On Prophets

“So who would want to be a prophet?  Compared to the respectable philosopher, the prophet is a dumpster dweller.  While the philosopher lives in the mansions of the mind, the prophet is homeless in the streets of everyday facts.  The philosopher gives lectures on good and evil in general, while the prophet rants against this particular evil.  And while the guru calmly encourages the good life in theory, the prophet threatens hellfire against this practical bad life…The prophet feels fiercely.  God has thrust a burden on his soul…For the prophet, no one is just enough, honest enough, faithful enough, good enough, godly enough,” (Fr. J. Smith, Celebration Jan 2001, “Called To Be Prophet”).

Do you want to be around a prophet?  How are you like a prophet?  At our baptism, we are anointed as priest, prophet and king.  The Hebrew word for prophet is nabi, or “the one who was called” by God.  Prophets:

1. challenge the lifestyle of their contemporaries.
2. proclaim the covenant (that God wants a personal relationship with us).
3. insist on justice for all (Zannoni, A., Scripture From Scratch Sept. 1994, “The Biblical Prophets:  Challenging Role Models”).

Isaiah knew that disaster was bound to come, but also that a remnant would survive, that Zion would endure, and that through Israel and out of Zion redemption for all nations would flow.  Over and above all the threats and denunciations uttered by Isaiah rises the more powerful certainty of God’s lasting, indestructible attachment to God’s people and to Zion.  His disengagement from Israel is inconceivable.  Anger passes; His attachment will never pass.  Prophetic messages of doom are ambivalent.  Prophecy always moves in a polarity, yet the tension of yes and no, of anger and love, of doom and redemption, is often dissolved in the certainty of God’s eternal attachment, (A. Heschel’s The Prophets, p. 95).

1^st Reading, Nativity of the Lord, Night:  Isaiah 9:  1 – 6  (1st Isaiah)  

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for flames.
For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast and forever peaceful,
from David’s throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
by judgment and justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!

From A. Ceresko’s Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 210-211:  This poem may have ben written by Isaiah on the occasion of the coronation of Hezekiah.  Isaiah gives us a moving description of the possibilities for a just, peaceful, and life-giving society under the rile of a righteous king.  The vision of such a society, however, over partially conceals the cutting edge of irony the passage contains.  Judean society and the rule of Davidic royalty was greatly at odds with the vision Isaiah proclaims.  So this poem may be functioning more like an indictment and condemnation of royal rule  (Sort of tongue in cheek).  This is reminiscent of the political cartoons that were popular during FDR’s days. 

On the other hand, it may be a birth ode.  The throne names of the new king will reflect both his prowess in war and peace and the marvels of God.  No matter how disappointing a given king’s reign has been, one can always hope and pray for better when a new king comes on the throne, and to that end Isaiah’s ode continued to be useful.  God will restore the kingship once more, and this was how people understood the ode through all the centuries ahead, (W. Holladay’s Long Ago God Spoke, p. 175).

1^st Reading, Nativity of the Lord, Dawn:  Isaiah 62:  11 – 12  (3rd Isaiah)

See, the LORD proclaims
to the ends of the earth:
say to daughter Zion,
your savior comes!
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
They shall be called the holy people,
the redeemed of the LORD,
and you shall be called “Frequented,”
a city that is not forsaken.

The four names given to the New Israel in verse 12 are grouped in 2 pairs.  “The holy people” goes back to the creation of Israel at Sinai (Ex 19: 5-6; 22:31), but strikes a familiar Isaianic chord too.  It is paired with “Frequented”  (RSV is “Sought out”).  The holy people will be sought out, consulted as a source of wisdom, justice and truth.  “Redeemed” is another Isaianic term referring literally to what a kinsman does in exactly the situation implied by the last term, “forsaken”, used of a deserted wife.  God’s people will be established again in Jerusalem, their confidence restored.  A light to the nations, (J. Sawyer’s Daily Study Bible Series, p. 194).

1^st Reading, Nativity of the Lord, Day:  Isaiah 52:  7 – 10)  (2^nd Isaiah)
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King!” 

Hark!  Your sentinels raise a cry,
together they shout for joy,
for they see directly, before their eyes, the LORD restoring Zion.
Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem!
For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.

From Elizabeth Johnson, SSJ’s Creation and the Cross (p. 46, 50):  The scroll of this prophet is a magnificent mother lode of insight into the liberating, merciful God who saves, not because anyone deserves this or pays something to placate an offended deity, but because it is the very character of God to be extravagant with love.  Written at a particular point in time, for a people humiliated, shamed, in forced exile, this scroll draws from deeply flowing themes in Israel’s religious tradition and send them forward with elan…More than 500 years before Jesus’ death on the cross, Second Isaiah proclaimed that the God who created heaven and earth was redeeming and saving Israel and forgiving their sin out of the infinite depths of divine compassion.  

Here the cluster of terms presses to speak of newness:  peace/good/glad tidings/salvation.  Second Isaiah makes a connection which will be important to the New Testament and for every homeless group.  The Kingship of Yahweh leads to homecoming.  Rule by Yahweh means the end of homelessness because he is a God who wills land for his people.  He wills neither chaos nor exile, neither alienation nor homelessness.  He wills homecoming.  He acts to have it so, (W. Brueggemann’s The Land, p. 148).

Reflection Questions

• How are you called to be a prophet within the person God made you to be?
• Reflect on the images of Jesus as Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
• Reflect on the image of God being a king.
• How does Jesus, your Savior, come to you?
• How does this understanding of Isaiah and his prophecy touch you and your understanding of Jesus this Advent?

Prophets and Justice

The fact that filled the prophets with dismay was not the absence of adequate laws, but the absence of righteousness.  Judges were active in the land, but their judgements were devoid of righteousness.  The prophets were shocked not only by acts of injustice on the part of scoundrels but also by the perversion of justice on the part of the notables.  When warped and garbled, justice yields strife and distrust. The prophets’ preoccupation with justice and righteousness has its roots in a powerful awareness of injustice.  The urgency of injustice was an urgency of aiding and saving victims of oppression.  In a sense, the calling of the prophet may be described as that of an advocate or champion, speaking for those who are too weak to plead their own cause, (A. Heschel’s The Prophets, p. 202-205). 

W. Brueggermann’s reflection on The Land, p. 1, 4-5):  The sense of being lost, displaced and homeless is pervasive in contemporary culture.  The yearning to belong somewhere, to have a home, to be in a safe place, is a deep and moving pursuit.  A sense of place is to be sharply distinguished from a sense of space.  “Space” means an arena of freedom, without coercion or accountability, free of pressures and void of authority.  Space may be images as weekend, holiday, avocation, and is characterized by a kind of neutrality or emptiness waiting to be filled by our choosing.  “Place” is space which has historical meanings, where some things have happened which are now remembered and which provide continuity and identity across generations.  Place is space in which important words have been spoken which have established identity, defined vocation, and envisioned destiny.  Place is space in which vows have been exchanged, promises have been made, and demands have been issued.  It is a declaration that our humanness cannot be found in escape, detachment, absence of commitment and undefined freedom.  Humanness will be found in belonging to and referring to that locus in which the peculiar historicity of a community has been expressed and to which recourse is made for purposes of orientation, assurance and empowerment.  The land for which Israel yearns and which it remembers is never unclaimed space but is always a place with Yahweh, a place well filles with memories of life with him and promise from him and vows to him.

Let’s keep these insights on justice and land in our minds as we go through the readings…     

1^st Reading, 3rd Sunday of Advent:  Isaiah 61:  1 – 2a, 10 – 11  (3^rd Isaiah)   

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring

glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.

See Leviticus 25:  1 – 13.  This chapter is in a sense a sermon on Leviticus 25:  a sermon on planting, rebuilding and new growth on the one hand; and a sermon on freedom and justice on the other.  Jesus preaches a sermon on the same text in a Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:  16 – 30), (J. Sawyer’s Daily Bible Study Series, p. 188). 

This prophet’s mission is to ‘the poor’, the anawim, those whose only resource is God.  In the post-exilic situation such are also economically poor.  He takes up and preaches again the message of salvation already urged by Second Isaiah.  He promises that Jerusalem will be restored.  The Jewish people, as a priestly people, will be supported by the labor and wealth of the nations; they will be renowned as a people blessed by the Lord.  This is a promise of mercy, (E. Griffin’s Celebrating the Season of Advent, p. 81-82).   

1^st Reading, Nativity of the Lord, Vigil Mass:  Isaiah 62:  1 – 5  (3rd Isaiah)

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent,
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines forth like the dawn
and her victory like a burning torch.

Nations shall behold your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
you shall be called by a new name
pronounced by the mouth of the LORD.
You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,
a royal diadem held by your God.
    No more shall people call you “Forsaken,”
    or your land “Desolate,”
    but you shall be called “My Delight,”
    and your land “Espoused.”
    For the LORD delights in you
    and makes your land his spouse.
    As a young man marries a virgin,
    your Builder shall marry you;
    and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
    so shall your God rejoice in you.

Vindication:  the action of clearing someone of blame or suspicion, or proof that someone or something is right, reasonable, or justified.  From Catholic Exchange:   It means to defend the right of God’s people to be God’s people. Even though the people of God had been embarrassed and humiliated by their enemies, even though they had been punished for their sins, they were still God’s people and he would come to their aid and defend them. He would avenge their honor and claim them for himself.  J. Sawyer theorizes this word is from the Hebrew tsedek, meaning something closer to ‘victory’ (p. 192).

Think of the relationship God wants with us in this reading…one of marriage, intimacy, and joy.  Imagine hearing this in the state they were currently in:  From 150,000 persons in the 7^th century, Jerusalem was reduced to a mere 3,000.  Life carried on, but Jerusalem was but a shadow of its former self.  Deep poverty characterized life, (H. Shanks, Ancient Israel, p. 210).  From Lamentations 1:1:  How lonely she is now, the once crowded city!  Widowed is she who was mistress over nations; the princess among the provinces has been made a toiling slave. 

How does this understanding of Isaiah and his prophecy touch you and your understanding of Jesus this Advent?

Who is Isaiah?

A better question is who are they.  There are 3 authors of this book of the Bible. 

Chapters 1 – 39 (except 13-27) are written by an 8^th century prophet, Isaiah ben-Amoz.

Chapters 40 – 55 are done by an unknown author, designated Second (Deutero) Isaiah, who wrote during the Babylonian captivity.

Chapters 56 – 66 are also penned by an unknown author and designated Third (Trito) Isaiah, who wrote in the early days of return to Judah.

Isaiah ben -Amoz

Isaiah, son of Amoz, lived during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah ruling Judah (783 – 687 BC…Imagine!).  In Judah the promise to David, the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7) had replaced that of Sinai, and Zion with its temple was the new holy mountain.  Hope for the future rested in the Davidic line.  The king of Judah was ‘son of God’ (7:  14); no enemy could destroy the holy city and the blessed dynasty.  This is the conviction and hope.  Uzziah and Jotham were prosperous.  In 735, Judah became a vassal of Assyria (a pagan country), so Isaiah had to insist faith comes first to Ahaz and Hezekiah, (E. Griffin’s Celebrating the Season of Advent, p. 71-73).

Isaiah was very involved in the politics of the day, so he may have had direct access to the king or perhaps even a member of the noble family. King Hezekiah tried to win back Judah’s independence, but it was a great cost.  Assyria sieged when a miraculous plague made them retreat.  All of this tested their faith, (L Boadt’s Reading the Old Testament, p. 325-326). 

Second Isaiah

This anonymous prophet belonged to the ‘Isaian school’ and found his inspiration in the work of Isaiah be-Amoz.  He foretells the end of the Babylonian exile and looks to the Holy One of Israel, the redeemer who will renew the miracles of the Exodus, (Griffin, p. 75).  He refers to the capture and destruction of Jerusalem as a past event and the present state of the peoples as exiles in Babylon.  He also praises Cyrus the Persian as a deliverer for Israel, placing major emphasis on the return home to Palestine for all the exiles in Babylon, (Boadt, p. 417).

Third Isaiah

Post Exile, the situation was not all that the glowing promise of Second Isaiah might have led one to expect.  City and temple are still in ruins; the economic state is deplorable; there is no organized community; some do not scruple to make a profit out of misery.  In the midst of this, the prophet voices the conviction that God’s final intervention is at hand, (Griffin, p. 80).  There is also a note of urgency, as if many of the people may not have been listening to the prophet.  So there is a tension between the vision of a renewed Israel and the plain, hard reality which the exiles found on their return, (Boadt, p. 444).  Can you relate to this?

1^st Reading, 1^st Sunday of Advent:  Isaiah 63:  16b – 17, 19b; 64:  2 – 7  (3^rd Isaiah)   

You, LORD, are our father,
our redeemer you are named forever.
Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways,
and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your heritage.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
with the mountains quaking before you,
while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for,
such as they had not heard of from of old.
No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you
doing such deeds for those who wait for him.
Would that you might meet us doing right,
that we were mindful of you in our ways!
Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful;
all of us have become like unclean people,
all our good deeds are like polluted rags;
we have all withered like leaves,
and our guilt carries us away like the wind.
There is none who calls upon your name,
who rouses himself to cling to you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have delivered us up to our guilt.
Yet, O LORD, you are our father;
we are the clay and you the potter:
we are all the work of your hands.

From J. Sawyer’s Daily Study Bible Series, p. 200-204:  This passage is considered a community lament.  There is a penitent note discernible throughout, and the emphasis is exclusively on the divine initiative.  Notice that prayers beginning with “Our Father” were already a familiar part of Jewish tradition before New Testament times.  The Hebrew word translated “delivered” usually means “melted”, which would not be impossible here.  God has melted them (i.e. broken their spirit, shattered their faith) beneath the enormity of their guilt.  Even the feeble good they do is overwhelmed by sin, like leaves blown away in the wind.  The prophet seems to be connecting the sins of the people and the scenes of desolation and ruin in Judah; he sees forgiveness in terms of rebuilding and restoration.  Yet the passage ends with a positive tone.  The sinner’s hope is to put one’s self totally into God’s hands in penitence and faith.  This is our Advent message.

From W. Holladay’s Long Ago God Spoke, p. 215:  Some commentators think Third Isaiah may have been a Levite and that he was referencing to Moses in the prophetical books because Moses was a Levite.  If that is the case, this reading is a reaction to the new, lower status to which the Levites were demoted in the process of rebuilding the temple.  Whether this is true or not, it does reflect a community deeply divided in its religious outlook, a community whose power resided in a circle of temple priests who had grown fat and haughty and were concerned for their own privilege.  This angry prophet spoke on behalf of the poor and neglected and raised the question, whether the temple was necessary or not.

1^st Reading, 2^nd Sunday of Advent:  Isaiah 40:  1 – 5, 9 – 11  (2^nd Isaiah)

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Go up on to a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.

Imagine being told this news after the destruction of Jerusalem and exiled to Babylon.  Note the author still calls the people Zion and Jerusalem.  They are still one despite the chaos.  This is God speaking to God’s people…the image of the good shepherd with his sheep, sensitive to their needs, feeling them, lifting up the lambs in his arms and giving special protection to the ewes at lambing time  (Barclay, p. 45).  They have not been abandoned.

The return from the Exile, begun in 537, fell far short of the glowing picture painted here.  Later generations of Jews would have to await in patience the fulfilment of God’s word.  And the message of restorations might, too, be reinterpreted in moral terms:  the highway to be made straight was the path of human life; the kingdom was to be prepared for by repentance.  This text and a later understanding of it prepared for the fulfillment (for Christians) that came in the person of Jesus and w).as ushered in by John the Baptist (the ‘voice crying in the wilderness’…Mark 1:3), (Griffin, p. 76).

Think of the questions of these people.  From A. Ceresko’s Introduction to the Old Testament (p. 261):  Being exiles and strangers in a foreign land, they experienced many changes in which they had little control.  For better or worse.  Was there any reason to hope that it might even bring an opportunity for some to return to their homeland and begin to restore and rebuild?  How should they respond to the developments already taking place around them?  What were their options and how could they know what practical choices to make?  Should they continue to support Babylonian regime?  Should they begin to cooperate with those group undermining it and preparing the way for Cyrus and his Persian army?  Or should they try to remain neutral?…Perhaps many immigrant today have similar questions. 

How does this understanding of Isaiah and his prophecy touch you and your understanding of Jesus this Advent?