Readings for today: Isaiah 13-17
God’s Kingdom is a refuge. A sanctuary for all who seek shelter. A place we can run to when we are in trouble. A safe and secure place where we will find help in our time of need. It is a refuge for all people. The nations of the earth. The many different tribes. The diverse cultures and languages. It is a place for the desperate. For those in despair. For those who have lost all hope. For those who are oppressed. Persecuted. Poor. Needy.
God’s Kingdom was established on earth through a family. A man named Abraham and a woman named Sarah. They had a son named Isaac. He had two sons named Esau and Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons who became the ancestors of the nation of Israel. God forged His Kingdom through fire and suffering in the land of Egypt. He shaped His Kingdom as they wandered in the desert. He taught them humility and dependence and how to worship Him in spirit and in truth. He gave His Kingdom a land. A place to call their own. They called it Israel. Set up to be a light to the nations. The hope of the world. A place where all who sought God could find Him. A refuge for the alien and stranger and sojourner.
Israel failed. She turned inward. She lost sight of her high calling. She built up her walls. The refuge became a fortress. A stronghold where only the pure could find a home. Her gates were closed to those on the outside. She no longer served the nations but expected the nations to serve her. She grew proud and arrogant. She grew wealthy and strong. But her wickedness grew as well. Her appetites were insatiable. Her greed knew no ends. She abandoned truth and justice and mercy. She chased after other gods. And her fall was great. God’s judgment swift and terrible. The nations of the earth who once looked to her for wisdom now marched through her streets, laying waste to everything in their path. But God did not abandon her. He retained a remnant. A holy seed that would grow up into a shoot and bear fruit once again.
This remnant would begin the work of God’s Kingdom anew. They would start over. They would rebuild a refuge amidst the ruins. Listen to how Isaiah puts it, “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” (Isaiah 16:3-5)
Friends, God’s call remains the same for His people today. We are called to create a refuge, a sanctuary, a safe and secure place where people can find shelter from the storm. We are called to be a generous people, offering hospitality to all in need. We are called to be a loving and faithful people, always seeking to serve rather than be served. We are called to be a just and righteous people, holding fast to what is good and noble and right and true. We are called to look outward rather than inward. To let our light shine bright and bold so those who wander may find a way back home.
Readings for tomorrow: None