START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 43:1-7
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OBSERVE:
This passage is a word of hope to Israel in a time of duress. But for the modern reader, it does pose a few questions.
The references that Isaiah makes in this passage seem to relate to a time after Judah has been conquered by the Babylonians, and are in exile.
Many Old Testament scholars believe that this passage was written by an author they call “Second Isaiah,” who was writing these oracles after the exile of Judah following the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. They believe that this prophet wrote Isaiah 40-55, based on the descriptions of the exile and the hope for a return.
But the original Isaiah lived and wrote beginning about 740 B.C., two centuries prior to the exile.
This isn’t the place for a debate about the claims of modern scholarship and the conflict with traditional views of Scripture. However, we might want to pose one question to consider — if we presuppose that God is capable of communicating future events by means of oracles to a prophet, is it conceivable that the same Isaiah who wrote the first 39 chapters also wrote Isaiah 40-55, as well as Isaiah 56-66? Disbelief in such predictions of the future presupposes that prophecies about the future are impossible — which undermines the very foundation of belief in a supernatural God.
The modern scholar might respond this way — what difference does it make who wrote the oracles, and when? What matters is the content of the oracles, they might say.
As an analogy, the modern scholar might argue that it doesn’t matter whether the plays attributed to Shakespeare were really written by him, or by Christopher Marlowe or someone else. What really matters is the substance of the plays themselves.
The reader must decide these issues for him/herself. As we read today’s Scripture, what ultimately matters is that the Lord is reaffirming his promises to his people.
The people of Israel have been brought into existence by the Lord, beginning with the origin stories of the patriarchs like Jacob in Genesis.
What is most significant about this is the personal nature of the relationship between the Lord and his people:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
In the Hebrew world-view, naming conveys a personal sense of identity and recognition. Israel’s identity is closely related to their intimate relationship with their God.
And the Lord promises protection from all threats:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
There is a sense of national exceptionalism in this passage, meaning that Israel is uniquely special to the Lord. Egypt and Ethiopia and Seba are given in ransom for the children of Israel. Israel is precious in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord declares:
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
And, once again, we see the theme of the return from exile:
Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, “Give them up,”
and to the south, “Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
One thing is quite true — whenever the prophecy was made, and whoever made it, it did come to pass. Cyrus, the king of Persia, passed an edict in 538 B.C., permitting the Jews to return from their exile.
APPLY:
This seems a curious passage for the lectionary Scripture on Baptism of Our Lord Sunday in the liturgical year.
Water and fire here are not symbols of cleansing and purification — they are perils through which Israel must pass:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
This is a caution to us that we shouldn’t sanitize baptism too much. It isn’t merely applying a little water to the head of an infant for the pleasure of adoring family members. Baptism is a sign of death — death to sin that we might be raised to life.
The same water that can cleanse us can also drown us! Ironically, God delivers us from the threat through the threat.
RESPOND:
I read these words from Isaiah and they remind me of one of my favorite hymns — How Firm a Foundation.
These verses seem to be a direct parallel:
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
It strikes me that we are not guaranteed that there will be no deep waters, rivers of woe, or fiery trials. Those experiences will come in our lives. However, we are assured that God will use those experiences to sanctify and purify us.
Lord, I am aware that my baptism is not a magical talisman that protects me from the perils of life. It is my reminder that you will be with me no matter what happens, and that ultimately you will bring me home. Thank you for your promises! Amen.
PHOTOS:
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