We can assume that Isaiah's prophecy and this book are in some
sort of chronological order and that this vision follows on the previous
prophecy. He has just excoriated the
people for their sinfulness and their failure to be the people God intended
them to be. He has announced that they
are going into exile and that this is justice.
Now, in the temple, he sees the Lord and His attendants and whatever
spiritual pride he may have suffered from is completely destroyed. He knows his own sin, I am a man of unclean
lips, I am no better or different from those against whom I have
prophesied. In light of God's glory and
His holiness, Isaiah sees himself as no better than anyone else, he understood
the pollution of sin in his own life. The
seraphim took one of the coals from the altar of sacrifice and seared and
sealed Isaiah's lips, that which has offended, his unclean lips and pronounces
that atonement has been made but we aren't told how that happened. His commission is to go to a people who won't
listen or obey but he is to speak anyway.
In this way, we see that Jesus did the same, His words rejected by the
people He came to save.
The story of the woman caught in adultery is one that came
into the Gospel later and is questioned as to its authenticity as the oldest manuscripts
don't have it in them. At any rate, how
is it possible that only the woman is brought before Jesus, she can't commit
adultery alone. He is the only person who is able to throw the
first stone, He alone has no sin, but He refuses to condemn her. There will be a long line in heaven of people
waiting to know what He wrote in the dust this day. We don't know what He wrote but it is the
only time we are told that He wrote at all and He did so with His finger, the
finger that wrote the Law on the tablets on Mt Sinai. The crowd quickly disperses and by the time
Jesus looks up there is only the woman there with him. Like Isaiah, somehow their sin has been
exposed by Jesus' writing. She received
absolution but also admonition, go and sin no more, the same thing we receive
at confession.
What does it mean that we would be counted worthy of the
kingdom of God? Paul uses that figure of
speech twice in this short passage, first that their suffering and perseverance
are proof of God's righteous judgment, that you may be considered worthy of the
kingdom. He is complimenting them on
their faith, that their suffering proves that the Lord trusts them and their
endurance proves that His judgment of their worthiness is righteous,
correct. Later, Paul says he prays for
them always that the Lord will make them worthy of His calling. He assures them of the coming judgment but
also encourages them to continue to persevere in their call, to never waver
even in rejection, just like Isaiah was told to do, just as we are told to
do. Let us continue to proclaim truth no
matter the cost.
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