Isaiah 5:8-25

Monday: Episcopal, Isaiah (A) 5:8-12, (C) 18-23; Presbyterian and Lutheran, Isaiah (A, B) 5:8-17

Tuesday, Episcopal, Isaiah (B) 5:13-17, (D) 24-25; Presbyterian and Lutheran, Isaiah (C, D) 5:18-25

            A.        8 Ah, you who join house to house,

who add field to field,

until there is room for no one but you,

and you are left to live alone

in the midst of the land!

9 The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing:

Surely many houses shall be desolate,

large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.

10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath,

and a homer of seed shall yield a mere ephah.

11 Ah, you who rise early in the morning

in pursuit of strong drink,

who linger in the evening

to be inflamed by wine,

12 whose feasts consist of lyre and harp,

tambourine and flute and wine,

but who do not regard the deeds of the LORD,

or see the work of his hands! (Isaiah 5:8-12, NRSV)

            B.        13 Therefore my people go into exile without knowledge;

their nobles are dying of hunger,

and their multitude is parched with thirst.

14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite

and opened its mouth beyond measure;

the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude go down,

her throng and all who exult in her.

15 People are bowed down, everyone is brought low,

and the eyes of the haughty are humbled.

16 But the LORD of hosts is exalted by justice,

and the Holy God shows himself holy by righteousness.

17 Then the lambs shall graze as in their pasture,

fatlings and kids shall feed among the ruins. (Isaiah 5:13-17, NRSV)

            C.        18 Ah, you who drag iniquity along with cords of falsehood,

who drag sin along as with cart ropes,

19 who say, “Let him make haste,

let him speed his work

that we may see it;

let the plan of the Holy One of Israel hasten to fulfillment,

that we may know it!”

20 Ah, you who call evil good

and good evil,

who put darkness for light

and light for darkness,

who put bitter for sweet

and sweet for bitter!

21 Ah, you who are wise in your own eyes,

and shrewd in your own sight!

22 Ah, you who are heroes in drinking wine

and valiant at mixing drink,

23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,

and deprive the innocent of their rights! (Isaiah 5:18-23, NRSV)

            D.        24 Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,

and as dry grass sinks down in the flame,

so their root will become rotten,

and their blossom go up like dust;

for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of hosts,

and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people,

and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them;

the mountains quaked,

and their corpses were like refuse

in the streets.

For all this his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is stretched out still. (Isaiah 5:24-25, NRSV)

On December 12, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), comments were combined with revision and supplement from December 7, 2004, (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), and a devotional email sent out on December 10, 2002:

In the readings for yesterday and today, the Daily Office Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer includes Isaiah 5:8-25, as do the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship and the Lutheran Book of Worship. But they divide the passage separately, as indicated above, with the Episcopal tradition using sections A and C yesterday, and B and D today, whereas the Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions follow the Biblical order with sections A and B yesterday, and C and D today.

 I was struck by verse 13: “Therefore my people go into exile without knowledge; / their nobles are dying of hunger, / and their multitude is parched with thirst” (Isa. 5:13). In the context, this sad situation appears to be the result of injustice, unrighteousness, and neglect on the part of Israel's leaders: “Ah, you who are heroes in drinking wine, / and valiant at mixing drink, / who acquit the guilty for a bribe, / and deprive the innocent of their rights! (5:22-23). What about Houston? Do our people go into [spiritual] exile without what the churches and HGST have to offer? We have defined our mission as empowering spiritual leadership. I know that the Gospel of Christ is well represented in Houston. But there are many hurting hearts here too. So many that “Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth” (5:14a, b)? Our mission of empowering spiritual leadership remains critical. We must educate for the kind of knowledge that will help Houston's people avoid the exile described in verse 13, and in 14c, d: “the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude go down [to exile], / her throng and all who exult in her.”

The people of Judah are described as “ bowed down, everyone is brought low” (v. 15a); especially, “and the eyes of the haughty are humbled.” (v. 15b). However, in the midst of all this judgment, we come again to a bit of hope. “But the LORD of hosts is exalted by justice, / and the Holy God shows himself holy by righteousness. / Then the lambs shall graze as in their pasture, / fatlings and kids shall feed among the ruins” (vv. 16-17)

But the continuation in section C (above, discussed yesterday) and today follows the negative vein. The consequence of the sins addressed by the third, fourth, fifth and sixth woes (see yesterday’s comments) seems inevitable at this point; note the “therefore”: “Therefore (Nk2l!, lākēn), as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, / and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, / so their root will become rotten, / and their blossom go up like dust” (v. 24a, b, c, d). A further reason is given, “for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of hosts, / and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel” (v. 24e, f). Could it be that this anticipates the projected rejection of Isaiah’s prophecy (6:9-13; 7:12; 8:5)? Verse 25, introduced by another “therefore” (NK2-lf1 , ‘al-kēn), describes “the anger of the LORD [that] was kindled against his people” as “he stretched out his hand and struck them; / the mountains quaked, / and their corpses were like refuse in the streets” (v. 25a, b, c, d). According to Joseph Blenkinsopp, this verse is “a displaced stanza. This stanza if the poem about divine anger, identified by the refrain for all this his anger has not turned away . . . , should probably follow 9:8-10:4" (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Isa. 5:25). In that he may be following Victor R. Gold and William L. Holladay (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Isa. 5:24b-30, who see vv. 24b-30 as displaced. Note the refrain, “For all this his anger has not turned away, / and his hand is stretched out still” (Isa. 5:25e, f; 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4). Blenkinsopp notes that verse 25 “provides the clearest allusion to the earthquake, perhaps the earthquake mentioned in Am. 1:2 and Zech. 14:5 during the reigns of Uzziah and Jeroboam II, also attested in the archaeological record at Hazor and elsewhere. Assyrian records attest to a major earthquake on June 15 763 BCE” (loc. cit.). Benjamin D. Sommer sums up “the coming disaster” briefly: “God is portrayed as bludgeoning the nation, both through an earthquake that has already taken place (v. 25) and–in greater detail–a foreign invasion yet to come” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Isa. 5:25-30).

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Final Exhortations, Greetings, and Benediction

12 But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; 13 esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. 15 See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

25 Beloved, pray for us.

26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27 I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them.

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, NRSV)

On April 23, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), comments were repeated from December 12, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from December 7, 2004, (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One) and from May 17, 2005 (Wednesday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two). The comments are repeated here with editing and supplement:

Paul brings his First Letter to the Thessalonians to a close with a series of exhortations. They are to respect their leaders. “But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thess. 5:12-13a). According to Abraham Smith, “the persons who have charge of you are functionaries and perhaps patrons, but not officeholders” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on 1 Thess. 5:12). He appears to reflect the view that 1 Thessalonians is early, and that this language does not appear elsewhere as formal designation of officeholders either in Judaism or Christianity. Edgar M. Krentz refers to “ad hoc leadership roles,” because “formal clergy did not yet exist” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Thess. 5:12). In any event, the Thessalonian believers are to hold them in high regard.

In further advice Paul advises the Thessalonian believers to be at peace with one another, that is, “among yourselves” (v. 13b). “And you urge you, beloved,” he says, “to admonish the idlers (a[taktoi, ataktoi), encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them” (v. 14). According to Smith, “Perhaps influenced by 2 Thess 3:11, some scholars (including the NRSV translators) translate ‘ataktous [accusative plural of a[taktoV, ataktos] as idlers, but the expression means ‘disorderly ones’ ” (op. cit., on v. 14). This meaning of the word is supported by the standard Lexicon: In 1 Th. 5:14, the word means “of volitional state, pertains to being out of step and going one’s own way, disorderly, insubordinate,” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. a[taktoV (ataktos). The corresponding term in 2 Thess. 3:11, to which Smith refers, is the adverb ajtavktwV (ataktōs; cf. v. 6, and the verb hjtakthvsamen, ētaktēsamen, 1^st pl. aorist active ind. of ajtaktevw, atakteō, v. 7). The adverb means “in defiance of good order, disorderly, holding religious services without regard to established times arbitrarily 1 Cl. 40:2,” and the phrase ajtaktwV peripatei:n [ataktōs peripatein] behave irresponsibly 2 Th. 3:6 . . . apparently without respect for established custom or received instruction, as the qualifying clause [‘and not according to the tradition that they received from us’ NRSV] indicates (cp. Mk. 7:5), 11; the specific manner in which the irresponsible behavior manifests itself is described in the context: freeloading, sponging” (BDAG, s.v. ajtavktwV, ataktōs). In 2 Corinthians 3:7, Paul uses the related verb ajtaktevw (atakteō ), of himself . “For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle (oujk hjtakthvsamen, ouk ētaktēsamen) when we were with you” (2 Thess. 3:7). The verb is defined as “to violate prescribed or recognized order, behave inappropriately in our literature only 2 Th. 3:7 . . . we did not treat you in a free-wheeling manner” (BDAG, s.v. ajtaktevw, atakteō ). The Lexicon adds:

As the subsequent clause [‘and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it’ NRSV] indicates, Paul conforms to societal proprieties and did not act as though he were entitled to free sustenance; to support his claim, he states that he ‘worked night and day so as not to be a burden to them’. Cp. 1 Cor 10:31-11:1 . . . The translation be idle, lazy does not take adequate account of Greco-Roman social history” (ibid.)

The Lexicon refers to the contrary view in commentaries.

Paul’s admonitions in 1 Thessalonians continue. “See that none of you repays evil for evil,” he says, “but always seek to do good to one another and to all” (v. 15). Rejoice always, pray without ceasing” [and] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (vv. 16-18). These instructions come in rapid succession. “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil” (vv. 19-22).

In a closing prayer for the Thessalonians, Paul prays, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely” (v. 23a), with reference to his earlier admonition: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication” (4:3), and he prays that their “spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 23b), with reference to his earlier teaching about Christ’s coming (4:13-5:11). He includes a word of assurance. “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this” (v. 24).

Brief requests that they pray for him (v. 25), that they “Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss” (v. 26), and that “this letter be read to all” (v. 27), lead to the closing benediction, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (v. 28).

Luke 21:29-38

Today’s reading from Luke is in the column on the right in the following table.

On June 25, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 22, Year One), comments were repeated from December 12, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), when the following tables and comments were combined with revision and supplement from December 7, 2004 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), and from June 20, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 22, Year One):

In Luke, the Eschatological Discourse is concluded. The table of reference used Saturday of last week, and yesterday; (Monday;) is repeated here, with today’s references highlighted. As before, Luke has used some material earlier that appears here in the parallels from Matthew and Luke.

Today’s reading from Luke concludes his version of the Olivet Discourse about the “end” (Lk. 21:9). In each of the Synoptic Gospels, the Parable of the Fig Tree (Mt. 24:32-36; Mk. 13:28-32; Lk. 21:29-33) comes near the conclusion of the Eschatological Discourse, except for Matthew’s inclusion of other parables and the account of the Last Judgment. Where Matthew and Mark refer to the fig tree as a sign that “summer is near” (Mt. 24:32 ; Mk. 13:28), Luke refer to “the fig tree, and all the trees” (Lk. 21:29). G. W. H. Lampe notes that Luke “marks off the parable of the fig tree by means of an introductory sentence” and he notes that Luke “adds ‘and all the trees’ perhaps to show that the fig tree does not have its special application to Judaism here (as in 13:6ff.)” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, sec. 732i, p. 839, on Lk. 21:29ff.). In Matthew and Mark, the nearness of summer signifies that “he [the Son of Man, Mt. 24:30; Mk. 13:26] is near, at the very gates” (Mt. 24:33; Mk. 13:29), whereas in Luke it signifies that “the kingdom of God is near” (Lk. 21:31). But that, of course, includes “‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud,’ with power and great glory” (v. 27; cf. Dan. 7:13-14).

These signs apparently include the Fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in A.D. 70, before the passing of “this generation” (v. 32; cf. ibid., on v. 32), but we have not seen “the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (v. 27, cf. v. 36), so we must “be on guard” (v. 34) and “be alert” (v. 36).

Lampe says of Luke 21:34-36 that Luke

reproduces the substance of Mark’s teaching on watchfulness, omitting his parable of a man going on a journey (Mk. 13:34), since he has inserted a somewhat similar saying in 12:35ff. This passage owes much to Isa. 24:17ff., with a probable allusion in 35 to Jer. 25:29. The parallel with 1 Th. 5:3, 6, 7 is notable. Vigilance is associated with prayer. The redeemed will stand before the Son of man in glory; cf. the vision of Stephen (Ac. 7:56). (Ibid., p. 840, on vv. 34-36)

As a brief summary or perspective on Jesus’ Eschatological Discourse–based on my comments, and on the sources quoted–each of the Synoptic Gospels remembers and presents Jesus’ teaching about the end times and the coming of the Son of Man. They have found ways to use the teaching in ways meaningful to their respective Christian communities, but they have not falsified or fabricated the teaching of Jesus. Luke’s historical instincts and perspectives, and his time of writing, probably after the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, have given shape to his presentation, but the Christian hope associated with the Parousia of Jesus is very much alive and well. “Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Lk. 21:36).

Larry Tomczak said of the urgency of our task of missionary work: “We should live as if the Lord is coming back in a hundred years, but work as if He is coming back tomorrow. We should be prudent and responsible and seek God's plans for our lives, yet work with zeal and inspiration” (The Second Coming and Missions, http://www.strategicnetwork.org/index.php?loc=kb&view=v&id=4665&fto=1361&, accessed at this new URL Dec. 16, 2008–copy and paste the URL). Since parousia means “presence,” perhaps you would appreciate Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s example:

The key to Bonhoeffer's gifts to us Christians today, as Coles notes, was “his decision to live as if the Lord were a neighbour and friend, a constant source of courage and inspiration, a presence amid travail and joy alike, a reminder of love's obligation and affirmations of death's decisive meaning (how we die as a measure of how we have lived, of who we are).” (David Kilgour, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Lessons for Lent, http://www.david-kilgour.com/faith/bonhoeffers.htm, accessed again Dec. 6, 2008; my accent with bold print for presence)

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net