DAILY BYTE
Many people support the notion of unconditional love and acceptance - as an idea. But when it comes to the actual living of our lives, sadly, our histories reveal a different story.
The most graphic example was, of course, the evil of Apartheid, where prejudice and fear allowed certain groups of people to discriminate against others on the basis of the colour of their skin. The tragedy is that this still continues today. And not just racial discrimination, but discrimination of every kind. On the basis of nationality, sexual orientation, age, gender, marital status, religious beliefs, HIV status, socioeconomic position - the list could go on and on. And the deepseated conviction is that somehow these groups of people do not matter as much to God.
But to this the bible says an emphatic ‘No!’ As soon as we think that we have some preferential claim upon God’s acceptance over any other group of people, then we have misunderstood who God really is.
There is a passage in Isaiah 19 that illustrates this in a dramatic way. It’s often overlooked but is in fact one of the most radical passages in the entire Old Testament. To grasp what’s going on here we need to understand two key convictions that had emerged in the Judaism of this period. The first was that Israel = The Promised Land, Israel = The Chosen People of God, the instrument of God’s blessing in the world. That was a strong part of Israel’s identity.
The second was the growing importance of what was known as cultic centralisation. That is to say that the sacrificial cult, the offering of sacrifices could happen only in one central place, namely Jerusalem.
In this passage from Isaiah 19, both of these convictions are kicked on their head. A prophecy is given about Egypt and Assyria, which were the traditional enemies of Israel. But they are described, together with Israel, as nations where the worship of Yahweh will take place, and as instruments of God’s blessing on the earth. “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.”
It was a prophecy that would have shaken the very foundations of Israel’s prejudice and her justifications for discrimination. It would have been like George W Bush hearing God say, “Blessed be Iran, my champion of democracy, and North Korea, my agent of peace, and America, my servant of reconciliation.”
But if we are to affirm that God is a God of unconditional love, whose arms of acceptance are flung wide open to embrace all, then we have to acknowledge that our attempts to place limits on God’s love are a blasphemous distortion of who God really is. Of course, if we really think about it, we will recognise that this is truly good news, because it means that no matter what we have done or where we have been, we are still loved and cherished by God.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Thank you Lord that your unconditional love is precisely that – unconditional. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Isaiah 19:19-25
In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border. It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them.
So the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the LORD. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and keep them. The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.
In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance."
