This is the verse that started it all, the verse that was given when I just came out of retrenchment and moving on with a new life. From a broken life that was led, a new life to be reborn. Just like the phoenix, set ablaze when it fades off and ends its life, but in the ashes of the remains, it births of new life and from the new life, with the ever present ability of its tears to heal, it is re-born, so CUTE! :)
Now the verse is found in Isaiah 30:15-26. a passage that was given my cell leader, in which was a great assurance and blessing to me, an encouragement for me to step forth in faith with the little faith that I have. As of like me, I will do a verse by verse analysis:
Verse 15- This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
In the NASB version, instead of but you would have none of it, "But you were not willing". Unwillingness is the key factor that prevents one from receiving salvation and strength from the Lord. Without repentance and rest (upon on the Lord), where repentance here may refers to repentance from sin and rest is to seek rest in the Lord, where the home is in the heavens. From these two, where a taste of salvation can be received. Have none of quietness and trust and strength where it will not be drawn from the Lord. "Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me--(The Message) A simplified explaination of the verse. Where strength comes from settling down in complete dependence on God.
Strength and salvation are what the Lord offers in the beginning, however, in verse 16, something otherwise, You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.'
Therefore you will flee!
You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.'
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
Reluctance and unwillingness will lead in to the much easies thing to do - Flee or hide. Just like in Genesis 3:10 Adam answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." As fast as we flee from the things that we try to avoid, the faster they seems to pursue. This is true due to the fact that it is not about the fleeing away from problems, personal problems, problem of life, but as they are all personal, it is in the person, within the person that they are found. Thus in the first place, how can one person flee from himself?
Not only will one person "tries" to flee from "himself", in verse 17: A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill." Even in strength and with overwhelming odds over the enemies, they will still flee. Perhaps this may be due to the fact that fleeing is already a habit and they do not recognise the strength that is within them. And when the threat is increased, all, not any part left, will all flee. The extent of fleeing is full and complete and without left to be considered. What is only left that only the leftover, the footmarks, the "were" of whoever had being there. A lonely sight, a sight of saying " I was here". A flagstaff, to signify the presence of an army. But witn only a flagstaff left, it either means the army was defeated or it fleed/retreated. In Exodus 17:15:-Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.
All these are said to reflect the situation of fleeing aimlessly and instinctively, and like fighting the war alone, with just the flagstaff, with the banner alone. This it may be, however God is God and for he is gracious and there is a "yet".
v18: Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
Despite all the fleeing and everything, God is still gracious. Not only that, he long to be gracious. He is one who is gracious and yearns to be gracious. In the Message, "GOD takes the time to do everything right--everything", in NLT "For the LORD is a faithful God". Blessed are all who wait for him. Blessed are those whose faith are upon him. In this verse, it show God's desire and the beginning of his promise. It shows how gracious God is, despite all, he still loves his people. How wonderful that God is so willing to take time to do everything right for us, for people that is sometimes lack of faith, that is so worthy. It is just so marvellous and assuring to know the Lord is a faithful God and he makes an effort to do things right.
More to come even after v18 which as come to v19:
O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Weeping can be of joy or of pain. But I believe in this context, it is of pain. The Lord here have heard the cries of his people. Cry for help, cry of whatever of life, for all these now, you will no more. No only then we will cry no more, but he will be gracious when we cry for help. Furthermore, as perhaps "his angels hear them", he will answer you. This has great implication that God will reply once he gets the message, and since he will be there when you cry out for help, that may also means that he will answer you immediately in some context. God will no longer be one that is so far away, but one that is no longer hidden. This is how our God's grace will be even we choose to flee from him in the first place. That is how great His love for us be. :)
More better things in v20: Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.(NIV)
In the MSG version- Just as the Master kept you alive during the hard times, he'll keep your teacher alive and present among you. Your teacher will be right there, local and on the job.
Not enough that The Lord provides the food that our spirit man needs to go through tough times of life, or just to be-lieve on a life in Christ, our teacher, the holy spirit is one we can see now, seeing meaning available, right there and on the job with us doing with us.
Furthermore, the Lord does not only stop there. In v21:Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (NIV)
No only my teacher is visible, he is audible. Whichever the way we go, his voice will be the guide.
There can be 2 immediate interpretation of this verse alone. One is regardless of which direction one chooses in line to turn to, God's voice will be there. The other interpretation is that God's voice will direct which way is the correct way regardless of whether we are turning right or left, or not sure of which way to go. The voice behind also means that he is always there supporting and we has to take the lead, take the initiative and be at the forefront of it.
When all the above promise are proclaimed and believed, in verse 22: Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, "Away with you!"
In NSAB version: And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, "Be gone!"
In NLT version: Then you will destroy all your silver idols and gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags. "Ugh!" you will say to them. "Begone!"
My initial understanding is the revealing of things unpure in one's life. But it is more than that. It is recognising them and start throwing them out of one's life. The idols in one's life, the images that one have place upon oneself, as they are trampled over once God reign in one's life. Thrown away after descrating them, and not re-using them again. For away they will leave and no expectation to return.
After taking away the idols of one's life, having a close relationship with the Holy spirit of guidance, there are even more exciting blessing coming along in which from v23-26, I at this moment only understand what does v23 means personally.
In v23: He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. (NIV)
The seeds that we sow, it depends a number of factor for it to grow. Firstly is the soil condition in which I will not elaborate here as it is well explained in the parable of the sower. The other is rain is need to provide water to the seed. Also water may in some case, be the activating component for the seed to start germinating. These seed may represent the seeds sow into people hearts. Not only after that, the food, the harvest after that will be plentiful and rich. Rich, perhaps in this case in in terms of the quality and re-emphasizing the quanitity of the harvest. The other view is the amount of food avaible to feed those who will in time feed on them. Not only the harvest is rich and plentiful, it is wide and far, just like the broad meadows. Clear pastures, clear view of the sun and the moon. Clear view of the horizon.
This passage is really the passage the so describe my life at that moment of time. Week 15 that I started to investigate into it. Just days after I decided and returned to church after 1 month of losing sight of my objective, burden by pain, failures and bondage, perhaps curses too. But now I can say one important thing, this verse is really true in my life and God is more real to me than before. He will fulfil promise and I begin to believe and be-living in his promise.
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