PRECIOUS, HONORED AND LOVED
Isaiah 43:1-7 01/04/04
When comedian and centenarian Bob Hope died last summer, notable voices from around the country and from all walks of life collectively paused to say, “Thanks for the memories.”
Some of the observations were tinged with humor, as Hope himself expected they would be. Jon Stewart, host of the Daily Show, wryly noted that The New York Times had used an obituary to mark the occasion of Hope’s passing that was written by reporter Vincent Canby, who himself had died in 2000!
Hope was also the subject of a notorious premature obituary in 1989 when the Associated Press unintentionally published a notice of his death. The obituary landed in the hands of a U.S. Congressman who announced the news to the entire House of Representatives.
Then, only months before Hope actually expired, his obituary was posted by CNN, along with others, when the password protection was disabled on the Web site. Most major news organizations keep pre-written obituaries for famous people on file - just in case. These obituaries were unintentionally accessible to the public for 20 minutes in April 2003, and they announced the death of Hope, as well as the deaths of Fidel Castro, Vice President Dick Cheney, retired U.S. presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, retired South African president Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II.
The day after CNN’s goof, anyone who used their “search” capacity on the internet found Reagan’s obituary ironically titled, “Ronald Reagan Remembered,” a headline that, in light of his notorious memory lapses and his battle with Alzheimer’s, I hope will be rewritten before he dies for real.
This is relevant because the Isaiah text of today’s Old Testament reading concerns a people who had already written themselves off. As far as they were concerned, they were already dead. But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior, I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you, I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
The kind of hopelessness that makes us wish we were dead is not an uncommon emotion for us humans. When deluged by problems that won’t go away, when buffeted by the kind of storms that are given first names, when surrounded by blazing infernos of stress and anxiety, we often think we’re just not going to make it. There have been times over the past couple of months when I have felt that way.
This text is a reminder to God’s people as to who they are and who God is — something we, too, need always to keep in mind. It says, in a nutshell: Israel belongs to the Lord. God knows them by name. They were rescued, redeemed, saved. They were precious, honored and loved. Egypt, Ethiopia and Seba were given in exchange for them. God is with them. These words help us understand Israel. It says to us, as it did to the Israelites, don’t be afraid, God is near. Even in hard times or when death is looming, it’ll be okay.
Not that there is nothing to be afraid of - There are things that threaten to consume us. These are the kinds of problems that eat away at us, ravage us, reduce us to mere ashes of our former selves. These are the burdens that cause our souls to waste away, transform us into hollow shells of what we once were. These are the fires of life. It’s the burning, searing pain that seems beyond bearing. Every one of you has at least one story of facing those times when the pain seemed beyond bearing.
God’s word to us is that when there is such destruction in our lives, if we feel as though everything around us has turned to ashes — then we can rejoice, because God says that he is nearby. That fire — whatever it is — won’t consume us. We’re redeemed.
There are the things that threaten to overwhelm us. This is the stress, perhaps from multiple sources, that slowly rises like a flood, until there is scarcely any breathing room left. This is when the marriage, the children, the career all conspire to overwhelm us with burdens, decisions and anxiety.
God’s word to us is that if there’s a flood; if the rivers rise and rage; if the waters of calamity flood our lives, making us feel as if we’ll just about drown if things get worse, then rejoice, for you know that God is with us. We will not be overwhelmed. We’re redeemed. And that’s not all.
We are “precious” (v. 4).
We are “honored” (v. 4).
We are “loved” (v. 4).
We’ll pass through the fire unburned. We’ll walk through the flood unharmed because God is with us, making it impossible for the fires and floods of life to lay a hand on our souls.
But this text from Isaiah the Prophet not only tells us a lot about ourselves, it also speaks volumes about the God who is there to help us write our life’s story.
God created us (v. 1). Brought us into being. Gave us life. God formed us (v. 1). Gave us definition. Personality. Individuality.
God made us for his glory (v. 7). Gave us a reason for being.
God redeemed us (v. 1). Gave us back our lives ruined by sin. Made us useable, useful. Made us persons of value and worth.
God is the one who has called us (v. 1). Given us a mission, a summons to righteous living. God is the one who claims us as his own. “You are mine,” God says (v. 1). God is the Holy One (v.
