your grade would be? Is it a passing or a failing mark?
The thing is, we are supposed to examine and test ourselves, and to make sure that we are in line with our master. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says (REV translation): “5Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed you fail the test?” Did you catch that? You can fail this test, this isn’t like field day at school where everybody gets a trophy. Just because you once were “saved” (I hate that term, and prefer “redeemed”) doesn’t mean you are saved forever. Paul is writing the above verse to active Christians, so that should immediately dispel that erroneous teaching, and also make us sit up straighter at our desks and pay attention to our Teacher.
So listen. Being a servant of God is more than just calling yourself a Christian and then going to church on Saturday/Sunday. Being a Christian is more than just putting on a nice set of clothes for one day and then making sure you’ve got a smiling face for a couple of hours when you’re in a church building. It’s more than just reading the bible on occasion. Being a servant of God means that you are listening for God to speak to you, every day, and then obediently doing whatever it is that God tells you. That’s going to be uncomfortable sometimes, but it’s not about you. It’s about you being a servant of God.
Most of us today have become so narcissistically involved in our own well being and self promotion that we don’t even listen for the voice of God anymore and if that’s the case I would caution you: to be a servant of the living God, you need to be listening to God, every day. He will speak to you in your dreams, and give you instructions and testing. He will whisper into your ear in the morning when you wake up. He will place opportunities in front of you throughout the day to be patient, to be humble, to reflect His majesty toward the rest of His creation, and to do the good works which God has prepared for you.
Forgive your coworker when they are an absolutely offensive jerk. Help a little old lady with her groceries. Tell someone God loves them, and you do too, even if you don’t know them. Next time the driver in front of you is being an absolute idiot, remember that you were an absolute idiot too at least once in your life, and reflect the patience that God had for you upon that driver. See that homeless guy over in the corner of the parking lot looking hungry? What if that was Jesus? For the love of God, go buy Jesus a hamburger, if you can spare it. DO SOMETHING besides just sitting there contently in your redemption. Every one of these things is a chance to listen to God, go out of your way to show God you’re trying to listen.
So, can I work my way into the kingdom? Nope, not even close to what I’m saying. This is not an action that’s led by you, this is an action that’s led by God: but if you’re sitting on your butt and thinking “I believe correctly and don’t do bad things and that’s enough” you’re incorrect. Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are his handiwork, created in union with Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” God didn’t redeem us to put us on the shelf and look pretty, God redeemed us to “do good works”. James 2:26 goes so far as to say: “Therefore, just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also trust (or faith) without works is dead. “(REV translation). It’s not that what you do is going to redeem you, it’s that since you have been redeemed you are required to do some things, specifically, the things God has prepared in advance for you to do, for His glory. If you’re not listening to God to know what these things are, you might not do well.
Isaiah 50: 10-11 (REV): “Who among you fears Yahweh? Who obeys the voice of his servant? He who walks in darkness and has no light, let him trust in the name of Yahweh and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with torches. Walk in the light of your fire and among the torches that you have kindled. You will have this of my hand: you will lie down in a place of torment.” This tells us that even if we don’t see (like my father), we are to trust and rely on God (also like my father) and not ourselves. If you rely on yourself, even if you think you’ve got it all together, you’re going to be painfully disappointed.
“Why was no one there when I came? When I called, why was there no one to answer?...”
I want to be there and I want to answer, because I can feel the pain, and I’ve already caused God enough pain. What about you?
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
(and some of these are very, very, serious questions that you should give deep thought to)
How can we better listen to God every day?
What opportunities did we have today to reflect God’s glory back upon His creation? Did we take them, or miss out?
PRAYER
Father God, help me to listen; to stop talking long enough to hear your voice, to shut out the clamoring of this world and to hear the words of the spirit that you are constantly whispering to me. Help me to remember the instruction you give me in my dreams, and to pass the tests of my character when I slumber. Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me, to your glory, and to the glory of your son. In Jesus name, Amen.
