Healing, Restoration, Justice, and Sabbath
O Lord,
Give us we beseech you in the name of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, that love which can never cease, that will kindle our lamps but not extinguish them, that they may burn in us and enlighten others. Do you, O Christ, our dearest Savior, yourself kindle our lamps that they may evermore shine in your temple and receive unquenchable light from you that will enlighten our darkness and lessen the darkness of the world. Amen.[1]
(Columba)
Isaiah 58:6-14 NRSV
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.
If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
William A. VanGemeren
True godliness shows itself in a concern for justice and a love of the Sabbath. Justice is God’s concern and therefore cannot be limited to the Jewish people under the Law. God is concerned with oppression, slander, and unrighteous acts. The glorious presence of God will dawn on the righteous. The godly are likened to a well-irrigated garden (v. 11b). They are God’s appointed instruments of restoration. Such is the ministry of healing and reconciliation which God has given to his people—then as well as now.[2]
Matthew Henry
As sin and sorrow dry the bones and weaken the strongest human constitution, the duties of kindness and charity strengthen and refresh both body and mind. Those who do justly and love mercy shall have the comfort, even in this world. Good works will bring the blessing of God, provided they are done from love to God and man, and wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit. [3]
O God and Father of All,
We lift to you here our hearts and prayers.
For grace and provision in the coming week, we look to you.
For the lifegiving gifts of your word and your truth, we are thankful.
For the joys of life shared with family and friends, we praise you.
For the grace to live in grateful humility, we look to you.
For the many small blessings and beauties that surround us, we are thankful.
For the displays of your majesty and power in our world, we praise you.
For the promise of your constant presence, giving hope and comfort and strength and joy in the various moments and labors of the week to come, we bless your holy name.
May the rhythms of our petitions and thanksgivings become, in time, like the steady drumbeat in a long and unending song of your faithfulness, O God.
Amen.[4]
Two Hands
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Ancient Christian Devotional Year C, p. 201.
[2] Willem A. VanGemeren, “Isaiah,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), 510.
[3] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Is 58:3.
[4] “A Liturgy for Sunday’s Table Blessings,” Douglas Kaine McKelvey, Every Moment Holy Volume 1, p. 259.
