The 2nd and 3rd Books of Isaiah
Fall 2004 Bible Study

Second Isaiah 59-61

"St. Joan of Arc Bible Study is an open and growing group that meets for fellowship and to discuss the Bible and other faith-centered literature. Our informal study group draws from biblical scholarship, historical perspectives, current events and personal reflections. We welcome honor and respect the personal ideas and spiritual journeys of all who join us."

Greetings

There were about 18 of us in the 'hall at the ol country church' this fine Tuesday evening. I am sending this out on generous hearsay from others that were in attendance.

We opened with a home-scribed reflection... It's a reflection (Tom H) wrote recently, inspired by (his) experiences in Guatemala as well as reading Richard Rohr's EVERYTHING BELONGS

THE CROSS

What is, is.
And so in the sign of the cross, sweeping down from the top of my head & across from shoulder to shoulder, I touch the ends of creation because those movements don't begin & end there but come from & go to the farthest reaches of all creation, all that is. And so I touch the "limits" of creation, if it has limits--I enter into the Divine dance, acknowledge God in every corner of my being, in every corner of creation. I am a microcosm for it all, so my gestures only symbolize it all.

What is, is.
I accept, embrace, all that is at this moment as I "bless myself" ( as we say), and the intersection of those two sweeping, swirling air-filled motions is my heart.

Judith facilitated and did a bang-up job as usual. She is very comfortable and has much experience in the birth process and when it comes right down to it, Scripture is birthing. No wonder she takes to it like ducks to water, like white to rice, like bees to honey...Ok already!!

Here is the overview:

Isaiah Chapters 59-61

Chap 59 continues where 58 left off - giving a contrast and compare between real and false faith. It's not that God cannot, but that our sins put too much distance between God and us. The right form and ritual, but no true sincerity. The prophet spells it out for them - only changing in vs. 15 where the Lord looked and was displeased.

Verse 59:17 is reworked in Ephesians 6:10

If you had been a Jew in Jesus time, would you have been disappointed in the Messiah? Why do you think Jesus came as a suffering servant rather than, say, a triumphant army general?

Chapter 60 begins the part of Isaiah where the prophet gives the people a glimpse of things to come - a time when all our best dreams will come true. The account is not easy to decipher, as the prophet shifts back and forth between his own time and the final events on earth.

This last part of the book, addressed to a people facing deep despair, opens the door for the Jews to become a gift to all people. This prophecy saw fulfillment in Jesus, who recruited disciples to take his message to everyone. Through his life and death, the suffering servant introduced the gospel to the entire world.

We see a description of a new beginning, a time of triumph and peace. It is written with such eloquence that Revelation did not try to improve on the language, but merely quoted Isaiah. Some of the language still resonates today with the deepest longings for peace. An example would be "swords beaten into plowshares".

The people of Isaiah's time had dreams of a time of peace, without pain or fear or disease or death. The prophet assures them (and us?) that one day those dreams will come true.

Chap 61 opens with the verse that Jesus chose to start his ministry. See Luke 4:18-19. Note that Jesus left off the last part of vs. 2 "the day of vengeance of our God. What does this omission tell us about Jesus - or about the writer of the book of Luke?

Chap 61 tells about the year of the Lord's favor - sometimes called the year of Jubilee or sabbatical. Jews celebrate this every 50 years to remember deliverance from Egypt and by Catholics as a year of special indulgences. ??Can we imagine hearing the words of Isaiah in the circumstances of the Jews back then? Would you find them comforting? Does Isaiah speak to anything that you would like to see changed about the world?

*Isaiah was the Shakespeare of the Bible - a master of words and phrases that still resonate today. He brought words of hope and comfort during a tough time in history. He also had immense practical value for the people who first heard it. The Jews, facing a series of great crises, needed the prophet's message of hope; forgiveness was on the way; the Jews, though scattered, would one day be gathered "one by one".

Isaiah also teaches that no matter how difficult the circumstances, God can use them for our benefit. Again and again in the Israelites' history, good times led to decadence. In contrast, times of suffering tested and refined the true people of God.

Then when 8pm came up, the crowd ran with the bulls to the treat trough to find, you aren't going to believe this, banana bread w/butter and crumb fruit cake!!! Are you kidding us!!! Boy I see the real reason one doesn't want miss a single evening of gathering with you all! That's it. unless I am sick or in jail, I refuse to miss another session.

You can imagine the discussion that took place and you wont want to miss the chapters 62-64. Bring a question or something u really like or don't understand, etc, to the gathering next week.

By the way, don't forget to check the SJA website for a fantastic article written by our own, Bob B, relating his experiences at the annual Call to Action, among other things.

• O. Prayer Cristina
• C. Prayer Stephanie
• Treats Tammy