SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 15-18; Hebrews 10
Isaiah 15:5-9
Oh, how I grieve for Moab!
Refugees stream to Zoar
and then on to Eglath-shelishiyah.
Up the slopes of Luhith they weep;
on the road to Horonaim they cry their loss.
The springs of Nimrim are dried up—
grass brown, buds stunted, nothing grows.
They leave, carrying all their possessions
on their backs, everything they own,
Making their way as best they can
across Willow Creek to safety.
Poignant cries reverberate
all through Moab,
Gut-wrenching sobs as far as Eglaim,
heart-racking sobs all the way to Beer-elim.
The banks of the Dibon crest with blood,
but God has worse in store for Dibon:
A lion—a lion to finish off the fugitives,
to clean up whoever’s left in the land.
OBSERVATIONS: The original meaning of this passage is quite different than the reading I had this morning. This passage pointed me back to the homeless population in Paducah, and their plight. As you can imagine, I struggled with the interpretation in light of the original declaration of judgment that Isaiah was making. He was observing the results of Moab’s own decisions, consequences of their own choosing. And yet he felt compassion.
APPLICATION: Joey, stop ignoring the people who are hurting. Their problems may be self-inflicted in many cases, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are human beings, and they are loved by me so they should be important to you, too. See their problems and act.
PRAYER: God, I have ignored the sacred worth of your people, especially those at the fringes and margins of society — the places you emphasize most. Forgive my shortsightedness, and help me to batter down the walls that I’ve created between my heart and the people of your heart. Remembering Christ, I pray. Amen.
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