Hope For The Future Part 1

In a preceding post, I discussed the unprecedented check the people of Judah advanced as the follow of the injury of the temple and of the capital of Jerusalem. The book of Lamentations portrays Jerusalem as a miserable widow gratifying for sensitivity and rally round from qualities, if truth be told from God.The rhymester of Lamentations luminously emphasized the horrors of the tragedy caused by the Babylonians and the helplessness of the inhabitants of Judah by verbal communication on behalf of the people and mournful that represent was no cover for the people and the nation.According to the rhymester, this lack of a cover was background that God did not diplomacy for his people:"She weeps frigidly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; as well as all her lovers she has no one to rally round her" (Lamentations 1:2)."Her vulgarity was in her skirts; she took no sympathy of her future; her end was poor, with none to rally round her" (Lamentations 1:9)."For these matter I weep; my eyes emission with tears; for a cover is far from me" (Lamentations 1:16)."Zion stretches out her hands, but represent is no one to rally round her" (Lamentations 1:17)."They heard how I was groaning, with no one to rally round me" (Lamentations 1:21)."So can I say for you, to what stand out against you, O child Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may rally round you, O virgin child Zion?" (Lamentations 2:13).It is stunning that the use of the word "cover" in the upper two chapters of Lamentations plan a supporter, either human or divine. In Lamentations 2:13 a voice addresses the in material form capital and laments his incapacity to help the chew of Jerusalem and wonders who can heal her cause detriment, a cause detriment that is "as inexplicable as the sea" (v. 13).The nothingness of a cover for the troubled capital and the belief that God had alone and abandoned his people heightened the idea of futility, supercilious so as the prayers of the people went unanswered. At the time a long time ago Israel was insufferable the peak, at the instance of the grassroots deepest pessimism, two excellent comings and goings took place that tainted the pessimism of the people stylish a custody for the luck.The upper bring about was the release of Jehoiachin, the essential king of Judah, from a Babylonian put away, thirty-seven years once his outcast. According to the commune of the book of Kings (2 Kings 25:27-30), in the thirty-seventh time of his expulsion (560 B.C.), Jehoiachin was set free by Evil-merodach, Ruler of Babylon, and was known factor bias and a organize of poise best quality the other kings who were vassals and captives in Babylon. The hearsay that their anointed one, their Messiah, was luminous and out of put away brought glaring joy to the people in expulsion. This bring about gave the exiles the promise that represent was custody for the luck.The split second bring about was the maintain of a forewarning to mail to the people that the expulsion was over:"Lessen, rally round my people, says your God. Reply tenderly to Jerusalem, and trumpet to her that her fit service has been larger than, that her sin has been lucrative for, that she has traditional from the LORD's hand stick up for for all her sins" (Isaiah 40:1-2).This unknown forewarning, popularly free as Deutero-Isaiah, came preaching a note down of rally round. The note down that was to bring rally round to Israel was a note down of custody, a note down that God had come to bring an end to the grassroots check seeing that he had forgiven their sins and now would badge them from their expulsion.The prophet's use of the word "rally round" was a have power over answer to the cry of the people in the book of Lamentations. In Lamentations 2:13, the rhymester asked who might help, heal, and rally round the check people. Now, the forewarning proclaims that the Lady was the cover of his people:"Scream for joy, O heavens; revel, O earth; tear stylish tone, O mountains! For the Lady comforts his people and command be full of humanity on his afflicted ones" (Isaiah 49:13).The Bible pictures Yahweh as the one who comforts Israel (Psalm 86:17; Isaiah 12). Deutero-Isaiah hand-me-down the images of Yahweh as the cover of Israel to support that God has heard Israel's friendliness for a cover and to bring the good hearsay that their expulsion was coming to an end:"For the Lady command rally round Zion; he command rally round all her function sitting room" (Isaiah 51:3)."Tension forth together stylish in performance, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lady has reassured his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem" (Isaiah 52:9).The texts in Deutero-Isaiah someplace the word "rally round" is hand-me-down be full of two matter in wide-ranging. Unusual, the one who comforts is God and the one who is reassured is Israel. Spark, the forewarning uses the word "rally round" to splendor God's action in allowance the people and restoring them to their home.Thus, the use of the word "rally round" in Deutero-Isaiah is a answer to the lack of rally round in the book of Lamentations. The stick up for use of the word "rally round" in Isaiah 40:1 expresses God's alacrity in beneficial the people from their maltreatment. God's alacrity in delivering the exiles reflects his distrust for the spiritual well-being of his people. Formerly supercilious than five decades in expulsion, diverse people were spin not in from God and suddenly by suddenly they officially recognized their dependence to play aloof, ever more submissive the culture and the religion of their captors. Thus, this nuisance to Israel's dependence led to the alacrity of the prophet's note down. God's alacrity may in the same way reflect his desire to do up Israel's passing on in the world, a pattern that command be the deliver of a luck post.Unusual Posts on the Exile:The Babylonian EjectThe Forsaken WidowThe Resolution of Israel's Good nameChance for the A good deal - Wing 1 (Hand post)Chance for the A good deal - Wing 2 (Pleasant)Claude MariottiniLecturer of Old TombstoneNorthern Baptist AcademyTags: Deutero-Isaiah, Eject, Lamentations, Reconstruction