Isaiah 65:1-9 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 65:1-9 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 65I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, "Here I am, here I am," to a nation that did not call on my name. Verse 2I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; Verse 3a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and offering incense on bricks; Verse 4who sit inside tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat swine's flesh, with broth of abominable things in their vessels; Verse 5who say, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you." These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all day long. Verse 6See, it is written before me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their laps Verse 7their iniquities and their ancestors' iniquities together, says the Lord; because they offered incense on the mountains and reviled me on the hills, I will measure into their laps full payment for their actions.
Verse 8Thus says the Lord: As the wine is found in the cluster, and they say, "Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it," so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all. Verse 9I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah inheritors of my mountains; my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall settle there.
Devotion
How quickly do we discard possessions that no longer serve our purposes? In a recent bout of spring cleaning, I deemed quite a few things to be “useless” only to have them be rescued by my wife. Even more telling, how quickly do we discard people who do not fit our plans? Thankfully we serve a God who is much bigger than we are and who does not discard us. Our call as children of God is to turn away from all those things that draw us away from God and to adjust our vision so that we see our brothers and sisters the way God sees us.
Prayer
God, as you call your children to follow you, ever more closely tune our hearts to yours. Thank you for your grace and patience as we stumble forward. Your promise sustains us. In Christ’s name, Amen.