Banners, Trumpets, Repentance

  • June 20, 2022
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  • John Tillman

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 18.2b-3
2 … Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,
to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers.
3 All you people of the world,
you who live on the earth,
when a banner is raised on the mountains,
you will see it,
and when a trumpet sounds,
you will hear it. 

Luke 1.76-79
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; 
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation 
through the forgiveness of their sins, 
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, 
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 
79 to shine on those living in darkness 
and in the shadow of death, 
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Reflection: Banners, Trumpets, Repentance
By John Tillman

All nations will see God’s banner.
All people will hear God’s trumpet.

To us, a banner might seem festive. A trumpet might play a melody or a song. This is not Isaiah’s meaning. The “banner” is not about celebration but confrontation. It is a military symbol, a standard that would be borne into battle or before a king’s processional. It announces a conquering army, not a celebrative party. 

The trumpet denotes not the melodies of a tune but the movements of war. Trumpets of war signal attack. Trumpets preceded the tumbling of Jericho’s walls and Gideon’s triumph over the Midianites. Trumpets also signal coronations. Trumpets announce the enthronement of a new ultimate authority. The trumpet and banner mean that a battle has been won, a coronation is occurring, and a new king and his kingdom are being announced.

Zechariah saw in his son, John, a proclaimer of God’s coming kingdom. John’s banner had one word and his trumpet one note, “repent.” Whether kings, soldiers, tax collectors, or regular citizens, John told the powerful to stop abusing their power. (Luke 3.10-14) Ultimate power was coming and all would be called to submit to him—even John himself.

Isaiah saw victory in the future, and all people streaming to worship under the banner of God, the king of kings. People who were feared would peacefully worship God. People who were aggressive and violent would bring gifts to God’s temple. People of strange, intimidating speech would open their mouths in worship.

Before Christ conquers the world, we must allow him to conquer our hearts. May our walls crumble at his trumpet. May our kingdoms fall under his banner. May our aggression be turned to compassion and our violent speech to virtuous worship.

This is what we work towards. This coming kingdom that John announced, we still announce. Sometimes we do so with abounding hope. Other times, like John languishing in prison or Isaiah, disturbed by his visions, we may despair, wondering how far off this kingdom truly is. But even in doubt, Christ points us to his finished work. (Matthew 11.4-6) To John, he pointed out healings and signs but Jesus points us to his cross and the empty tomb.

May we, like John, point the powerful toward repentance.
May we lower our flags of allegiance under his banner of love.
May we declare the ultimate victory of Jesus, freeing all people from the kingdoms of sin and darkness.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Deliverance belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be upon your people! — Psalm 3.8

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 17-18 (Listen -3:44)
Luke 1,39-80 (Listen -9:26)

Read more about No Such Thing as God Forsaken
May we resist the urge to apply judgmental texts to others before we have humbly examined our own hearts.

No Such Thing as God Forsaken

Read more about Jesus with Axe and Fire
May we ask him regularly to cut down our idols. May he burn out of our souls impurity and selfish desires.

Jesus with Axe and Fire

Taunting Ourselves

  • June 17, 2022
  • /
  • John Tillman

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 14.3, 26-27
3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: 
How the oppressor has come to an end! 
How his fury has ended! 

26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; 
this is the hand stretched out over all nations. 
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? 
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? 

Reflection: Taunting Ourselves
By John Tillman

God promises those who suffer under oppression that one day he will turn the tables and they will taunt those who harmed them.

Isaiah’s taunts target specific oppressors such as Babylon, Assyria, and the Philistines. God expands these taunts to include the whole world—any nation who takes up the spirit of Babylon. There are still nations of this kind today and some of us may live in them. We should be careful not to take up Isaiah’s taunts too quickly—we may end up taunting ourselves.

Babylon considered itself the ultimate pinnacle of human achievement. They felt they deserved to wield ultimate power because of their ultimate enlightenment. They considered themselves the light of the world and a provider of peace. Babylonian exceptionalism was part of their core belief system.

Babylon’s utopian self-concept was a lie. Their definition of peace was murdering anyone who resited them. Their definition of achievement was enslaving the smartest people from other nations and re-educating them to serve the empire. Their definition of light was snuffing out the gods of other nations and absorbing them.

Babylon, in the Bible, is both a literal kingdom and a figurative representation of all human opposition to God. When God says, “I will wipe out Babylon’s name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,” he isn’t speaking literally of human offspring. He is speaking of nations who would follow the spirit of Babylon—those who succeed her, ascend her throne, and continue her prideful destruction of the weak. 

Babylon’s highest value is ultimate autonomy and unrestricted freedom—at least for the very, very powerful. Many pursue ultimate autonomy today as well. The dirty little secret of ultimate autonomy is that it only exists for those willing to take it by force or those privileged enough to have it handed to them.

The spirit of Babylon is not only adopted by nations or people groups. It is often adopted by individuals. Has any part of our heart been taken over by the spirit of Babylon?

Babylon disdains God’s demands for righteousness and justice.
Babylon rejects God’s definitions of sin and holiness.
Babylon honors the brutal and brutalizes the gentle.
Babylon protects the powerful rather than the weak. 
Babylon uses freedom to harm others.

One day we will taunt Babylon, but first we must come out from among her. Let us root out Babylon’s influences in our own lives and hearts.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
God is a righteous judge; God sits in judgment every day. — Psalm 7.12

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 14 (Listen -5:04)
Matthew 27 (Listen -8:45) 

This Weekend’s Readings
Isaiah 15 (Listen -1:34), Matthew 28 (Listen -2:39)
Isaiah 16 (Listen -2:32), Luke 1,1-38 (Listen -9:26)

Read more about Prepare for the End
Christians, just like the nation of Israel, can become complacent about the coming of judgment.

Prepare for the End

Read more about The Fall of a Superpower
When we read the oracles against other nations, it is easy to distance ourselves from them.

https://theparkforum.org/843-acres/the-fall-of-a-superpower

The Fall of a Superpower

  • June 16, 2022
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  • Erin Newton

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 13.6-8
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,
    every heart will melt with fear.
8 Terror will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame.

Reflection: The Fall of a Superpower
By Erin Newton

Babylon is one of those places you read about all the time in the Old Testament. It served as the locus for much of the ancient Mesopotamian world during the first and second millennia BCE. Because this important city was part of the empires which dominated Israel, “Babylon” was often used as a token word for all enemies of God.

Isaiah 13 opens a series of “Oracles against the Nations” which describe the coming judgment on the superpowers of the ancient world. Unsurprisingly, Babylon is listed first as it was the dominating nation during Isaiah’s prophetic ministry.

The imagery provides a vision of God’s coming judgment as an army marching upon the enemy. The language speaks more of the emotional response than the specific tactics. Babylon will be gripped with fear and terror. Pain and anguish will come upon this powerful nation. Babylon will be like a woman in labor. She will be unable to flee, caught between painful contractions and escalating agony. The people will look at one another perhaps as a plea for help, only to be met with the same look of fear in their neighbor’s face.

When we read the oracles against other nations, it is easy to distance ourselves from them. We are often tempted to identify with God’s chosen people, the favored character of the story. At times, this is beneficial. It can be a source of hope when the powers in our lives seek to destroy us.  

There is also the need to read these oracles and understand why Babylon was listed as an enemy. Babylon embraced idolatry and morality that was contrary to the law of God. While we often avoid reading ourselves into these texts, it’s important to realize we share in the same sinful nature and are at risk of adopting the practices of the world.  

Thankfully, we are reconciled to God through Christ and need not fear being the enemy of God. We know that we are secure from his wrath because Jesus has endured our judgment. These prophetic passages are a means of examining our lives, ensuring we do not follow the way of Babylon.

It also heralds the supremacy and sovereignty of God throughout the whole world. We are confident that God will judge the powers that seek to destroy our lives. “No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand.”

Music: “In Christ Alone” by Stuart Townend.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you; let me not be humiliated, nor let my enemies triumph over me. Let none who look to you be put to shame. — Psalm 25.1-2

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 13 (Listen -3:11)
Matthew 25 (Listen -10:01)

Read more about How to Read Prophetic Judgment
The best way to read prophecy is to imagine yourself not as the speaker, but as the spoken to.

How to Read Prophetic Judgment

Read more about Default Settings for Scripture
The “default settings” of our mindsets about scripture have a big effect on our ability to make use of them

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A King Unlike Any Other

  • June 15, 2022
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  • Erin Newton

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 11.3b-4a
3 … He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

Reflection: A King Unlike Any Other
By Erin Newton

Here in Texas, we love drought-resistant plants like lantana. Each winter, however, one must cut it down to the ground. All winter the tiny stump endures the harsh cold. By the look of it, this plant is dead. But without fail, each spring the tiniest of green leaves emerge. Within weeks, it returns to its former glory, full of flowers.

Isaiah prophesied about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. The city and the people were to be cut to the ground. The entire Davidic family tree would be felled by the invasion of the Assyrians and Babylonians. All that would remain of Israel was a stump. A signal of the end of growth. Not the uprooting of a weed that is tossed away and forgotten. A mournful sign for all to see.

Despite this dreadful warning of judgment, the prophet turns to deliver a message of hope. Growing out of death would be a sprig of life. From a stump would be a sprout of hope. But this new growth was different from the stump. Although the roots were the same, identified as the same type of tree, this shoot would bear fruit and reverse the world order.

The offshoot would function in a judicial way, the key role of an Israelite king. But the prophet points out this king would be unlike former kings. The Spirit of the Lord would rest upon him much like it did for David and Solomon, but the result would be a perfect system of justice. This king would not be swayed by popular opinion or persuasive orators.

In righteousness he would judge. The powerful would become weak. The lowly would be raised up in dignity. Isaiah describes the reversal of the animal kingdom too. The adversarial role of predator and prey is demolished. Like calves eating peacefully with cubs, so will all humanity embrace peace and equality.

This is the work of the Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace. Unlike Israel, waiting for the Spirit of God to return in salvation, we know that this prophecy of hope was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

This chapter and the song of praise that follows are opportunities for us to meditate on the drastic difference between Jesus and any leader we have ever known. Even with the Spirit upon the ancient kings, none could compare with Christ. Let us remember this as leaders today vie for our devotion.

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading
Jesus taught us, asking: “How can you believe, since you look to each other for glory and are not concerned with the glory that comes from the one God?” — John 5.44


Todays Readings
Isaiah 11-12. (Listen -2:39)
Matthew 25 (Listen -6:04) 

Read more about Hope In the Tree of the Cross
At the roots of the tree of the cross, we find healing, peace, and power. As we follow Christ, we will become like this tree.

Hope In the Tree of the Cross

Read more about Hope Amidst Destruction
Amidst crumbling moral foundations and corrupt spiritual leadership the Lord always reserves a remnant.

Hope Amidst Destruction

Clear the Old Growth

  • June 14, 2022
  • /
  • John Tillman

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 10.33-34
33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, 
will lop off the boughs with great power. 
The lofty trees will be felled, 
the tall ones will be brought low. 
34 He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; 
Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.

Matthew 3.10b
10b Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Reflection: Clear the Old Growth
By John Tillman

I worked, for a few weeks, as a lumber surveyor’s assistant in the piney woods of East Texas.

I would drive a stake in the ground and then plow as straight a path as possible along a compass heading, dragging a long, smooth strip of hard plastic, called a “chain.” I wasn’t to turn to the left or the right. Unless it was impossible, I had to push straight through brush, bushes, or thorns. 

The surveyor would step on the chain to stop me when the tape reached the stake. Then, I would drive another stake and wait. By tugging on the chain, he would signal me to continue straight or turn 90 degrees left or right. In this way, we marked off squares of wooded land, and calculated the value of its trees based on the ratio of “quality” trees to trees that were not useful or valuable.

In Macbeth, the wicked-hearted king is given a prophecy that he cannot be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Macbeth assumes he is invincible. For when does a wood travel?

Similarly, Assyria grew overconfident. Sennacherib knew God’s word well enough to twist its meaning in his threats to Jerusalem, yet he had no respect for God. He thought he was a god and all other gods were idols. He expected to overwhelm Jerusalem as easily as Samaria. Sennacherib’s army was an impossible, forest-like foe, covering the ground and overwhelming the land. 

The foes we face don’t determine our fate. Like Hezekiah, we can turn them over to God. Isaiah promised that the Assyrian army would be cut down in a day. The “lofty” and “tall” trees would fall before God’s ax. 

In the ancient near east, trees were valuable and important—especially the highly valued cedars of Lebanon. Yet no earthly value or importance will stop God’s judgment. God’s ax “is already at the root of the trees.” (Matthew 3.10)

Instead of focusing on outward enemies we have little control over, let us survey our inner forest and the foes we find there. With sober judgment, let us clear the old growth, turning neither to the left nor the right, cutting down pride, selfishness, hatred, fear, greed, and lusts so that better fruits may flourish in the forests of our hearts. 

“Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our god. — Psalm 92.12

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 10.5-34 (Listen – 5:13)
Matthew 24 (Listen – 5:59)

Read more about Uprooting and Replanting
People uproot thornbushes and burn them. Then they plant fruitful vines in their place.

Uprooting and Replanting

Read more about The Ever-Patient Agriculturalist
God wants to give us every opportunity to flourish. We, however, can put a halt to his husbandry…uproot in our hearts what he plants…

The Ever-Patient Agriculturalist