The Park Forum

Links for today’s readings:

Jul 23  Read: Isaiah 52 Listen: (2:46) Read: Psalm 119.73-96 Listen: (15:14)

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 52.1-2

Reflection: Awake, Awake! Amaze, Amaze!

By John Tillman

“Amaze! Amaze!” entered the cultural zeitgeist from the film Hail Mary Project. Perhaps it will stick around. I hope it does.

In the film and book, a human scientist, named Grace, is on a desperate “Hail Mary” space mission to save Earth from a deadly disaster. At his destination, Grace meets a rock-like alien, sent from his planet to solve the same problem. They work out a rudimentary translation system to communicate, work together, and save both their planets.

Grace names the alien “Rocky,” for obvious reasons. Rocky’s limited number of words in the computer translation program don’t seem to include adjectival present participles, like “amazing.” This is why Rocky shouts the verb, “amaze” repeatedly at moments of joy and discovery. And honestly, isn’t “Amaze, amaze!” objectively better than “amazing”?

Like Rocky, biblical Hebrew repeats words for emphasis. Most English translations rephrase them. For example, in Isaiah 26.3, the literal translation would be “peace, peace,” but to capture the intended emphasis, most translations say “perfect peace.” But here, in Isaiah 51.9 and 17, and in 52.1, the literal translation of “Awake, awake” preserves the poetic emphasis of the original.

The first “awake, awake,” is a cry to God, to arise and save Israel as in former times. The second cry is to Jerusalem, drunk and collapsed from God’s cup of judgment. The third is to Zion and encourages her to rise up from her suffering and enslavement to be what God calls her to be. On her own, she fell into shame and defilement. But God offers salvation. In his power, she need not stay down. She can awake.

She is captive but can break the chain from her neck. She is disheveled but can clean herself off. She is naked but can clothe herself in royal garments. She is powerless but can sit on the throne God provides.

This message is also for us. God says to us, “Awake, awake!” The grace of Jesus saves us from deadly disaster. We can be set free, washed clean, clothed in righteousness, and commissioned to his purpose. (John 8.36; Titus 3.5; Gal 3.27; Acts 1.8)

Salvation comes to us in a moment, but awaking to its full meaning is a process we participate in. How awake are you? If you are awake, are you rising up? Are you liberated? Cleansed? Empowered? God says to us, “Awake! Awake!.” Say back to him, “Amaze! Amaze!”

Divine Hours Prayer: The Morning Psalm

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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Links for today’s readings:

Jul 22  Read: Isaiah 51 Listen: (4:35) Read: Psalm 119.49-72 Listen: (15:14)

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 51:21-23

21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted one,
    made drunk, but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
    your God, who defends his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
    the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
    you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
    who said to you,
    ‘Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
    like a street to be walked on.”

Reflection: Pushovers

By Erin Newton

Songwriters, like poets, have the ability to capture human emotions and bring them to life in new and memorable ways. As heartbreak and being wronged are common mortal ailments, songs that express pain or outrage are some of the greatest bops of all time.

Take for example, the formerly viral song by Gotye, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” the artist belts out:

Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I’d done
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know

Or take the classic by Nancy Sinatra, “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” when she learns of the infidelity of her lover, she taunts:

These boots are made for walkin’
And that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you

The raw emotions portrayed are those of pain and anger. But they’re often the emotions of someone who has already processed the pain, gained a sense of self and regained power to some extent. They find a way out of that former abuse or neglect and they stride out the door to freedom. 

Israel had gotten into bed with other lovers, so to speak. The prophet Hosea gives a vivid picture of how the nation traded loyalty to God for the pleasures of another kingdom. In Isaiah 51, the chapter ends with a stark picture of Israel’s situation. She lay on the ground as her tormentors walked right over her.

In much of the Old Testament, God’s people (collectively and individually) have gotten themselves into such predicaments. But despite their shortcomings, God sees how they’ve been a pushover, weak, and powerless.

We have a term for an easy victory—a walkover. We refer to people who are easily pushed into doing things they might not really want to do—they are walked all over by the aggressor. 

But God has compassion. God promises to reverse the situation, granting power to the powerless and bringing down the haughty. There is a sort of hope in Isaiah that God’s people would gain strength of character and boldness in piety, so much so that they will shake off the shackles of their tormentors. 

Do you find yourself walked over by a friend, family member, abusive partner, or members of an organization? God, the slayer of dragons, will hear you and restore your dignity.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

You are my helper and deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry. — Psalm 70.6

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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Links for today’s readings:

Jul 21  Read: Isaiah 50 Listen: (2:09) Read: Psalm 119.25-48 Listen: (15:14)

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 50.4-10

Reflection: How Did He Do It?

By John Tillman

How did Jesus do it?

How did he set aside his divinity and glory to live in flesh and struggle? How did he obey perfectly while experiencing the same temptations every human faces? How did he follow the Father’s will completely while still having a human mind? How did he worship in a corrupted temple and synagogue system? 

But most of all, how did he endure the cross? How did he face the suffering? The torture? The shaming? The taunting? The physical pain and struggle? And death itself? How did he do it?

Isaiah’s servant psalms are ultimately, and most importantly, about Jesus. Isaiah paints many pictures that match up with, and were fulfilled by, Jesus’ life and sufferings. But Isaiah does more than tell us that Jesus would have his beard torn out, or his back beaten, or that he would be mocked and spit upon and pierced for our transgressions. Isaiah shows us not just the physical treatment Jesus would face, but a picture of his inner life that connected him to the Father and made it possible for him to endure.

Isaiah shows us how Jesus did it. And Jesus shows us how we can do it.

Jesus had a rich and satisfying inner life with God through scripture and prayer. He woke “morning by morning” listening. God opened his ears, gave him a “well-instructed tongue,” and taught him words that “sustain the weary.” Jesus felt God near to vindicate and help him.

Jesus’ humanity required him to eat food, drink water, and sleep. It also required him to partake of God’s words, drink in his Spirit, and dream the dreams and purposes of God. Because he did this, Jesus was able to set his face “like flint” toward Jerusalem and his suffering.

Oh, that this would be true of us! That our tongues (and typing fingers) would be well-instructed! That our mind would wake to the Spirit’s whispering! That our ears would be tuned to his melodies! That our faces would be set like flint against trouble, knowing his flint-like face stands beside us!

We have crosses to carry both now and in the future. This is how we do it—imitate Jesus. Pray we never face the physical sufferings Jesus did. But by following his life-giving, scripture devouring, Spirit empowering, pattern of connecting to God, we can do whatever Jesus calls us to.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Small Verse

The earth is the Lord’s and all the fullness thereof, the world and we who dwell within. Thanks be to God — Traditional

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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Links for today’s readings:

Jul 20  Read: Isaiah 49 Listen: (4:55) Read: Psalm 119.1-24 Listen: (15:14)

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 49.2-3, 6

2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, 
in the shadow of his hand he hid me; 
he made me into a polished arrow 
and concealed me in his quiver. 
3 He said to me, “You are my servant, 
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” 
6 he says: 
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant 
to restore the tribes of Jacob 
and bring back those of Israel I have kept. 
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, 
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Reflection: Secret Weapons

By John Tillman

In the Marvel universe, Hawkeye, the archer, doesn’t have enhanced strength, speed, or other “super” abilities but he does have some pretty “super” arrows. Some arrowheads explode, deliver electric shocks, or even hack into computers. When Hawkeye draws an arrow, you never know what might happen when he looses it.

In the Bible, archery symbolized a king’s strength. A broken bow meant the king, and usually the kingdom, was doomed (Hos 1.5). Job complained that God “unstrung” his bow, disarming and humiliating him (Job 30.11). When David mourned Jonathan’s death with the “Lament of the Bow,” he wasn’t mourning a literal weapon (2 Sam 1.17-27). He was mourning the defeat of Israel’s entire army, including Saul’s and Jonathan’s deaths.

God’s strength is often visualized as weaponry. Arrows display God’s power, defeat enemies, punish the wicked, and bring justice and judgment to the earth. God has piercing arrows, flaming arrows, and lightning arrows. He has arrows that cause floods and arrows that cause famine. (Ps 7.12-13, 64.7; Hab 3.9; Lam 3.12; Deut 32.23, 42; Eze 5.16). When God draws an arrow, you never know what might happen when he looses it.

God’s servant in Isaiah is described as a sword, hidden in God’s hand, and a specially formed arrow, concealed in his quiver. When revealed, this secret weapon displays God’s splendor.

Like most biblical prophecy, Isaiah’s servant psalms have multiple, layered meanings. However, New Testament authors recognized that they point ultimately, and most importantly, to Jesus (Luke 2.32; Acts 13.47, 26.23).

Like a secret weapon, Jesus was revealed at just the right time (Romans 5.6), to accomplish an unexpected purpose and display God’s splendor. Saving Israel was “too small of a thing” for Jesus. He was drawn from God’s quiver to draw humanity to himself. He was shot like an arrow, not to pierce with punishment but to be pierced in our place (Isaiah 53.4-6). Instead of killing sinners, he killed sin. Instead of sending enemies to death, he died for the unrighteous (1 Pet 3.18).

The time for concealment is over. The gospel, once a great mystery, is no longer a secret (Rom 16.25-27; 1 Cor 2.7-8; Eph 3:4-6). We, as the body of Christ, are God’s servant, his not-so-secret weapon. Remember, arrows have little strength on their own. The power comes from the bow. As God’s arrows, we are shaped and shot by God’s power, not our own.

Let God shape you as Jesus was shaped, not into weapons of harm, but healing, not hate but love, not lies but truth. Then he will loose you into the world to reveal the splendor of the gospel.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Let them know that this is your hand, that you, O Lord, have done it. — Psalm 109.26

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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