God Delights in the People of God—Lectionary Reflection for Epiphany 2C (Isaiah 63:1-5)

 

Isaiah 62:1-5 New Revised Standard Version UpdatedEdition

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
    and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn
    and her salvation like a burning torch.
² The nations shall see your vindication
    and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will give.
³ You shall be a beautiful crown in the hand of the Lord
    and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
⁴ You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her
    and your land Married,
for the Lord delights in you,
    and your land shall be married.
⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman,
    so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
    so shall your God rejoice over you.

************

                Many people have been taught that God is filled with wrath. They envision God as some kind of angry master ready to send destruction upon anyone and anything that doesn’t meet God’s expectations. When disasters hit a region, like the fires that have torn through significant parts of the Los Angeles Basin or the hurricanes and floods that hit the Southeast earlier in 2024, we’ll hear voices of judgment declare that this is God’s punishment meted out on these dens of iniquity. What I find interesting about these declarations of divine judgment on behalf of an angry God, is that supposed good people suffer along with the sinners. Now, Scripture does speak of divine judgment, but we must be careful in how we speak of it. As for me and my household, we start with the premise found in 1 John 4, that God is love.

                As we move into 2025, we begin with the season of Epiphany, which will extend into March. We’ve already pondered our baptisms on Baptism of Jesus Sunday, and now we get to hear about weddings. In the Gospel reading for the day, we turn to John 2:1-11, which describes Jesus’ visit to a home in Cana, where a wedding is taking place. The wine gives out and Jesus turns water into wine so the party can continue. The first reading for the day comes from Isaiah 62. This word is, according to most scholars, directed at a post-exilic community that is seeking to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. At the same time, they must rebuild their identity as a people. Having watched the reports of the destructive fires in LA, together with interviews with residents who have lost everything, we hear people speak of rebuilding. As they speak of rebuilding their lives, they know that things will be different. So, it would be for Israel after the exile. The question is, who will they be going forward?

                Isaiah (the one we identify as Third Isaiah—Isaiah 55-66) offers this word to Jerusalem: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn and her salvation like a burning torch” (Isa. 62:1). God, according to Third Isaiah, will not rest until Jerusalem, the city that was destroyed by the Babylonians, was vindicated. Not only that, but the nations will see this vindication so that they “shall be called by a new name.” Yes, this city and this people will receive a new identity. I think many of us have experienced moments in life where we experienced a change of identity. Quite often this change of identity required moving away from former homes and friends. I know that this was true for me. It’s hard to escape reputations if we stay put. In many ways, the exile proved to be transformative. Much of what we know to be the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament came into existence during the exile or after the exile. Could it be that God’s vindication of Israel involved a change of identity, a change that involved the people drawing closer to the God who had covenanted with them, such that they saw themselves as God’s people? 

                This passage from Isaiah 62 draws on wedding/marriage language. Isaiah describes God’s relationship with Israel/Jerusalem in marital terms. Of course, contextually, the language is patriarchal in nature. We need to acknowledge this language if we are to hear a word from God to us, who, hopefully, have stepped out of patriarchal views of reality (I know that not everyone has moved beyond patriarchalism, but we can always envision what that will look like).

                In this reading, God speaks to Jerusalem as if Jerusalem is God’s bride. God tells Jerusalem that the city will receive a beautiful crown, a royal diadem from the hand of God. In other words, as a part of the wedding ceremony, God will place a crown on Jerusalem. That sounds intriguing and even appropriate, assuming a crown or diadem is a symbol of marriage. But then comes another word, a reminder that Jerusalem/Israel/Judah had experienced an identity-disturbing exile (at least some of its citizens). So, we hear the prophet tell the people that they will no longer be known as “Forsaken,” nor will the land be called “Desolate.” As I read this, the recent success of the Detroit Lions comes to mind. In case you don’t know, the Lions have not won a National Football League championship since 1957. Just to give you a sense of how long ago that was, it took place a year before I was born, and I’ve been retired for nearly four years. Nevertheless, things have turned around. No longer are people calling into the local sports radio shows complaining about the “Same Old Lions” (SOL). Now they are excited about the two NFC North Championships and the possibility of a Super Bowl visit. No longer are they desolate or forsaken, they are champions. The same is true here for Jerusalem. No longer does the city or its people have to wallow in self-pity. God has redeemed/vindicated them.

                What is Jerusalem’s new name? According to Third Isaiah, it is “My Delight Is in Her” (Heb. Hephzibah).  Yes, God delights in Jerusalem/Israel. That’s good news because in naming Jerusalem this way, the land is now married to God (a covenantal vision). The reading concludes with the image of a young man marrying a young woman, symbolizing the builder marrying Jerusalem. Here again, is that promise of rebuilding a destroyed city. Therefore, “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”  

           This is all good news, but reality suggests that it’s not that easy to begin again, especially if beginning again requires a great deal of trust. Los Angeles, like previously destroyed cities and regions, must mourn first before they can begin the process of healing and rebuilding. In this passage, the former times seem like a divorce took place. The question is whether this is a remarriage or a new marriage. Since it’s the same people who form the bride, I’m assuming this is a remarriage. Those can be difficult.

              It is important that as we read a passage like this, which speaks of God’s relationship with Israel or with us it comes in a patriarchal package. God is the husband who supports and defends the wife, while the wife submits to the husband’s leadership. That vision of marriage still exists in our churches, which is unfortunate. Because the divine-human relationship is inherently unequal, we must be careful not to use that relationship as a model for unequal human marital relationships. When it comes to our relationship with God, might we rejoice that God is the one who liberates the oppressed from their oppressor? More importantly, let us rejoice that we no longer have to live as the forsaken and the desolate, but as ones in whom God takes delight. As we hear this word, might we affirm this word from Lincoln Galloway: “God’s work must be our work, and the good news is that God’s hand is extended to the most vulnerable of society. Therefore, we cannot be silent and cannot rest.” [Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, p. 63].