An overview of Isaiah 24-27:
This section of Isaiah is sort of an intermission in Isaiah. If you peek at the heading for Isaiah 28 - the "woes" start again. This is what one scholar had to say about this section of praise.
"The first and second songs (chs. 24 and 25) declare universal judgment and universal salvation. In the third (ch. 26), the people proclaim their trust in God, but they also confess their inability to deliver themselves and fulfill their ministry in the world." Chapter 27 is a very personal song that "celebrates [God's] personal relationship with [his people] (Oswalt, 310).
vv. 7-9 speak of the fact that God has allowed his people to suffer so that their sins would be removed.
Now, God is ready to bless them, so much so that the whole world will be filled with God's people (v. 6)
Repentance and thus, Transformation
does not come easily. The beginning of Christian's life is the admission that he/she is a sinner. You admit that your life is a mess. Your 'house' is a mess and it needs to be torn down... Rebuilding needs to begin. You need a new life. But the tearing down process is definitely a hard one but it is necessary indeed.
Repentance, cleansing and transformation does not happen just once - it constantly happens as God purifies us and refines us.
Are you willing to give yourself so that God can "remodel" this temple of yours? That means tearing down and a painful rebuilding... But, great things are to come through this rather painful process.
I didn't really understand this.
ReplyDeleteThere were so many metaphors, it was confusing.
By saying that even though someone grows up in a christian family, they aren't necessarily christians until they repent and stuff ?