The Gospel of Isaiah: Highlights of Chapter 30

The Gospel of Isaiah: Highlights of Chapter 30.

WANTED: An imaginative scribe who can write exquisite poetry. A faithful, articulate believer in Yahweh who can switch from one extreme to another at the Lord’s command… from a sublime vision of God’s glory, to a ridiculous demonstration of shameful nakedness; from confronting the people over their sinfulness, to comforting people with hopefulness; from being an outspoken messenger one minute, to a living object lesson the next; from having one foot in the immediate surroundings one minute, to one foot in the future messianic realm the next. Must be adaptable, thick-skinned, and extraordinarily brave. Person who answers, “Here I am. Send me!” will be especially considered. (from The Jerusalem Post, 740 BC).

“Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, says this: ‘Come back to me in repentance! By returning to Me and resting in Me you will be delivered. In calm quietness and confident trust you will be made strong. The Lord is poised to show you grace, He yearns to show you favor, He longs to be gracious to you. He is waiting to reveal to you His marvelous love. Yahweh sits exalted on His throne ready to shower you with mercy. For Yahweh is the Lord of justice, faithful to keep His promises. Blessed are all those who wait for Him to help them. All those who abide in Him remain profoundly happy.” (30:15, 18).

The Waiting Father. I wonder if there is a better picture of the God of Isaiah 30 than what is found Christ’s parable of the Prodigal Son. In Luke 15:1-2, we have perhaps His most famous and best-loved story, the parable that Charles Dickens once claimed is “the finest short story ever written.” At first glance, the parable looks fairly simple and straightforward. But it is a surprisingly rich story with many profound layers hidden within it. There’s lots to think about with the Prodigal Son story, and if there is one main point, it would be that Jesus wants to reveal the true nature of His heavenly Father, the Father God of Isaiah 30 who is poised to be gracious, waiting to show mercy. We also know that the Prodigal Son parable was definitely a firecracker told by Jesus and directed to the Pharisees in response to their religious grumbling and judging. Jesus meant for the grousing Pharisees to see themselves in the story. He wants them to take this parable personally. And He wants the religious grumblers to see the heart of the Father and thus the mission of the Son to the least, the lost, the sinners. Jesus wanted to accurately reveal the Father to His audience, especially the religious authorities, so they would pursue a friendship with the Father and grow in their understanding of Him. The primary thing to remember in this famous parable is that the main character is the father. Keep in mind that Jesus is telling all of us what the Father in heaven is like, His character, His personality. Jesus in effect defined the meaning and substance of the Father in this parable.

In Jesus’ mind, the waiting father of the prodigal son is what His Father looks like. He in fact is redefining the inaccurate picture of the Father as an overbearing ogre full of power and authority, who loves to punish and threaten, who at times is distant and indifferent and other times a cruel taskmaster. Jesus paints a picture of the Father that contrasts with all that, a Father as Abba, a kind and forgiving God who wants what’s best for each person, a Father who genuinely cares for each person in the human family with an eternal agape love, who desires an intimate personal friendship with His children. Consider again the actions and attitude of the father in this parable:

1. A father who didn’t take offense when personally rejected by his son and asked to split his inheritance before the father even dies;
2. A father who patiently endured humiliation at having his own son waste his inheritance;
3. A father who responded with compassion when his wayward son returns home penniless;
4. A father who was actively waiting for his son to return, on a continual lookout for his defeated son, a father who seemed poised to show mercy;
5. A father who publicly degraded himself by running, which fathers aren’t supposed to do, to meet his son;
6. A father who physically embraced his wastrel son, saving him from the eventual village gauntlet;
7. A father who continued to pour out grace and compassion by repeatedly kissing his renegade son. This is a reversal of the typical scenario in which the repentant son is expected to kiss the father’s hands or feet;
8. A father who restores the prodigal son to full family status, giving him the father’s feasting robe, the family signet ring, and a pair of sandals that would distinguish the son from hired servants;
9. A father who threw a huge village feast with a fatted calf, feeding at least 100 people. Instead of rejection, the father threw a celebration;
10. A father who would absorb another public insult by leaving his post as the host at the feast in order to search for his ungrateful elder son;
11. A father who patiently accepts the elder son’s unwarranted insult and bitter attitude.

What’s just as remarkable as we consider Isaiah 30 and the Prodigal Son story is that the response of Isaiah’s Father God exactly duplicates the response of the waiting father in the parable… Let’s have a party and celebrate!

“You will have a joyous song throughout the night, as one celebrating a holy, consecrated feast. You will have gladness of heart, as one celebrating to the sound of a flute and dancing up the mountain of Yahweh, the Rock who shelters Israel!” (Isaiah 30:29).

“Let’s prepare a great feast and celebrate! Once he was lost but is now found!’ And everyone celebrated with overflowing joy… In his house was heard the music of celebration and dancing… Your father is throwing a party to celebrate your brother’s homecoming!” (Luke 15:24, 25, 27).