Isaiah Chapters 58-59:The If/then Contract with the Nation Of Israel

Cyrus Cylinder

Base relief of Cyrus

One of the reoccurring themes for the last few chapters has been what a lawyer might describe as an “If/then” contract between God and the nation of Israel.  Some aspects of this contract can be negotiated, but essentially the rules are determined by God and agreed to be followed by Israel.  They (or we) must measure up, or else face the consequences. Rewards are provided for those who fulfill the laws and curses are meted out to the whole community.  Offsetting communal punishment is the reinstatement of the Jewish people in the land of Israel.  Some of us have expressed the belief that humanity is incapable of meeting God’s expectations and that the bar is set too high. These people feel that the law functions more like an ideal that humans strive to achieve, but never realize due to the evil impulse within us all and free will. Observance of mandated mitzvot done with Kavannah ( righteous intention- for example, charity to the poor, Shabbat, etc.) provide redemptive possibilities for the individual and cohesion for the community. However, Isaiah does not commit to a hard date on the Messianic future or the arrival of the Messiah, which seems to be post- dated to an unspecified time.  Humanity, don’t hold your breath!  We continue on Chapter 58

Bob: Referring to 58:8-14 In this passage, Isaiah sounds a little one dimensional. Why all the focus on Shabbat?

Rabbi: I don’t think this is only referring to Shabbat. There are other issues as well.  For example , 58:9 “banish the yoke from your midst”, 58:10 …"offer compassion to the hungry…”

Bill: I find it very soothing.

Rabbi: I think it’s meant to motivate. This is an example of offering the carrot rather than the stick.

Jane: I draft contracts and I feel strongly that the contract God and Isaiah is drafting, contains a  “ default in the requirements”  preamble. In other words these stipulations are required for contract. These things happen if you don’t fulfill the contract.

Joel: For me this language is too legalistic. It feels like a medieval king addressing his vassals. I need a little more religious succor here.  It doesn’t feel good.

 

Jane: This is the law! By nature it’s legalistic.

Joel: Yes, I understand the rules of the law but it feels like a boot on my throat.

Bill: But, God will be there for us upon his conditions.

Bob: God always determines if we have measured up; if we have fulfilled our part of the pact but we never can. It never works out for us.

Joel: We always fail but we can bargain with God. This has worked in the past. We keep striving.

Bob: Really? Who can we sue?

Bill: Moses negotiated for the people.

 Ellen: Isaiah keeps referring to himself as interchangeable with God . Lots of “ I” I talk. This feels very egotistical.

Julie: The role of the prophet is not unique to the Jews .The Prophet speaks  for the God and provides advice to the king or in our case, the people.  On numerous cuneiform tablets from various kings, there is mention of the Seers, the Screamers, the Channelers… They had a specific place in the culture of the Near Middle East and held influence over the kings when their advice served to the king’s advantage. They could get away with saying things to power that others could not.

Ellen: It bothers me that Isaiah is always saying “I”, “I”, “I”.

Rabbi: This is just a manner of speaking in the Books of the Prophets in general.

Bobby: Isaiah is a leader and he is just conveying God’s message to the people.

Ellen: I get it, but it still bothers me.

Bob: Which laws are the most critical? Which are we to follow?

Joel: The Rabbis decide.

Julie: Who is being addressed in chapter 59? Are all the people being lumped together or is Isaiah/God addressing those who have transgressed – those who will be remaining in Babylon?

Rabbi: This is focusing on the people when they were at their most unobservant. We are being saved regardless of our sins. God is keeping his promise.

Jane: We are being held accountable for our personal behavior. We are responsible!

Ellen: It seems that everything bad happens because of personal responsibility. It’s always on the individual and God is always putting the blame upon us , with no one else to appeal to.

Joel: Good and evil, social and personal – this is complicated. This is still relevant and sophisticated  with or without God, because Isaiah is delineating the moral responsibility for the individual in a very modern way. .

Bill: I think the message is to keep trying. Keep moving forward and try to do better.

Joel: I think it is silly and problematic to interpret the messianic time in a literal way. It functions best when it is metaphorical. We must take personal responsibility and try to make the world a better place.

Jane: Progress is not linear. It is usually one step forward and two back.

Ellen: Referring to 59:13-15 “Rebellion, faithlessness to the lord,/ And turning away from our God,/ Planning fraud and treachery,/Conceiving lies and uttering them with the throat.”

 

This is very Freudian in that God doesn’t remove the evil impulse from the human drive, which he could have. Rather, we are expected to take personal responsibility for keeping it in check.

Jane: referring to 59:14 “And so redress is turned back/And vindication stays afar because honesty stumbles in the public square.

Where are the honest people?

Rabbi: Isaiah may be addressing the false prophets. He is possibly speaking in the public square.

Joel: It sounds like he’s targeting the rise of the new Capitalism. Jews derived from agrarian people criticizing city people’s trade. There may be anger towards those who are prospering in Babylon through doing business.

Rabbi: We don’t have any account of what the people thought of Isaiah.

Julie: True! This is not a call and response dialogue.

Ellen: For all we know Isaiah could be keeping a journal while sitting in a prison cell. Referring to 59:21  “My spirit which is upon you,…”   Is this something we always have or is it only for a chosen few? Is it short lived or within? It sounds like God withholds his blessing from some, even though he says it’s for all.

Joel: This is nothing new in the Tanakh. God uses this language as a way to impart a special blessing. He confers special powers to the chosen few, like Moses, David and Samson. This is above and beyond the regular blessing of Israel or humanity. ..

Rabbi: If you are loyal.

Bill: I interpret this as God saying, “I come in and then I leave. But while I am gone you must continue my work – make it a part of yourself.”

Rabbi: Those who are loyal to God get the extra special spirit.

Ellen: 59:14 implies that this blessing is handed down to the children automatically without effort.

Joel: This is a two- fold contract. We all get the basic blessing, but the special blessing of vigor, power, vision etc.  are given to the chosen few.

Rabbi: Joel, are you speaking of “grace?” That sounds dangerously close to the concept of grace, where mitzvot are not required.

Joel: No! It’s not grace, but it’s not simple logic either.  Judaism is not logic. It is a tribal confederation, conferred over several stages. Things that are said in previous books are not necessarily applicable or even revoked several books later. Moses, David and Solomon were all deeply flawed and committed evil, but they were conferred with the special blessing and these blessings were not revoked, even though punishments may have been given.  

 

Bobby: It all seems so arbitrary. We can’t always understand God’s ways.

Isaiah chapters 55-57: Endurance Through Faith

 From the temple of Marduk


    The Babylonian god Marduk

Isaiah Chapters 1-39 are considered to be Pre-Exilic writing; chapters 40-55 Exilic and our current readings, chapters 56-66 Post- Exilic.  The only way for the exiled to get past God’s punishment and back to the Promised Land was to endure the situation that they could not control. The righteous of Israel have kept the Sabbath and the Brit Milah rituals. In doing so, they have separated themselves from the “pagan” peoples with which they were living. They have taken to heart a renewed faith in God that had been absent in their community for so long. All people (non-Israelites among them) are now welcome to make a home in Zion contingent upon their adherence to God’s laws and the acknowledgment that there is one true God.                                                

Bob: In response to 55:13  …These (wonders) shall stand as a testimony to the LORD,/ As an everlasting sign that shall not perish.

Everlasting? We know that these blessings will not be everlasting.

Ellen: When it (good times) ends, this means that we have done something wrong. We have transgressed and will be punished.

Julie: When is anything everlasting? This is symbolic language.

Paul: In response to 56:3-4 …(anyone) Who has chosen what I desire/ And hold fast to my covenant…I will give them,…/A monument and a name/Better than sons or daughters.

It seems that in the past the covenant was made with an individual; for example David, but now it is being extended to all.

Rabbi: This is a reassertion of the covenant relationship with all of the nation.

Julie: This is a state that is internal; one that is inside each person regardless of place.

Ellen: In response to the nature references in 55:10-13.  Rain will bring vegetation and abundance. These are agrarian peoples so this kind of language is important. It is about the earth.

Rabbi: Yes, but it is more inclusive than this one reading. It is a metaphor.

Bob: There is the small picture and there is a larger one. This is not just about the bounty of the earth. Once people move from hunting and gathering they want to acquire land and this is where conflict between the individual and the community begins.

Julie: I think that there is always internal struggle/conflict.

Ceil: An ethical base is developing.

Ellen: There is an agricultural ethic too.

Jane: Referring to 56:6, All who keep the Sabbath and do not profane it,/…I will bring them to My sacred mount…

This is an, If you do this … Then you get that, contingency plan.

Julie: referring to 56:5-8.  It seems that all people are welcome as long as they follow God’s ways.

Bobby: More traditional temples would not be so inclusive.

Jonathan: There is a very abrupt shift between Chapter 56:1-8 to Chapter 57.

Rabbi: Yes, this is a big shift in mood. The transition is a bit jarring. God is now addressing the idolaters.  I believe this is also referring to the after-life (chapter 57:1-12.) The righteous will die in peace and the wicked will be troubled and never rest.

 Ellen: How did you get that from this passage? Do we really know what God is looking for? We don’t need to follow all of the 613. We just need to do our best and remind ourselves that sometimes bad things happen but it may not be our fault.

Jane: Yes, like the saying, “ Why do bad things happen to good people? “

Rabbi: In Isaiah, when bad things happen it is because the people have transgressed the laws. “My plans are not your plans…” Tikkun Olam is important but Isaiah wants the people to keep the laws too. It is not an either – or choice – we must do both.

 

I have heard the following story 3 times in the last two months so I will take it as an omen and share it with you. Each telling was slightly different but the gist of it was consistent.

A man is running along a precipice in an effort to evade a pack of hungry wolves. They are rapidly closing in on him and in a moment of desperation he reaches out and leaps onto a hanging vine. As he is swinging he notices that below him are more wolves waiting for him to fall. From a tiny outcropping, too small to support his weight, there is a mouse who is chewing through the vine. The man begins to scream for God. “God, God please help me.” “Yes”, he hears coming from above him. “God is that you?” asks the man. “God, please help me, tell me what to do. If you help me I will never ask for another thing and I will follow all of your Commandments.” God reassures the man and tells him, “Don’t worry about all that now, I will help you my son.”  Much relieved, the man asks, “Yes, I am listening God, what should I do?”  To which God replies, “Let go!” The man pauses for a moment then begins to scream, “ Help! Help! Someone, anyone, please help me.”

Isaiah Chapter 54; Awakening An Empathic Heart

The Yetzer ha Ra and the Yetzer ha Tov Chakras
 

In Chapter 53 Isaiah introduces the mysterious unnamed anointed one as he who will bring in the Messianic Age of peace, but will human nature have evolved enough to “make war no more?” What preparation is needed to be ready for this coming Golden Age? Well, Isaiah has stated that ritual performed without a charitable heart is not acceptable to God; the bar has been raised. Are we/humans capable of conquering our animal drives or will these drives be tolerated in the Messianic future? Despite our faults, we are redeemed in Chapter 54. God assures us that our time of punishment has ended in exile and we will be brought back to Zion in peace.

Carl: In response to 54:1 – 4 “Shout, O barren one…Do not cringe, you shall not be disgraced.”

Is God saying that this is the reason the nation of Israel  gets to go back?

Bob: No! This represents a fresh start.

Carl: Is God saying forget your difficult past?

All: Yes!

Carl: We broke all the Commandments and we were in a downward spiral. So why do we deserve to go back? Are they going to displace the non-Israelite occupants of Israel?

Bill: Carl, if you were taken from your home and others moved in… don’t you have the right to take it back?

Carl: This is not what it says!

Rabbi: It is saying, you suffered and now you can go back, but this is not the reason they are able to go back. This is the fulfillment of God’s promise. The power is God’s here.

Joel: If you want to see it in a more secular way, legally Cyrus owns the land and he decrees that the Jews can leave and take possession of the land as a vassal state.

Ellen: By the sword?

Carl: Referring to 54:4 “For you shall forget…” This is saying something different.              

Joel: They are not about being allowed to return because they suffered in captivity. This is merely a by- product. The analogy is similar to what happened in Europe after a pogrom. Survivors may have made a decision to leave for Israel but it’s not simply a matter of suffering. They are allowed to leave Babylon due to God’s promise to the people; their historical destiny.

Carl: Foreigners were occupying the region.

Bob: Are you saying this is a bad thing that they went back?

Carl: Because they weathered bad experiences they get to go back?

Rabbi: God has kept his promise and he is wiping the slate clean.

Paul: Who‘s land is it – God’s or Cyrus’?

Rabbi: Isaiah is telling us that it is God’s land.

Bill: The first time in Joshua, we got the land by force.

Joel: Yes, but all ancient peoples got their land by force and that continues till this day.

Carl: In response to 54:4 “For you shall forget/ The reproach of your youth”

Is this referring to our past sins?

Ellen: Wow, once they go back, they will do everything right and sin no more!  (Humorous sarcasm)

Ceil: And they will live happily ever after!

Julie: In response to 54:7 “For a little while I forsook you, / But with vast love I will bring you back. / In slight anger, for a moment, I hid my face from you”

This reads as almost comical.

Rabbi: How so?

Julie: God is basically telling them to get over it – walk it off.

Bob: All the Messiah talk is gone.

Ceil:  Well, this is a time to be practical. They are going to get the nuts and bolts of leaving Babylon.

Bob: God knows the people can’t live up to his expectations.

Ceil: Maybe this time it will stick.

Julie: Oh Ceil, you are forever hopeful!

Paul: Is the poem in Greek pentameter?

Joel: I don’t think so. This was before the Greek influence.

 The Rabbi reads some of the lines in Hebrew so we can hear how it sounds.

Ellen: This sounds like it was written before it was told. The older stories feel they were preserved by oral tradition then committed to writing.

Julie: I feel there is something deliberate at work here. The style is used for the purpose of illuminating a prophetic state.

Ellen: Like a horoscope, it is kept generic so it can appeal to the different needs of the people. Whatever works.

Rabbi: Referring to 54:13 “And all your children shall be disciples of the LORD,/ And great shall be the happiness of your children:”

This quote is inscribed on the walls of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. It is one of the most quoted sayings from Isaiah.

Bob: referring to 54:14 “And shall have no fear:/From ruin, and it shall not come near you.”

They are being guaranteed protection.

Bill: This is like the movie My Bodyguard. You can achieve a lot more with the big guy behind you.

Carl: referring to 54:15 “Whoever would harm you/Shall fall because of you.”

Joel: Keep reading Carl. God is saying you will win because of me. I will protect you.

Rabbi: Since the time of the Torah we have fought with God behind us. We must do the fighting with our own hands, but our hands succeed with God. God is pumping them up.

Carl: We are finite and God is infinite. There must be some degree of distortion when Isaiah gets messages from God.

Jane: When will we listen and learn?

Joel: We (modern readers of Torah) are like Monday morning quarterbacks. We have the hindsight of history. Those Jews didn’t. Of course we never learn, but some day we might.

Carl: The soul is put into an instinctual body which has drives. We seek out pleasure, but it is always short lived.

Rabbi: Yes, but we are capable of controlling our impulses.

Carl: Pleasure is short lived and so appreciated, but if the Messiah comes who would want bliss all the time?

Ellen: God doesn’t really have that many restrictions. It would not be difficult to follow the laws. We are not required to be perfect. We can’t change what we think, but we can change what we do. You can be a really bad person and follow the laws.

Joel: I think you are missing the point. In Isaiah God says that he is disgusted by our empty ritual. We must let God into our hearts. It is exactly the opposite of what you are saying.

Julie: I think if we do what’s right in a repetitive way, change occurs from the inside.

Rabbi: Doing good deeds doesn’t necessarily guarantee one is a good person.

The issue that Isaiah is talking about is the future of human nature. When the Messiah comes, can human nature change in a God- centered, God- driven era of peace and plenitude, or will our animal drives gobble us up?  Isaiah implies that human nature will change when the Messiah comes. Do we believe that in this day and age, with all that we know human nature can actually change for the better? Isaiah’s new “heart centered” action is in fact preparation for the new Messianic age. It’s that thing “We shall do and We shall hear” as the Israelites said at Sinai, (Exodus 24:37). As in Mitzvot, when the action is completed the process begins to change us from the inside.