The Dream of God
08/27/2006 - Keeping The Dream Alive: The Prophets
THE DREAM OF GOD
Keeping the Dream Alive: The Prophets
Selected Portions from Isaiah
August 27, 2006
Channel surfing
A couple of weeks ago I was thumbing my way through the cable channels looking for something decent to watch sometimes when I'm flicking rapidly through the channels I'll spot a flash image of a scene that I recognize so I flick in reverse and pause on the familiar scene to see how quickly I can identify the movie have you ever done this? it's kind of like a game for when you are really bored
Anyway I landed on a scene of a man, played by Mel Gibson, sitting at his expansive desk in a richly appointed office writing a check to another man, played by Gary Sinise, who was sitting across from him anybody recognize the movie?
It was the movie "Ransom" a thriller directed by Ron Howard it came out about 10 years ago and I remember seeing the trailers at the theater and thinking it was one of those movies I just had to see just watching the preview had me on the edge of my seat as it portrayed a family man, Tom Mullen, who had made a fortune in the airline industry his fairy tale life came to an abrupt end when his son, Sean, was kidnapped and held for ransom
After days of being jerked around by the kidnappers, Tom Mullen decided to take a radically different direction he went on national TV sitting behind a desk with the ransom money clearly displayed and he announced to his son's kidnappers that this was as close as they were ever going to get to it he shocked everyone by declaring to the whole world that this ransom money was now the reward on their heads and that he was dedicating the rest of his life and resources to bringing them to justice
If you remember the movie you'll recall that this bold move struck fear and chaos to the kidnappers plans they began to panic and argue between themselves and soon their perfect plan fell apart and Sean was rescued, unharmed, and returned to his parents by the hero, Detective Jimmy Shaker, played by Gary Sinise
A quick ending?
The first time I saw the movie, I remember looking at my watch at this point and thinking, "this movie is winding down and there's still a lot of time left" have you ever run a time check on the plot of a movie? or maybe you've had the opposite experience watching a TV drama and looking at your watch and wondering, "only five minutes left before the news is this thing going to be continued?"
Well I checked my watch at this point in the movie "Ransom" and concluded that it couldn't be ending yet and yet, all that seemed left at this point was for Tom Mullen to write out a handsome reward check to Detective Jimmy Shaker for the fine work that he did to track down the kidnappers and rescue Sean
Still more story
This was the scene that I stumbled onto a couple of weeks ago while channel surfing as Tom Mullen is writing the check to Jimmy Shaker, he hears a sound and turns to see his son, Sean, standing in the door Tom can see him but the dectective can't Sean is frozen in fear and the camera pans in on him as he wets his pants Tom realizes in that moment that his son has recognized the voice of Detective Shaker to be one of his kidnappers you'll have to rent the movie to find out what happens next
Just when the story seemed to be over and everyone was going to live happily ever after, the plot turned and you realized that there is a lot of story left to be told
The story of "The Dream of God"
This summer we've been hearing the fascinating story of "The Dream of God" we've been learning to appreciate the Bible as a sweeping, epic narrative recording for us over thousands of years the story of God's dream for His creation
Last week, Scott Lidbeck told us the part of the story where Israel finally gets the perfect king, King David, played by King David the shepherd king what more could any people want they wanted a king like all of the superpowers around them their first choice, Saul, was a total debacle then David arrives he is handsome he is fearless he is powerful he is artistic he loves and cares for the people of Israel the same tender way he loved and cared for the sheep that he tended for his father he is perfect in every way
If God's dream was to bless his people so they in turn could be a blessing to the whole world then this King David chapter must be toward the end of the book what better way for God to usher in the new creation than through a king like David and a kingdom like Israel?
A twist in the plot
In a movie you look at your watch in a book you check to see how many pages are left after you finish the first part of the chapter on David you realize that there is a lot of book left the plot takes an unexpected twist
David slacks off
David's kingdom starts out great but it ends up a tragedy maybe things were going too well maybe David has too much time on his hands he gets too comfortable he stops accompanying his army in battle and ends up sleeping with the wife of one of his commanders, who he would latter send to the front lines to be killed once his sexual escapades became public, he loses a lot of respect, especially from his own family
Family problems
His son, Absalom, forms an uprising against his father to overthrow him and make himself king David has to flee for his life again and in the ensuing battle, Absalom is killed so Solomon is declared the heir to the throne and if you've were around Valley View this spring you'll remember what kind of troubles Solomon had from our studies in his journal called Ecclesiastes
On the one hand, Solomon builds a magnificent Temple for God but, on the other hand he can't resist taking hundreds of wives from the surrounding nations women who brought with them their pagan religions so now Israel is a confusing mix of religions on top of that, Solomon is bent on building spectacular gardens and palaces but he does it on the backs of his own people, forcing them to labor like slaves
The people rebel
Soon the people rebel against their king and the mighty kingdom of Israel splits into two kingdoms Israel to the north and Judah to the south their power is cut in half so now each kingdom is more vulnerable to the attacks of the world powers around them and while they are neighbors to each other the two kingdoms are not friendly to each other in fact, they consider the other to be their enemy since the Temple of God is in Jerusalem in the southern kingdom of Judah, it is now impossible for those in the northern kingdom of Israel to worship the true God, so the northern kingdom sells out completely to idol worship
A kingdom divided
What once looked like a happy ending turns into a long, slow, tailspin after a little over 200 years the northern kingdom of Israel is completely powerless and the entire population is carried off into Assyria 130-some years later, the southern kingdom of Judah is ravaged by Babylon the temple and magnificent palace are burned to the ground what once seemed like heaven on earth was now been reduced to rubble the people who carried the dream of God were now ripped apart from each other and exiled in foreign lands
Imagine the feelings of desperation imagine what it would be like to be ripped away from your culture your home your country your religion everything you had worked for everything your ancestors had worked for all gone all just memories passed down in stories with no hope of returning
The lifeboat is sinking
And how must God be feeling? N.T. Wright, in his book entitled "Simply Christian" says that early on in the story this problem rises up and continues to present itself over and over again throughout the narrative he puts it this way
"What happens when the lifeboat which sets off to rescue the wrecked ship is itself trapped between the rocks and the waves, itself in need of rescue? What happens when the people through whom God wants to mount his rescue operation, the people through whom he intends to set the world to rights, themselves need rescuing, themselves need putting to rights?
Keeping the dream alive: the prophets [BIBLES?]
How will God keep his dream alive when it seems the story has reached its tragic end? The answer is found in the prophets which brings us to today's chapter in "The Dream of God" called "Keeping the Dream Alive: The Prophets"
Now prophets were nothing new in the dream of God Moses was considered a prophet he was the voice of God to the children of Israel during the exodus from Egypt and their wanderings in the dessert Samuel was the prophet who gave in to the people's desire to have a king in the first place but as the king experiment started to go terribly wrong, more prophets were raised up by God to be his voice to both his people in the northern kingdom of Israel and in the southern kingdom of Judah
Prophets vs. Kings
These prophets rarely set well with the kings of Israel or Judah usually there was considerable tension between the kings and the prophets the kings thought there word was final but the prophets boldly proclaimed to the kings that God's word was still the final authority
Elijah vs. Ahab
One of the first and most famous of the prophets was Elijah Elijah comes onto the scene in the northern kingdom around the time of King Ahab King Ahab married Jezebel, a foreigner who introduces Baal worship to the northern kingdom King and Queen together actively promote Baal worship in Israel which included regular rituals involving male and female prostitutes the confrontation between the prophet Elijah and the King Ahab was a confrontation between the true God of Israel and the pagan worship of Baal
You may remember the dramatic showdown where Elijah challenges the priests of Baal to call down fire from above to consume their sacrifice when nothing happens, Elijah build an altar and soaks his sacrifice in water just to up the ante Elijah calls on the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Gods sends fire to consume not only the sacrifice but the altar as well the people of the northern kingdom fall on their faces and declare their allegiance to the one true God but even this is short lived
The prophet Isaiah
It was at the end of the reign of another king, King Uzziah, who was king of the southern kingdom of Judah, that another prophet, the prophet Isaiah was sent by God to bring His message to the people and to their king there is no doubt that these messages did not sit well with royalty in Judah consider these words from the opening chapter Isaiah [middle of your Bible, just after Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes]
Isaiah 1:21-24 See how the faithful city has become a prostitute! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her but now murderers! Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them. Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: "Ah, I will vent my wrath on my foes and avenge myself on my enemies.
Why is God so angry?
What about God's love? What about God's mercy? Why would God say these horrible, mean things?
God had a dream a dream for the whole creation these were his people, his family, the ones he had trusted to carry out his dream instead they were becoming his enemies they were creating his worst nightmare for his creation they were destroying everything so God let them know exactly how this made him feel and what he was going to do about it to assure that his dream for his creation would continue
God's words of hope
So while God used the prophets to pronounce judgment he also used them to restate his original purposes as the kingdoms of Israel and Judah self destructed and the dream of God looked like it was vanishing, God spoke through His prophets words of hope he used them to keep the dream alive
In the time that we have left, I'd like for us to look at some excerpts from the prophet Isaiah words that brought great hope to the children of God while they were in exile but also words that bring great hope to us today as we live out later chapters in God's amazing story so put yourselves in the place of God's children in exile and imagine the hope that these words would stir in you
A message of peace and hope
Isaiah 2:2-4 In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills,and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Can you hear God's message? a message of peace and hope a message not only for Israel but for all the nations of the world
A future King
Isaiah 11:1-9 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on himthe Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORDand he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. Infants will play near the hole of the cobra; young children will put their hands into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
An ultimate king is coming a fulfillment of God's promise to David that Scott Lidbeck told us about last week he will have the spirit of the LORD upon him he will possess all wisdom and understanding all counsel and might all knowledge and fear of the LORD and he will be able to tackle and solve the difficult issues he will be the one to finally address issues like poverty, hunger, and violence which have plagued creation since the fall imagine a world ruler like this imagine a world like this
An open invitation
Isaiah 55:1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
3-5 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."
12-13 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever."
Isn't this sounding more and more like God's original dream his original promise to Abraham to bless all the nations through his descendents Here we read an open invitation extended to everyone who is thirsty all nations will come running to take part joy and peace and song will be prevailing themes
A new creation
Isaiah 65:17-18 "See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.
25The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD.
The music builds to a crescendo, the special effects dazzle the screen God is announcing through his prophet Isaiah the climax of the story the apex of his dream the renewal of the entire cosmos new heavens and new earth Can you see how God's ultimate dream actually reaches back to his original creation He's talking about a new Garden of Eden a new creation
The ultimate homecoming
Maybe you've noticed a reoccurring theme throughout the story so far in this series a reoccurring theme of exile and homecoming exile and homecoming Wright suggests that this theme is simply a retelling of the ultimate exile "the real leaving-home moment was the expulsion of humankind from the Garden of Eden"
None of us has found our way home since
But we will God has given us hope that we will it will require another prophet a prophet who is also a priest and a king but I can't tell any more of the story now the story is "to be continued"
A closing encouragement regarding "Operation Joy"
But before we go home I just want to encourage us the community called Valley View to never stop pursuing the dream of God as I read the various prophets in preparation for today's teaching I couldn't help but notice how deeply God was disturbed by people who claimed to be his people and yet lived selfish lives some of the darkest words of judgment from the prophets were directed to those who were greedy who were gathering up stockpiles of wealth while others were starving those who ignored the poor and needy and marginalized who ignored the widows and the fatherless
Which brings me to this opportunity that Lisa has brought to our attention called "Operation Joy" I believe the dream of God for the community of Valley View is that we would be a people who would jump all over requests like this these school supplies will be the voice of God's hope to children and families who have all but given up it is such a small thing to us and yet to them it will be a huge encouragement
The gift of cleats to the boy in Greg Porter's story
Let's all stand together as I conclude our time together with prayer