Isaiah 48:12-22 If Only
God speaks to Judah before they are taken captive. He made the heavens and the earth. If only Israel and Judah had listened, their lives would have been VERY different.
Our reading again turns to God proclaiming who He is and His authority to do what is to come. HE made the heavens and the earth. HE speaks of what is to come AND IT HAPPENS. HE birthed Israel and cared for her as His child. HE created the conqueror and the redeemer for Judah’s upcoming lesson. He wants His people to KNOW this; to remember that HE is in charge.
Then God takes Judah to the “if only” phase. If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Things would have been SO MUCH BETTER. You would have had peace. Your would have had righteousness untold. You would have had so many children that they couldn’t be numbered. And they would have prospered and been safe from destruction.
The consequences of being on the wrong side of the “if only” equation is what is waiting for Judah. The exact opposite of what could have been. There is no peace in Judah. She is under attack by one faction or another. What children she has are starving. What Judah had was given as an appeasement to try and prevent her demise. Granted, there are times when things are better, but overall, Judah and Israel aren’t even half of what they could have been; if only they had listened.
God completely skips over the conquering events and the season of slavery. He goes straight to the release. He tells His people that HE redeemed His servant Jacob. Not once, but many times over their history. Why God chose to focus on the times He sent water from the rock is a mystery to me. God sent them help every day in the form of mana from His own table. But the water is where He focuses. Is it because it wasn’t an every day occurrence that He chose this example? Maybe it is because it is such an AMAZING concept and visual. From this single verse, He draws us a picture of the water spewing from the rock. Something WE cannot do even now. One single blow upon the rock and water spewed out of the rock. Not a trickle or even a bucket full but enough to water EVERY animal in the herds and provide drinking water for ALL the people. I wonder if the streams stopped flowing after Israel move on in her journey.
Reminding Judah, in advance, of His miracles with Israel in the beginning gives them hope for their future. After the “if only” phase He could have highlighted the bad things to come. He didn’t, as we saw before. What He did do is leave them with this thought. “’There is NO peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked’” (verse 22). In other words, straighten up your act so I can bless you with peace. Make sure when you come out of captivity that you have learned something from it. STOP the wickedness and I WILL bless you with peace.
If we fail to learn from our lessons, we are bound to repeat them. I, for one, do NOT want to go back and visit the hard places. I want to carry the understanding and change from the lessons with me the rest of my life. I will NOT judge Israel and say that their conquest by the Romans or even their treatment by the Nazis were a repeat of the lesson they are warming up to here in Isaiah. I don’t know the mind of God or the hearts of His chosen people. What I will say is that they are still not having peace. There have been seasons of peace but none have lasted very long. But God is NOT done with them yet. And He’s not done with me either! I am more than certain that I still have lessons waiting in my future.
Father God, thank You for providing release/redemption from all the messes that I get into. Thank You for ALL the lessons along the way. NONE of them were (are) fun but they let me KNOW that I matter to You. You don’t discipline those who You don’t love. I am WELL loved!
I wonder what “if only” times You would have for me. I have a feeling that I wouldn’t be the same person I am today without those lessens along the way. And You KNEW that too!!!
