Sunday of Moses (OTA)

Isaiah 29:13-21

¹³ And the Lord said:

“Because this people draw near with their mouth

and honor me with their lips,

while their hearts are far from me,

and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

¹⁴ therefore, behold, I will again

do wonderful things with this people,

with wonder upon wonder;

and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,

and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

¹⁵ Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,

whose deeds are in the dark,

and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”

¹⁶ You turn things upside down!

Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,

that the thing made should say of its maker,

“He did not make me”;

or the thing formed say of him who formed it,

“He has no understanding”?

¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while

until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,

and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?

¹⁸ In that day the deaf shall hear

the words of a book,

and out of their gloom and darkness

the eyes of the blind shall see.

¹⁹ The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,

and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

²⁰ For the ruthless shall come to nothing

and the scoffer cease,

and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,

²¹ who by a word make a man out to be an offender,

and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,

and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.

It is often confused in this world the difference between the creator and the created. Many of us like to build things. Many of us like to make something. It is just a little creativity. The problem is when we think that what we make, fix, destroy, or develop is our own doing. God is the creator of everything.

Likewise, our greatest sin is the lack of listening. We do not listen to the wisdom of God. We do not listen to the counsel of God. It is much easier to live in this world when we listen to the counsel of this world. It is much more comfortable to go with the flow, even when it is flowing down the drainpipe.

God is coming in Judgment of this world. I am confident that it is not my place to tell someone homosexuality is bad for his or her health, but God is going to come in judgment of all sexual immorality. It is not the church that judges people, but proclaims the judgment of God.

The Church does not only proclaim judgment and condemnation. Just like not only the nice people will rise to everlasting life. God sent his only begotten Son into the flesh to save the world from sin. God shares this good news with people. God tells people that they are listening to the wrong voices. They are listening to the World. When we should listen to the Word of God, it is there we receive the forgiveness of sins.