“Rejoice, barren woman, you who have not given birth. Break out with a shout, you who have not suffered labor pains; because the woman who has been deserted will have many more children than the woman who has a husband.”
Something’s got to be broken. You can’t keep the whole loaf — safe, protected and pure. They started breaking it up. And thankful, joyful people began to give it away, passing it out with gratitude, with thanksgiving.
Once they were powerless, like slaves. Now they can speak to God as Jesus did, saying “Abba! Father!” because “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts.”
Isaiah characterizes two contrasting attitudes toward God. The faithful attitude, like that of the suffering servant, respects God “and obeys the voice of his servant.” Even though the faithful disciple “walks in darkness and has no light” the servant “trusts in the name of the Lord and relies upon his God.”
Listen to this characterization of the rebellious ones. “But all of you are kindlers of fire, lighters of firebrands. Walk in the flame of your fire…
“We know that a person isn’t made righteous by the works of the law but rather through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 2:16, CEB)
In every generation God’s people live with some form of conflict. Usually it is a theological conflict between those who sense a call to a new interpretation and those who seek to defend a traditional interpretation. Sometimes it is a call from comfort to discomfort. Change is always difficult, especially for the religious. Our religious trust is grounded in ancient things that have the quality of being unchanging in an unsteady world. But over and over the ancient revelation has shown itself to be alive and resilient, able to be open to new interpretation.
For Paul, the life of sin is precisely the life-project of trying to make yourself worthy. It only brings anxiety and judgment.
I often think of the Parable of the Sower as a metaphor for my own life and spirit. God has scattered God’s Word and grace abundantly, even wastefully, in my life.
Here’s the Top Ten “How to be Happier” list from researcher David G. Myers: