The prophet Isaiah lived during the time around 720 BC, which is a significant date in Hebrew history, because it marks the time of the fall of the ten Northern Tribes of Israel. The Assyrian Empire, which was the world’s only superpower at the time, overtakes these ten tribes. We find in the first ten chapters of Isaiah that Israel is facing judgment from God because of her unfaithfulness in serving the gods of the nations around her. Isaiah tells Israel that because of their disobedience they will be invaded by the Assyrians and carried into exile; and that’s exactly what happened. The dynasty of King David, which is now two hundred years old and to the south in Judah, is clearly in danger. With the Assyrian Empire on a roll, the question lingers of what will happen if they kill every member of the royal family, which is their custom when they take a country over? The lineage of King David is in danger of becoming extinct. What would this potential interruption to David’s royal line mean to the future of Israel? Would they ever know hope again? Would they ever experience peace again?
In the wake of what took place on September 11th, these same questions are being asked today. We’re not in danger of being overrun by a superpower, but we are in danger from a madman’s ill-advised acts of aggression. We have already been the victims of unannounced, fanatical acts of violence, and there’s no guarantee we won’t fall victim again. It’s truly amazing that we can turn the pages of this Holy Book to a time almost 2800 years ago and find parallels. The mode of violence may be different, but the outcome and uncertainty is not. The questions still apply: Will we ever know hope again? Will we ever experience peace again?
As we considered peace in our Bible study this past week, we focused on two kinds of peace. Peace that is represented by the absence of conflict or turmoil, acknowledging that this type of peace applies not only to nations, but also institutions and relationships. We also recognized spiritual peace- the inner tranquility that is a state of mind, a state of being, and how true peace comes from being able to nurture and develop this state of being, even in the midst of turmoil and conflict, which raises the question: How? How do we find peace?
There was a study done at Duke University on factors that relate to “peace.” I found their conclusions interesting, and I’d like for us to consider some of their findings.
One of the factors that leads to an increased sense of peace is refusing to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Willingness to accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune. This point of view is a doubled edge sword. On the one side is the notion “You gotta pull yourself up by your own boot straps. Life ain’t perfect. Deal with it and move on.” Some of our misfortune is the consequence of bad choices. We’ve put ourselves in situations that aren’t in our best interest, and the consequences of those choices have come home to roost. In those instances, we have to take responsibility and deal with it: speeding tickets; poor study habits; not being prepared at work. The truth is that we have to deal with life’s obstacles head on. We can’t run from them.
But not every situation is a result of bad choices, which means it can’t be dealt with that matter-of-factly. When I was putting together this past Wednesday’s prayer list and considered the painful situations people were dealing with, the response isn’t “Deal with it and move on.” You don’t tell the family of a 7 year-old who has cancer that they need to “Deal with it and move on.” You don’t tell a daughter whose father lost a battle with cancer to “Deal with it and move on.” You don’t tell a friend who’s lost their job to “Deal with it and move on.”
It’s true that we can’t swim in self-pity, because we’ll drown. We have to accept the fact that life isn’t fair and sorrow and misfortune will come our way, but we’ve also got to show compassion and allow ourselves time to grieve and regroup. When Christ is part of that process, that’s when we discover inner tranquility in the midst of uncertainty. James Russell Lowell said, “Sorrow and misfortune are like knives that either serve us or cut us as we grasp them by the blade or handle.”
Another factor in finding peace is to not waste time and energy fighting conditions you can’t change. Cooperate with life, instead of running from it. This too is a doubled-edge sword, because as Christians, many times we are called to stand in opposition to societal thought. We can’t give up, and just say, “That’s just the way it is,” no matter what society may be tolerating.
But on the other hand, we have to be good stewards of our time and energy. Perhaps you’ve heard the serenity prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept those things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” The key is having the wisdom to know the difference.
Would you spend 2 years making phone calls to people who aren’t home? Of course not, but according to one time management study, that’s how much time the average person spends in a lifetime trying to return calls to people who never seem to be home. Not only that, we spend 6 months waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and another 8 months reading junk mail.
These unusual statistics should cause us to evaluate how we spend our time. Once we recognize that simple “life maintenance” can chip away at our time in such huge blocks, we will see how vital it is that we don’t busy ourselves “in vain” (Ps 39:6).
When we waste time, we throw away one of the most precious commodities that God has given us. Each minute is an irretrievable gift. Sure, we have to make the phone calls, and we must wait at the light, and we have to go through the mail, but what about the rest of our time? Are we using it to advance the cause of Christ and to enhance our relationship with Him? Is our time well spent? Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change will heighten your sense of peace.
Another characteristic is to quit living in the past. Some people live in the past because they can’t let go of something painful. Perhaps they have regrets that haunt them. They can’t forgive themselves or someone else and bitterness pens them in. Grief from a failed relationship or death controls them. Pain has a way of robbing us of today by trapping us in yesterday.
And there are those who live in the past for the opposite reason: because of it being the good ‘ole days. The memory and safety of those days outweighs the realization that it’s time to move forward, but to not only live for today, but for tomorrow. Living in the past robs you of today and tomorrow, and does nothing to promote peace.
And finally, find something bigger than yourself to believe in – God. I believe, and Scripture bears this out, that faith and belief in God is the only way to find the characteristics of peace we’ve spoken about. How else can you overcome self-pity? How else can you develop the wisdom to prioritize the best use of your time? How else can you overcome the temptation to live life in the past and step into the present day to face your future?
What’s so interesting about this present-day study is each of the characteristics can be applied to the Hebrew situation. They needed to quit wallowing in self-pity. The reason they were in exile, the reason they were under Assyrian rule was their fault. They abandoned God. They were worshiping the gods of their neighbors, and they were now dealing with the consequences of that worship. Isaiah had been warning them, telling them this would happen if they didn’t change some things. Now is not the time for self-pity.
Now is also not the time to waste time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. The Assyrian Empire is here and your time and energy should not be wasted resisting their rule. Instead, time and energy should be channeled into renewing your relationship with God. God is the One who will lead you out of exile. It is God who will deliver the king to lead you.
Isaiah is also saying, “Quit living in the past. Yes Moses was a great leader. Yes, David was a great king, but if you don’t pull your heads out of the past, and quit resting on your “favored status” with God, you’re going to miss out on the Messiah. You’re going to miss out on what it is that God is leading you and calling you to do.
God is bigger than the Assyrian Empire. The past has known trial, the past has known strife, but look at what God is promising for the future. A shoot shall come forth from the stump of Jesse. Jesse was David’s father, so God is promising that a new king will be brought forth from the Davidic line, and this new king will rule with justice and righteousness to the point that the wolf shall lie down with the lamb, the calf and the lion shall be together, the cow and the bear shall graze, the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
All of this language is in the future tense: the wolf shall, the leopard shall, and the calf and the lion shall. Isaiah is pointing them towards a future that will be defined by peace. Common enemies will rest comfortably together, because the One who is to come will wear righteousness as the belt around his waist and faithfulness as the belt around his loins.
It is the birth of this tiny child who will fulfill these words of peace. Christ’s ministry was not one that rested on self-pity. On many occasions, his instructions were to take responsibility, but know that he’ll be there in your time of greatest need. He also encouraged wise use of one’s time and energy. Christ said, “Don’t resist evil doers. Turn the other cheek. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the peacemakers.” He also said to quit living in the past. He honored tradition by saying, “I did not come to change the law, but to fulfill it.” The religious leaders of the day were so caught up in the past that they couldn’t see the new relationship that God was leading them to. That’s a strong lesson for the church of today. Honor the past, but don’t live in it. God is leading us towards our future. And Christ definitely taught that there was something bigger to believe in. He constantly told parables about the kingdom: a peaceful kingdom.
Isaiah was not only offering hope, but he was promising peace, and that peace will only come through the shoot that shall come from the stump of Jesse, for the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. True peace comes from God, because his promise of peace is not the absence of trouble, but the promise that He is always there.
H. G. Spafford was a businessman in Chicago. He was a dedicated Christian, who had some serious financial reversals, and during this time of readjustment, he lost his home. He realized his family needed to get away for a vacation. Spafford decided to take his entire family to England. He sent his wife and four daughters ahead. In midocean the French steamer carrying his loved ones collided with another and sank within twelve minutes; 230 people lost their lives. His four daughters were drowned, but Mrs. Spafford was rescued. She wired her husband, “Saved alone.”
Mr. Spafford was [understandably] almost overcome with grief. He had lost his property, his four precious daughters were buried beneath the dark waves of the sea, and his wife was prostrate with grief on the other side of the world. Distraught, Spafford began his journey across the ocean to be his wife, and as he came across the spot where his daughter’s boat went down, he could have relied on earthly wisdom and turned his grief into bitterness. He could have tried to get his pound of flesh from the French steamer company by filing lawsuits. He could have justified in his own mind being angry with God, and shaking his fist at the One who allowed his earthly life to seemingly be destroyed. Instead, on that spot he put all his trust in God and wrote a song that has comforted thousands since that time:
“When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea-billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
‘It is well, it is well with my soul’”
The peaceable kingdom is available to all, but only if we don’t give in to self-pity, quit wasting our time on things we can’t change, quit living in the past, and believe in something bigger than we are. O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel.
