Is. 6: Isaiah's Calling

Isaiah 6:9 "He said, "Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'"

Isaiah has this vision. He wasn't yet a prophet, but its likely he was a student of the word of God. He knew that seeing God was lethal, and his fear reveals it. He was terrified. It's really a strange scene...seraphs were flying above him, and they were chanting "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." Why earth? Anyway, they were loud, and their voices shook the temple, filling it with smoke.

They each had six wings, two covering their faces, two covering their feet, and with two they were flying. Even they had to cover their faces, in spite of being in the throne room of God. There was an altar there, and one of the seraphs took a live coal and touched it to Isaiah's lips after he freaked out. This touching of the coal to the lips served to cleanse Isaiah of guilt and sin, and he could stand before God.

God calls out and asks, "Who will go for us?" I don't know if there were others there, but I don't think so, it was Isaiah's vision. Isaiah volunteers for what he must have known was going to be an extremely unpopular job.

God gives a command to Isaiah in verse 9, a rather cryptic one. Be hearing, but never understanding; be seeing but never perceiving. Why would God want that callousness of heart? Because he needed to discipline them and discipline them good? If Israel turns and is healed, maybe they wouldn't get it, and they would only make these "deathbed confessions" under the threat of devastation. God didn't want that from his people all the time, that's not sincerity. That's not the change of heart God is after. And I don't know how Isaiah himself was going to make people's hearts calloused...maybe he was supposed to play "bad cop." I don't think he had the power God did when he hardened the Pharaoh's heart. So Isaiah had to keep this up until Israel was totally devastated.

Is. 5: Judgments

Isaiah 5:4 "What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?"

The first 7 verses of chapter 5 are a parable of a vineyard, echoing the previous book, Song of Solomon. Isaiah describes the building and purposeful care that goes into putting together a vineyard. A vineyard full of the choicest of vines that will serve it's planter. He cleared out the stones, put up a hedge of protection, and cut in a winepress. It was a thing of beauty. He then checked for good fruit, but instead got bad.

I think a passage like this can serve to explain that question "If God is so good, why is there sin?" or "If God is so good, why do bad things happen?" See the vineyard. God did everything to give what he cultivated a chance to succeed. The yield was bad fruit. He did everything but live the lives of the people (the choicest vines, mind you).

Because of this bad fruit, why put effort into protecting it, especially when you were bound to keeping a covenant? The people knew what would happen if they forsook the covenant. He will make it a wasteland...sound familiar?

Then we get to woes and judgments. Wealth was no shelter from the coming discipline. Even if you had large homes and vineyards, it would come to nothing.

If you waste a lot of time partying, and being inflamed with wine, you won't take time for real fulfilling things, learning the ways of the LORD, which will ultimately lead to your preservation and sustenance.

Woe to those whose work is sin, and work at sin.

Verse 19 is interesting. If you demand God hurry up and show you his plan, a God who isn't inside the passing of time, that is woeful. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to know what God is doing, but making demands on him from your side of perfection is probably not useful.

Israel's demise will be a beacon to other nations. They won't just ignore Israel, they will come and dance on her ruins. Awesome.

Is. 4: The Branch of the LORD

Isaiah 4:5 "Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy."

Continuing on this theme of dirty women, it seems like seven of them (large numbers) will confront one man and demand that he make them legitimate...I suppose to give them children. Seems like not a bad deal if you were a man, except you'd be furthering yourself (and the women) from God, and intensifying God's anger. Bad times.

I think the branch of the LORD is his protection over those who chose to keep the covenant with Him. Can you imagine how hard it must have been while the rest of their society crumbled? You would begin to wonder what the point was. Why bother following God if it doesn't matter? But the message here is that they will be protected. They will survive this trial by fire, this scrubbing clean of the filth that encrusted Israel like dust and hair on a hot dog that fell behind the refrigerator 8 and a half months ago. He'll clean up, and he will bring back that pillar of fire and clouds that he used to lead Israel through the promised land. And he will protect his people again.

Smile!

Is. 3: Judging Jerusalem

Isaiah 3:8 "Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence."

This was written in a time before Israel was taken into exile, so the prophecies in Isaiah 3 come true just as they were written. Even though Isaiah was used by God during a time where Judah had relatively good kings, the people were still scumbags. There was a long engrained tradition of evil that was marring the nation. And the truth is, Isaiah probably could have seen this coming without divine revelation from God.

Those who were meant to be subservient will be equal and in charge, oppressive. Those who were leaders, who led the army, who guided the nation will be vacated and useless. Their sin is flaunted without any sense of wrong, and the comparison to Sodom is made again. It was a pretty wicked place to live. I assume Isaiah was not very popular in his day. Who wants to hear how awful he is, and as a result how terrible life is going to be?

The women were just as bad as the men. Just because their status in society was second to men, it doesn't mean they were able to hide in their sin. They were pretty lascivious, using their bodies for sin, and to bring others down in sin. But as much as they attempted to pretty themselves up, God was going to strike them bald, and they'd be dressing in sackcloth.

What's worse, their military, blessed by God for a sincere purpose would be rendered useless, and they would be slaughtered on the battlefield.

Is. 2: Day of Exaltation

Isaiah 2:11 "The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. "

Couple things.

I'm not exactly sure what is meant by "the last days," but apparently this is going to be among the final things that happens on earth, at the end of time. God will establish this "Mountain." The language here points to this mountain being a person. He will be "chief among mountains," which leads me to believe he will be exalted above men. He will be the final say on things, as all nations will stream to it. Quite a guy. He will be a descendant of Jacob, according to the text. He will also send out the law, he will be the final answer on all things. Additionally, he will usher in peace, as people will beat their swords into plows, spears into pruning hooks, etc. Nations will no longer have to fight each other over land and old scores if they all trust the final judge.

The second section of Isaiah two deals with why God abandoned Israel. They completely deserved it. They broke just about every command they were given, but it seems like it all comes down to pride. They destroyed themselves because they thought they were so smart. They created their own idols, and brought the wrath of God down. Now they have no where to run. Just as there is no place to hide from God's love, there is no place to hide from his anger. Everything they build up in their own arrogance will be destroyed, and God will be magnified.

Is. 1: Israel in Rebellion

Isaiah 1:21 "See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her—but now murderers!"

Isaiah was the prophet in office during the reigns of Judah's Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. 3 out of the four were relatively good men, and wise rulers, Ahaz being the scumbag of the bunch.

Israel has been doing wrong, and Isaiah points it out with very vivid language. I imagine him being very upset, yelling and causing a scene. He compares Israel to Sodom and Gomorrah, the utmost example of depravity and sin. Can you imagine fancying yourself as God almighty's chosen people, His partner in covenant, and then hearing Isaiah say this about you?

God didn't even want anything to do with their supposed acts of righteousness, their sacrifices and their feasts. These events were created with very specific purposes, among those being God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt and from famine. Yet Israel went through the motions, on autopilot, not truly knowing why they were doing what they were doing. God, who was after a person's heart and soul, instead got a burning carcass. And he had plenty of those, and was in need of none (v. 11). Not only was this meaningless to God, it was a giant step further...it was detestable...the worst kind of sin.

God did not want their self-righteous acts, undertaken with the wrong attitude. He wanted true righteousness and devotion from Israel, who prostituted themselves to other gods, violating God's command to serve no other god but Him.

Israel had become that fool described in Proverbs...beaten every time they open their mouth, but they never learn.

Their silver became dross, what was purged from the silver. There was no longer any part of value...they were total rubbish.

So what is Israel to do? Isaiah admonishes them to make themselves clean, to repent and turn whole-heartedly back to the LORD. The deal is that they will be made white as snow. They will be purified from their sins. Where there was crimson, there will be wool.

God makes it pretty clear what will happen either way. If Israel repents, they will be restored to greatness, to righteousness. If not, they will be crushed and beaten. They will burn. Let's see...

SS 8: Let's Make Love

Song of Solomon 8:14 "Come away, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice-laden mountains."

The language here is spicy, like the wine she gives her lover to drink. Although I'm sure it had nothing to do with fruit. If I had to guess, we're talking about the embrace, the act of love. Enjoying it, imbibing in it. Under the apple tree, the same way Solomon's mother Bathsheba conceived him.

Like a seal over his heart, she wants to be his one and only. She wants his devotion, in spite of all the women available to him.

The friends here apparently have a young sister, and she's not yet ready for marriage. She stands in need of the protection. Not like our girl here. Her breasts are fully grown. They are towers. And hey, this is something Solomon definitely noticed. Nothing wrong with that. Solomon's a boob-man. Those two fawns, twins of a gazelle are a thing of beauty.

I don't think verse 14 has anything to do with exploring the countryside. Remember the spice laden mountains? Yeah. They're making love. And I wonder why this subject is taboo in the church. How many sermons on Song of Solomon 8 have you heard? This reflects a God who has created human bodies to be enjoyed be the other's lover. God created and encourages physical enjoyment, physical love...as a part of the whole package, and between two committed people who have one and only one.

SS 7: They're In Love

Song of Solomon 7:10 "I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me."

A continued physical description. And a part of me wants to say, "Hold on a minute." Sure she's beautiful, but as Solomon said himself, beauty and charm are fleeting. Where's he going to be when they're both 80 years old? But this, Song of Solomon, isn't about that. When you write a love poem about someone, why bring that up? You want to focus on what draws you to someone in the first place. Song of Solomon doesn't need to be like Warren Barfield's "Love is Not a Fight." Both concepts work beautifully on their own.

This love is true, and they want to be in love with each other everywhere. They want to experience each other, to make love to each other. To experience the beauty of life with each other. And mandrakes. Which were believed to be an aphrodisiac, and improved conception. This wasn't a one-night stand. They wanted children. It was forever.

SS 6: She's Special

Song of Solomon 6:3 "I am my lover's and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies."

This is a couple that has given themselves completely over to the other. What a concept. And since she is the lily among the thorns, I read this as him looking her over, loving her. His one lily. He describes the large numbers of women available to him, but this, this one girl who tends a vineyard, an inauspicious peasant girl, this is the one he wants to be with, and devote his time and energy to. That seems like quite the measure of devotion on his part.

Every part of her body is beautiful to him. What a lovely way to describe the physical attraction of your loved one.

SS 5: He Gone.

Song of Solomon 5:9 "How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others, that you charge us so?"

So she dreams of her lover, and he comes to the door knocking. The way the girl describes it is that she had just bathed, and was rushing to the door. She wasn't ready for him. So he leaves. Not sure why. She gets "decent" and rushes to the city, looking for him. Instead of helping her, the watchmen, the people she supposedly was to trust, instead beat her and insulted her. This made her long for her lover even more.

She is asked, what makes this guy so special that you'd want us to relay a message to him?

Well, he's good looking. Firm, strong. Everything about the guy is perfect. Gold, chrysolite, ivory, sapphire, mounted jewels, beds of spice...these are the words that describe what makes him up. Her lover, her friend.

SS 4: Ode to Her Body

Song of Solomon 4:16 "Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits."

King Solomon writes a tribute to his lover's body...her assets, as it were. And why not? She sounds like a total babe. This is a pretty explicit love song. He describes her features as things that were important or had some symbolism to his people, the Israelites at the time. Doves, a flock of goats, Mount Gilead. A flock of sheep, a scarlet ribbon (Judah's sons, the tabernacle). Her neck is the tower of David, her breasts are like two fawns.

She has no flaw. And he wants to take her everywhere. And she smells nice, which is a bonus.

Use your imagination as to what verse 16 means.

SS 3: Here Comes Solomon

Song of Solomon 3:5 "Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires."

Written from the perspective of the young woman, she awakens, wondering where her man is, and she goes out to search for him. She has to ask the watchmen, "Where is Solomon?" This love is so true and important that she offers advice to other young women. Be careful with love, because it can be so overpowering if you aren't ready for it.

Finally, Solomon returns on a carriage (that he made with his own hands, he's so hardcore) from battle (so hardcore). She wants everyone to know that his sword is combat scarred and that he built this carriage himself from the finest materials. The man has a tight whip.

SS 2: Lilies and Gazelles

Song of Solomon 2:3 "Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste."

Both the man and woman agree that the woman is like a lily of the valley, a rose of Sharon. The rose of Sharon is described as a kind of crocus. Well, crocuses are pretty. And it's nice when two people are in agreement. And that she is a lily among thorns...he wants nothing to do with any other woman. They are thorns.

The apple tree analogy is interesting. She delights in all parts of the apple tree. The shade, the fruit...etc. The only way to be satisfied is with the fruit. His fruit. She is weak from love, and the only way to give her strength is his love.

He's a stud, he's like a gazelle leaping over hills and all that, so he keeps himself in good shape and commands a lot of power and respect.

The time without his love is like winter - cold, grey. But now that love has come, it's springtime. All is made new, new life has begun.

The foxes bit seems like they want to remove any distraction or stumbling point in their love. They don't want their vineyard ruined.

SS 1: We Meet the Couple

Song of Solomon 1:2 "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine. "

Song of Solomon is underway. The love book. The book you should read if you are trying to hook up with someone of the opposite sex, or a king or a vineyard girl.

The language is pretty intense here, not bothering to hide or use euphemisms. He is a king in search of true love. She is a laborer who tends her brothers' vineyards. Not exactly a match made in heaven at first sight. And she, though she is falling in love with the king, appears to be very self conscious of her dark skin. This is a characteristic presumably not congruent with the typical royal woman of the king's court. He wouldn't typically want someone from the laboring class. But it didn't matter. She's beautiful, and is speaking to him as though she sincerely wants to be with him, and not just because he is royalty.

Sweeter than perfume, more delightful than wine, this is the language used by the two to describe how they feel about the other. He doesn't try to mask that he is drawn by her beauty. But it isn't like, "Yo, you're hot, lets get in bed." He offers descriptions with specific examples: a mare in Pharaoh's chariot squad. He is a cluster of henna blossoms. Her eyes are like doves.

Then he describes their house, cedar and firs. They don't live in some ghetto mud hut or a tent.

Ecc. 12: Remember God's Commands

Ecclesiastes 12:13 "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

Ecclesiastes, despite being hopelessly cynical in tone at times, wraps up with a command we've heard numerous times. "Fear God and keep his commandments." That is the source of true joy and happiness and fulfillment in a meaningless existence under the sun. God has given life for a meaning, and Ecclesiastes is all about perspective. What a joyless hopeless existence if this is all there is, if this is our one go round and there is nothing beyond.

The word of God is the fixed point.

Ecc. 11: Go Live

Ecclesiastes 11:5 "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. "

Cast your bread upon the waters, Ecclesiastes 11 says. Go, take risks, don't concern yourself with whether it is the right time or not to take a chance, because there is a time for everything. If you wait until the right time, when the wind isn't blowing, you'll never accomplish anything. For a personal example, I wanted to wait until I could better afford to have kids, and then a brother-in-law told me if I wait for that, it will never happen, and he was right. My daughter is now about 3 and 1/2 months old. I still can't afford her, but I would in poverty without her.

You never know which actions you take will be successful, but none will be if you don't take action.

Enjoy your life, do your thing, but remember God sees all and will sit in final judgment of you.

I think a person can really be happy when they keep in mind which things are meaningless, the things that are temporary and under the sun. God intends enjoyment, and I think Ecclesiastes has commanded the reader to take an eternal view of existence.

Ecc. 10: Fulers

Ecclesiastes 10:3 "Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is."

Even light foolishness denigrates solid wisdom.

I don't know how or why wisdom goes to the right and foolishness to the left. I'll leave political commentary out of it.

Rulers can put whoever they want in charge, and occasionally, they install fools. That happens, and Solomon describes it as an evil. People often occupy positions they have no business occupying. That's just the way it is.

If you dig a pit, you may fall into it...sometimes we fall victim to our own schemes.

Be careful what you say about someone...little birdies are everywhere.

Ecc. 9: Destiny

Ecclesiastes 9:9 "Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun."

I had this verse read as the scripture for my wedding. I know. It's a little out there. But I wanted something personal, more intensely pointed than 1 Corinthians' love chapter. (I know, that's intensely pointed too, but cliche at weddings). But the challenge is to forget about all the mindless striving and live my little life, enjoy my wife, and my time under the sun. Realize and own the idea that this isn't all there is, and that the pursuit of treasures under the sun is vanity. Loving my wife is not.

The grander point is that we all have a common destiny, and that is to return to the ground from which we came. Whether we were righteous or wicked, wise or fools. Death awaits us all, and then the unknown beyond. The difference in the righteous is that they have a certainty in the unknown. Which seems like a paradox, huh?

Man can strive and train and prepare and boast, but when it all comes down, God controls the outcome.

As for words, wisdom outruns volume, and it's not even close.

Ecc. 8: I Deserve?

Ecclesiastes 8:8 "No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it."

The king is in authority, and his word is supreme. Who are you to tell him what to do, or question his motives? The king has the power to make decrees and commands, and will spare those who obey him and keep his laws.

I suppose what I get here is that true power is not in any man's hands. What we do have, however, is the illusion of power. Of course we can't contain the wind, and a man can't add any days to his life, or predict when his life will actually end. Can you imagine what life would be like, or how it would be different if you could pinpoint the exact moment you would die? Would you take chances? Would you be a different person?

Another important part of verse 8 is the realization that wickedness is a force at war, who does not discharge anyone who practices it. Wickedness needs all the people it can get, as it is in a mortal war with righteousness. Wickedness does not just cease in a person, a person has to leave it, or be rescued from it.

Wicked people with long lives will be uneasy all their life. Not so for the righteous, when wicked people live long, there is less discomfort with it, because they trust God's judgment, as odd or confusing as it may be at the time. Vanity. Meaningless.

Additionally, the wicked will get what the righteous deserve, and the righteous will get what the wicked deserve. This is just the way it happens. This seems to show God as a person who cares not for what people deserve. As it happens, every person is fallen, a sinner, has rejected God and deserves death. But he heaps favor and riches on whoever he wants, regardless of whether or not that person deserves it.

Ecc. 7: The Gravity of Life

Ecclesiastes 7:13 "Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?"

This is a pretty serious chapter. The Choir have a pretty incredible song that kind of made me wonder, but as I read Ecclesiastes 7 for the first time in my life, it became clear because of it's context.



When you read something like the day of death being better than the day of birth, and that a sad face is good for the heart, that sorrow is better than laughter, what comes to mind? What is your first instinct? In my case it was a bit of incredulity. I had the consider it. I wondered if Solomon (presumably) was referring to an afterlife, and the departure of a meaningless world under the sun, with the hope of entering God's presence. I think more than that, it is a grim reminder not to forget that life is temporary. Remember the sad times, for balance, for a greater sense of joy in the good times, and hope. I think a good answer or elaboration can be found in verse 14. God creates the good and bad times.

To be quickly provoked is meaningless foolishness. Why get so angry? Why let emotion get the better of you?

God's methods and intentions are inscrutable. When God zigs when we zag, or he's crooked when we expect a straight line, its not...normal. It's unexpected. It's incredible. We don't know why he does these things, and can only count on his promise that he has our best interests in mind. Its confusing, and upsetting. Our minds are crammed in this compartment of a limited understanding of an omnipotent, eternally-wise God. Why bother attempting to figure it out? Maybe our feeble brains derive some sort of legitimacy in the attempt to connect impossibly far-flung dots or impossible combinations of possible outcomes to our perceived suffering.

There is no one on earth not culpable for sin. (V. 20) God started making man upright, but, like Adam, man searched for other schemes.

Good practical advice...don't worry about catching everything someone says about you. Someone's bound to badmouth you whether you deserve it or not. Do you always keep things to yourself?

Is the voice of a jilted lover writing verse 28? Not one upright woman in a thousand? Srsly? Maybe he is looking in the wrong thousand? Solomon had his problems with women, to be sure, and it cost him a lot.