Read
Sing Praises to the Lord
10Tell the whole world to sing
a new song to the Lord!
Tell those who sail the ocean
and those who live far away
to join in the praise.
11Tell the tribes of the desert
and everyone in the mountains
to celebrate and sing.
12Let them announce
his praises everywhere.
13The Lord is marching out
like an angry soldier,
shouting with all his might
while attacking his enemies.
The Lord Will Help
14For a long time, I, the Lord,
have held my temper;
now I will cry out and groan
like a woman giving birth.
15I will destroy the mountains
and what grows on them;
I will dry up rivers and ponds.
16I will lead the blind on roads
they have never known;
I will guide them on paths
they have never traveled.
Their road is dark and rough,
but I will give light
to keep them from stumbling.
This is my solemn promise.
17Everyone who worships idols
as though they were gods
will be terribly ashamed.
God's People Won't Obey
18You people are deaf and blind,
but the Lord commands you
to listen and to see.
19No one is as blind or deaf
as his messenger,
his chosen servant,
20who sees and hears so much,
but pays no attention.
21The Lord always does right,
and so he wanted his Law
to be greatly praised.
22But his people were trapped
and imprisoned in holes
with no one to rescue them.
All they owned had been taken,
and no one was willing
to give it back.
23Why won't his people
ever learn to listen?
24Israel sinned and refused
to obey the Lord
or follow his instructions.
So the Lord let us be robbed
of everything we owned.
25He was furious with us
and punished our nation
with the fires of war.
Still we paid no attention.
We didn't even care
when we were surrounded
and scorched by flames.
Reflect
Spiritual blindness and deafness are self-inflicted conditions. God’s people suffer with both. They are blind to the glory of God, and they refuse to hear and obey his voice. God says that it is in this condition that he “gave them up” to the looter and plunderer. This is why they find themselves in exile. Even though God’s people were “set on fire all around,” they “did not understand,” or “take it to heart.” They deliberately chose not to understand or obey.
There is no crisp division here between what is spiritual and physical. The spiritual blindness and deafness had a very real manifestation in Israel’s exile. But, as any parent knows, consequences don’t always change behavior. Israel continued to “trust in carved idols” and “stay trapped in holes and in hidden prisons.” What is God to do with the people he loves when discipline doesn’t work?
But now God is going to save his people. He is going to turn their spiritual darkness to light, and he is going to speak the word “Restore.” This is God going out “like a mighty man,” and in the first part of this passage creation and the nations are “singing for joy” and “declaring his praise.” There is foreshadowing of Christ’s work for us on the cross. The work is difficult and is compared to the work of a woman in labour.
We don’t have the luxury of Scripture saying, “this thing you are experiencing is God trying to get your attention.” And yet, like Israel, we often experience trials and turn to other things, our own versions of “carved idols,” and we find ourselves “trapped in holes” and “hidden prisons” of our own choosing.
Jesus’ work on the cross offers us light and speaks the word “restore”. Will we come out of our holes?
Respond
Heavenly Father, Very often I choose my own idols in the midst of difficulty. I don’t listen to your voice or walk by the light of your Word. Many times I’ve found myself “trapped in holes” and “hidden prisons.” Please, turn my darkness to light and speak your word “restore” over my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Rick Hiemstra
Rick Hiemstra is Director of Research and Media Relations at the EFC. Prior to coming to the EFC, he served as a Wesleyan pastor and as a high school mathematics and computer science teacher. Rick speaks on Canadian church and cultural trends, including the new Renegotiating Faith research about emerging adulthood and faith formation. He has recently contributed to Canadian studies on Bible Engagement, local church missions engagement and emerging adulthood and faith formation. Currently he is leading a study on small evangelical churches and another on parental discipleship of children in the home. He holds a BMath from the University of Waterloo, a BEd from Ottawa University and an MTS from Tyndale Seminary.