Stories from the Bible - Ep 14 The Darkest Night and the Prophets' Hope (Isaiah 59)

Episode Date: December 21, 2021

After David’s death, his son Solomon becomes king, and although Solomon is exceedingly wealthy and wise - in the end, he trusts in his own wisdom rather God’s, and he chooses political comfort rather listening to God voice. From then on the kingdom of Israel declines. It weakens and divides into two parts - a northern and a southern kingdom. Over the next 400 years each Kingdom has it’s own kings - most of these Kings lead the people to completely ignore God and his commands. Occasionally there are Kings in the Southern kingdom who are like David - they do trust God, they recognise that they’ve sinned, and they try to lead the people back to trusting God, but there’s never lasting success. Things get so bad that God ejects them from the land, and his people are taken as prisoners to live in foreign places. If God’s people are ever going to permanently experience life and peace, they are going to need a leader who is better than David. They need a King who is able to do something far greater than win them temporary peace from a few human bullies. The need a King to come and rescue them from their closest and most unconquerable enemy - sin itself. It’s sin that keeps getting in the way of them receiving the blessings promised to Abraham. Without a permanent fix to sin, there’s no permanent peace. The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

Beauty, perfection, desire, deception, rebellion, judgment, hope. You're listening to Stories from the Bible. Bible stories told in order, using the words of the Bible, with introductions to give a recap and provide context. At the end of each story, you might want to pause and take a moment to reflect on what you noticed in the story. Things you liked or didn't like. Something the story showed you about God or about people. Don't worry if not everything makes sense. Keep listening to each episode and sit with the journey. I'm stoked to have you on the ride. Welcome to episode 14. I have to say up front that technically today's story is more poetry.

Well, it's not more poetry. It is poetry. But before you stop listening in disgust, please just hang in there a moment while I explain. Of course, the point of this podcast is to tell stories from the Bible. But we're not just hearing stories told in random isolation. We're hearing how the stories join up to make a larger story. And this overarching story is actually, how do I say this, it's bigger than what stories on their own can express. Poetry paints pictures with words. And those pictures, those images, are able to convey ideas that words can't describe. So the poetry you'll hear later in today's episode might sound a bit strange. But keep this in mind. It's painting pictures to convey ideas central to the

overarching story of the Bible. And those ideas are bigger than words can describe. All right, if I've just lost you, please don't despair. I promise next episode and all foreseeable episodes after this, as far as I can tell right now, will be proper stories. Okay. But before we get to the poetry, where have we come from? Ah, last episode. Poor King David. Poor Uriah. Poor Bathsheba. Poor little baby that didn't live through no fault of its own. Poor nation of Israel. Their wonderful king, who'd secured peace for them from their outward enemies, was totally powerless against their nearest enemy, sin. David saw another man's wife having a bath. He desired her. He made up his mind that she would be good for him, and he took her. It's the same pattern that happened in episode two.

The woman saw the God-forbidden fruit. She desired it. She made up her mind it would be good for her, and she took it, and the man, of course, went along with it. She made up her mind it would be good for her, and she took it, and the man of course went along with it. In episode 9, we described sin as rebellion against God, which just means ignoring what God says is good and evil, and instead deciding for ourselves what we think is good or evil. In episode 8, when God gathered the Israelites at Mount Sinai to make a covenant, that is, a formal agreement with them, He promised that if they listened to His voice and trusted and obeyed Him, then they would be blessed. He gave very clear instructions. We call those instructions the Ten Commandments. That showed what trusting him looked

like. Obedience to these commands was how Israel was to demonstrate to the watching world that they trusted God rather than themselves. Last episode, we talked about how the Israelites seemed unable to trust and obey God, and therefore were unable to receive the blessings God had promised them through Abraham. However, we saw that God's solution to this, because of his determination to bless them, was to give them leaders with his Spirit in them who did trust him. But as we heard in last episode's story, even their greatest leader failed to trust God's voice. He blatantly ignored at least five of the Ten Commandments. Do not covet another man's wife.

Do not steal. Don't commit adultery. Do not lie. Do not lie, do not murder. David, as king, was meant to lead the people in trusting God and receiving the blessings of life and peace, that is the outworking of friendship with God. But David, just like the Israelites themselves, also fails when it comes to trusting God and obeying his commands.

David sins and as a consequence brings death, the child born to him and Bathsheba dies, and strife. For the rest of his days, his very own family is plagued with enmity and violence, a situation very far from peace. After David's death, his son Solomon becomes king. And although Solomon is exceedingly wealthy and wise, in the end, he trusts his own wisdom rather than God's, and he chooses political comfort rather than listening to God's voice. From then on, the kingdom of Israel declines.

It weakens and divides into two parts, a northern and a southern kingdom. Over the next 400 years, each kingdom has its own kings. Most of these kings lead the people to completely ignore God and his commands. Occasionally, there are kings in the southern kingdom who are like David. They do trust God. They recognise that they've sinned, and they try to lead the people back to trusting God. But there's never lasting success.

Things get so bad that God ejects them from the land, and his people are taken as prisoners to live in foreign places. If God's people are ever going to permanently experience life and peace, they are going to need a leader who is better than David. They need a king who is able to do something far greater than win them temporary peace from a few human bullies. They need a king to come and rescue them from their closest and most unconquerable enemy, sin itself. It's sin that keeps getting in the way of them receiving the blessings promised to Abraham. Without a permanent fix to sin, there's no permanent peace. So during those 400 years after David's son Solomon, God continued to give his spirit to certain individuals. This time it wasn't so they could physically lead the people into receiving the blessings promised to Abraham, but it was so they could speak God's words to the people. These people were called prophets.

One of those prophets was called Jeremiah, and God gave him a message of hope about a new covenant. This new covenant would be unbreakable. Why would it be so strong? Because it would not be dependent on people's fickle obedience. Its foundation would be God's permanent forgiveness of sin. God's plan for the new covenant was a twofold commitment. One, that he would forget his people's sin forever. And two, that he would actually change people's hearts from the inside so that they would want to and be able to finally listen to him, trust him and enjoy relationship with him. This is what Jeremiah said. Indeed, a time is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel

and Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant even though I was like a faithful husband to them. But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land. I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me. For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done. That was Jeremiah. Another prophet was Isaiah, and you'll hear

some of his poetry in a moment. In it, you'll hear his expression of the dark and desperate situation that Israel found itself in, and God's promise to come and do something about it. And like all good poetry, the more you know what to look for, the more you'll get out of it. So here's four things to look out for as you listen. 1. Listen for his calling out of the evil and oppression happening around him. 2. Notice that even as he sees evil in others, he knows that he too, and in fact everyone, whether weak or powerful, fails to live rightly, that is, to do justice. Third, listen for their helplessness in the situation. They are stumbling around in the dark.

They are like helpless animals, waiting, waiting for rescue, and unable to do anything to remove And four. Finally, notice where the hope comes from. It comes from God knowing that they are helpless and so taking matters into his own hands. He himself is going to come and punish evil, and at the same time, he is going to rescue those who are aware of their peril and who are waiting for him, and he himself will bring the light and the relief from darkness that they are longing for. The story starts here. For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with sin. Your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words. No one is concerned about justice, no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words and tell lies. They conceive of oppression and give birth to sin. They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die. A poisonous snake is hatched. Their webs cannot be used for clothing. They cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are sinful.

They commit violent crimes. They are eager to do evil, quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful. They crush and destroy. They are unfamiliar with peace. Their deeds are unjust. They use deceitful methods.

And whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. For this reason, deliverance is far from us, and salvation does not reach us. We wait for light, but see only darkness. We wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness. We grope along the wall like the blind. We grope like those who cannot see. We stumble at noontime as if it were evening. Though others are strong, we are like dead men. We all growl like bears. We coo mournfully like

doves. We wait for deliverance, but there is none. For salvation, but it is far from us. For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, and our sins testify against us. Indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds. We know our sins all too well. We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord. We turned back from following our God. We stir up oppression and rebellion. We tell lies we concocted in our minds. Justice is driven back. Godliness stands far off.

Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square and morality is not even able to enter. Honesty has disappeared. The one who tries to avoid evil is robbed. The Lord watches and is displeased, for there is no justice. He sees there is no advocate. He is shocked that no one intervenes. So he takes matters into his own hands. His desire for justice drives him on.

He wears his desire for justice drives him on. to his adversaries and punishing his enemies, he repays the coastlands. In the west, people respect the Lord's reputation. In the east, they recognize his splendor, for he comes like a rushing stream, driven on by wind sent from the Lord. A protector comes to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds, says the Lord. As for me, this is my promise to them, says the Lord. My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward, says the Lord. Arise, shine, for your light arrives. The splendour of the Lord shines on you. For look, darkness covers the earth, and deep darkness covers the nations.

But the Lord shines on you, his splendour appears over you. Nations come to your light, kings to your bright light. The story ends there. Thanks for joining us for today's episode. You might like to take a moment to pause and think about what you noticed. Things you liked, things you didn't like, something you learnt about God. If you'd like to look it up, it's from Isaiah chapter 59, and earlier I mentioned Jeremiah chapter 31.

So, God himself promises to come and fix up the mess. I'm excited about the next episode. You've been listening to Stories from the Bible. I'm Jen, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you.