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"Then I heard the Lord saying, Whom shall I send?
Who will go for me? And I answered, Here am I; send me."
Isaiah 6:8.
Isaiah determined to save and change his country. He had
basic principles which he believed were his from God and he
applied them to every problem he had to face. Unlike Amos
and Hosea, Isaiah was born to power and privilege. His position
was akin to that of a Prime Minister. But like Amos he was
imbued with the sense of the sovereignty of God. He was convinced
that Israel was God's chosen people and he sought to have
them recognise and live by that special relationship and to
honour its obligations. Described as the greatest of the evangelistic
prophets his words are the product of a considerable intellect
and his literary style tremendous in its sweep and resource.
Isaiah lived in troubled times in a land suffering the effects
of war. He had seen the destruction of the Northern Kingdom,
with its capital Samaria by their Assyrian conquerors. That
was a catastrophe foretold by Amos and Hosea. And it was the
Assyrians who 20 years later who beseiged and took the Southern
Kingdom, with its capital Jerusalem. King Hezekiab had thought
that an alliance with Egypt was necessary to withstand the
attacks of the Assyrians but Isaiah vigorously opposed that
plan because the religion and culture of Israel would be affected
hurtfully by it. He told the king and the people that their
trust must be in God, for a righteous cause must not be fought
with an unrighteous partner. He warned against putting dependence
on armed strength and living with the horrific consequences
of war.
Isaiah had the fear that the religion of Judah would be corrupted
by the beliefs and practices of the Assyrians and the Egyptians.
He believed it necessary to ensure the security and safety
of the faith by the separation of church and state. His expectation
was on those loyal believers whom he saw as the Remnat and
who would stand firm for God in every circumstance, that they
would save Israel from the horrors that threatened it.
Isaiah saw God acting for the nation in the person of the
Messiah, a great leader whom he described as coming not as
a king powerful and magnificent but as the suffering Servant.
He pictured Him in his most accurate profile of Jesus, Isaiah
53.
The prophet denounced his people for their betrayal of the
'faith'. He declared, in the strongest terms, that the survival
of the state was nothing if the faith was lost. Their priorities
had to be right. Isaiah spoke but the people did not listen
and they suffered the consequences of their turn away from
God. Down the centuries Isaiah's advice to people has been
ignored.
Among the many lessons to be learned from him is his insistence
that the church must never consent to what is not agreeable
to God and His word.
It must be free to raise its voice on anything that affects
people and to speak out fearlessly to them about anything
that could be to their disadvantage, individually and collectively.
The church of Isaiah before Christ was then, as the Christian
Church is now, the people of God. The difference now is that
in Christ the plan of God for humankind has been revealed
and His place and purpose in it clearly identified.
This is weak and ineffective when it fails to address the
multiplicity of problems which affect people. It is only effective
when it deals with them sensitively, compassionately and honestly.
It stands condemned when there is a contradiction in what
it says and does.
Isaiah cared deeply about people. He spoke and acted for
people. What he had to say about living in and for the faith
is always relevant. Christians stand condemned when they are
contrary to the admonish of Christ to love God and to express
that love in love for others; when they lack social and community
consciousness and ignore the responsibilities of citizenship.
The social consciousness of Amos and Hosea is present in Isaiah.
The Christian should be the most public spirited person
in society. He lives, with the strong pressures of Christ
on him to be good and to do good. The Christian is the one
who cares and shares.
Canon Dr. S.E. Long
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