Title Source of novelty, February 19
Source of novelty (Isaiah 43:16-21)
authority of the word
water under the bridge
Look at verse 19. “Look. I have now started a new job.” Isaiah now prophesies the new things that Yahweh God will bring about. If the Exodus that took place in the 13th century BC was the old Exodus, then the return to the captivity that should take place in the 6th century BC is the new Exodus. That is God's new work. However, if you look closely at today's text, you will see a part that seems logically inaccurate. Although Isaiah reminded us of the wonderful things Yahweh did during the Exodus, verse 18 advises not to think about it. “Don't think about the past. Don't get caught up in what's gone.” Of course, in verse 19 we might advise not to think about the past to emphasize the new things of Yahweh. Even so, it doesn't seem so natural to emphasize the Exodus event in detail right in front of it and not think about it right away. The original belief in Israel begins with remembering the past. Given this, it is clear that Isaiah's advice not to dwell on the past seems to be at odds with one another.
But in reality, Isaiah's advice is not a logical contradiction. He is not saying this to mean that we should not remember the past unconditionally now. It means don't dwell on the past. There is a clear difference between remembering and obsessing. Why is Isaiah advising us not to dwell on the important Exodus event? This answer is not that far off. Because if you cling to the past, good or bad, it will eventually destroy your life in the present. Consider the Exodus event that Isaiah points out. It's a great event. It is an event that clearly proves that Yahweh God is great. But if such an event itself is accepted as absolute, and thus an ideology to be repeated, Israel's faith can be destroyed. We might call it the Restoration of the Faith. People will think like this. That was a good time, and I wish I could go back to that time.
The same is true in our daily life. Not to mention those who cling to a bad past. Depression will usually start with being unable to get rid of past sadness. So what about a fun past? People who cling to a pleasant past are also prone to self-delusion and self-pity. There are some Christians who think that we will eventually return to the Garden of Eden. No matter how beautiful the Garden of Eden is, we do not return to it. The Christian faith, that is, the Christian view of history, proceeds forward toward the end, not toward a cycle or a return to the past. So the Christian faith, no matter how good it may be, never clings to it.
new job
Isaiah's sermon about not clinging to the past is not only concerned with the fact that it destroys the lives of the Israelites. Such destruction of faith and life is the result, not the cause. What Isaiah really cares about is the fact that if you get caught up in the old Exodus, you will eventually be unable to experience the new Exodus. Let's read verse 19a again. “Look. I have now started a new job.” Here is the gist of what Isaiah is trying to say. It is not the Exodus of Exodus, but the “new work” of God who raises today’s Exodus.
Guys, please don't read these words in a cliche. Don't read it just because it's a good thing. It is important to put aside the thought of seeking religious comfort in the biblical text and get into the reality of the biblical text. What was Isaiah thinking about 2,500 years ago when he was proclaiming these words? What is God's new work? These questions are a very important factor in understanding today's Word.
First we can think of it this way. In today's text, Isaiah contrasts the Exodus event and the future return from captivity, that is, the Exodus from Babylon. At the time of the Exodus, the sea parted and a new road was created. But in the future, a new road will be opened in the desert and wilderness. It is said that streams of water form in the desert and wilderness. Let's look at verse 20. “I will water the desert and draw streams of water into the wilderness, and my people who have been uprooted will drink as much as they can, and wild beasts, such as wolves and ostriches, will honor me.” Of course, the division of the sea at the time of the Exodus is a very big event, and it is God's act of salvation that the Israelites must always remember. However, it is also a great event that roads and streams of water flow in deserts and wildernesses. In some ways, the parting of the Red Sea would be just a one-time event, but it is a completely new event in that the roads and streams of the wilderness continue to be the source of keeping the people of Israel alive.
hard to understand
But, among the people of Israel at that time, there were probably not many people who heard Isaiah's sermon and agreed with it. Because the fact that the 50 years of Babylonian captivity will come to an end is not very real. It is not only unrealistic, but also terrifying on the other hand. Because people tend to think that only what they are familiar with is right, they are not only reluctant to admit to new things, they are not at all.
Read the Bible story soberly. You may think that in the Exodus event the Israelites had a very strong desire for the land of Canaan, but in reality it was not. The book of Exodus tells exactly that. The Israelites did not stop provoking them to return to Egypt for 40 years in the wilderness. Would God have caused all but two of the Israelites to die in the wilderness at the time of the Exodus? The Babylonian captivity was also very familiar to the Israelites. Babylon was a much better place to live than their homeland, Canaan. Their homeland is desert and wilderness, but Babylon was a country that established an ancient civilization early, centering on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Under such circumstances, who would immediately hear that a road and water flow in Canaan, the desert and wilderness? That's right. God's new work has the property of being difficult to accept.
Verse 19a is based on this situation. “Look. I have now started a new job. It's already sprouted, can't you see it?" It is similar to the scene where an Indian chief who knows whether it will rain just by looking at the wind asks, “Can you see the signs of rain?” to the family who are unaware of it at all.
source of new work
At this point, we are a little uneasy. Are we really seeing something new? Does this mean predicting God's new things in the future like a fortune teller? Is that possible? In fact, I am not even sure what is the new work of Yahweh God. Will the unification of North and South Korea be like that soon? Does such a sign that history is changing like this mean that such buds are coming into our eyes? Is this our economic situation, where we are living much better than in the past? Or is it the gradual easing of patriarchy and the realization of gender equality? Freedom from work? Is your personal living situation getting any better? Are our children performing well? What on earth is the new thing that God is doing? It is true that this concrete life is of utmost importance to us. It is very important to us that lonely people find friends, long sick people regain health, and unemployed people get sweaty jobs. All of the above should not be taken lightly for a moment, as all of the above are meant to improve the quality of our lives.
But strictly speaking, these things are nothing new. Open a newspaper from 10 years ago. That news has nothing to do with the news we experience today. Thoreau said so in <Walden>. That's right. Changing the conditions of life in our daily lives is important, but ultimately it is not new, but old. Then, what is the new work of God that Isaiah is talking about? If Isaiah is now thinking about returning to Babylon, does it have to be such a political liberation in the end?
It's not like that. It is here that our reading and interpretation of the Bible may miss the fundamentals and steer astray. Although Isaiah is referring to a political event, the event itself is not the point. God who raises it is the key. The fact that God is the source of new work is central to this text. Even if the return of Israel from captivity does not happen, God does the new thing in a different way. Because that's how God exists, acts that way, and saves the world that way.
So, what is important for us today is our spiritual sensitivity toward God's saving action. We call it spirituality. To those who are prepared for it, all the things in this world will come to you as a new thing that Yahweh God is doing. You will continue to experience surprises in front of it. Even this morning's sun can be recognized as a completely new event of salvation. Such people will see visions of roads and flowing waters in the desert, and wild cats and ostriches honoring God. Such a person will ultimately appreciate and hope for the newness of life in Jesus' resurrection. Such people are truly capable of praising God, as Isaiah says in the last verse of today's text.