God's Grace Flowing into the Boulevard
Afterwards you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with justice. Isaiah 1:26b and 27a
The Aaron Sorkin drama Studio 60 chronicled life producing a late-night television show. In the first episode, the proud franchise has fallen on hard times, with predictable jokes and a lack of bite to its social commentary. Alumni are coming back to resuscitate the show, and one of them quotes Pericles. Good things should flow into the boulevard. The culture deserves better.
There is something of this heart behind the flow in Isaiah 1, culminating in the end of verse 26 and the beginning of verse 27. The Great Physician gave His sober prognosis for the sick culture to which He speaks, with fatal idolatry contagious from the very biblical sacrifices of those who claim to be God's people. Not surprisingly, if those who at least go through the motions of attention to the Bible's details don't have changed hearts, don't apply His Word in their daily human interactions, the cultural elites who can find satisfaction elsewhere will do so. Without repentance, the culture is doomed.
Helpfully, hopefully, by God's grace, healing can be as holistic as sin's previous impact. As God works in individual lives with the expertise of a metalsmith, impurities are removed. His irrepressible grace even begins to show up in the halls of power where previously corruption casts its shadow. How sure is He of His power to restore? When humans want to convince themselves a new start has occurred, our advertisers give a new name, or our proprietors assure that a previously failed project is under new management. Not here.
God still possesses the ability to make all things new according to Revelation 21:7. In that verse, He is rebooting with the New Jerusalem straight from Heaven. Even here, in Isaiah 1, with a city that will be soiled again, God is hinting at His heart for new beginnings. Grant men new beginnings after I purify their hearts? Sure, He says, I can do that. Catch even the culture's influential princes up in My renewing wave? Sure, I can do that, too. In fact, I can renew the whole city so thoroughly that the same name on the same site will have an entirely different reputation. After repentance, yes, God knows Jerusalem is different. This is a reformation so thorough that even man knows Jerusalem is different. She shall be called the city of righteousness. She will be known for fairness in the same types of civil interaction which previously emanated a stench. Good from the source of all good has flowed into, and through, her boulevards.
Without theology rooted in this all-encompassing renewal, God's comparatively small remnant can use even Scripture to justify snobbishness. Our citizenship is in Heaven, we say, conveniently aligning Philippians 3:20 with our own desire not to intercede in prayer for our city, not to get involved. By remaining aloof, by convincing ourselves that we are just passing through and that God has no purpose for placing us in Jerusalem, in Winston-Salem, or in any other particular city, we talk about His care, we miss seeing it in specifics. Worse, we miss showing it to our suffering fellow citizens.
The Bible calls us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem in Psalm 122:6, not just to wish for the new one. It models for us that even as exiles something like the Hebrews addressed in Jeremiah 29:4-7, we can fully engage where God has us right now. Build houses. They are blessed. Plant vineyards and eat their fruit. Both are blessed. Bring children into your city, as disappointing as it can be sometimes. This is blessed. Jeremiah 29:7 is a crescendo. Four verses before the more famous Jeremiah 29:11, we are shown how big God's heart to bless here and now is. He says, "And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." Our vision for restoration is indeed too small.
The Aaron Sorkin drama Studio 60 chronicled life producing a late-night television show. In the first episode, the proud franchise has fallen on hard times, with predictable jokes and a lack of bite to its social commentary. Alumni are coming back to resuscitate the show, and one of them quotes Pericles. Good things should flow into the boulevard. The culture deserves better.
There is something of this heart behind the flow in Isaiah 1, culminating in the end of verse 26 and the beginning of verse 27. The Great Physician gave His sober prognosis for the sick culture to which He speaks, with fatal idolatry contagious from the very biblical sacrifices of those who claim to be God's people. Not surprisingly, if those who at least go through the motions of attention to the Bible's details don't have changed hearts, don't apply His Word in their daily human interactions, the cultural elites who can find satisfaction elsewhere will do so. Without repentance, the culture is doomed.
Helpfully, hopefully, by God's grace, healing can be as holistic as sin's previous impact. As God works in individual lives with the expertise of a metalsmith, impurities are removed. His irrepressible grace even begins to show up in the halls of power where previously corruption casts its shadow. How sure is He of His power to restore? When humans want to convince themselves a new start has occurred, our advertisers give a new name, or our proprietors assure that a previously failed project is under new management. Not here.
God still possesses the ability to make all things new according to Revelation 21:7. In that verse, He is rebooting with the New Jerusalem straight from Heaven. Even here, in Isaiah 1, with a city that will be soiled again, God is hinting at His heart for new beginnings. Grant men new beginnings after I purify their hearts? Sure, He says, I can do that. Catch even the culture's influential princes up in My renewing wave? Sure, I can do that, too. In fact, I can renew the whole city so thoroughly that the same name on the same site will have an entirely different reputation. After repentance, yes, God knows Jerusalem is different. This is a reformation so thorough that even man knows Jerusalem is different. She shall be called the city of righteousness. She will be known for fairness in the same types of civil interaction which previously emanated a stench. Good from the source of all good has flowed into, and through, her boulevards.
Without theology rooted in this all-encompassing renewal, God's comparatively small remnant can use even Scripture to justify snobbishness. Our citizenship is in Heaven, we say, conveniently aligning Philippians 3:20 with our own desire not to intercede in prayer for our city, not to get involved. By remaining aloof, by convincing ourselves that we are just passing through and that God has no purpose for placing us in Jerusalem, in Winston-Salem, or in any other particular city, we talk about His care, we miss seeing it in specifics. Worse, we miss showing it to our suffering fellow citizens.
The Bible calls us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem in Psalm 122:6, not just to wish for the new one. It models for us that even as exiles something like the Hebrews addressed in Jeremiah 29:4-7, we can fully engage where God has us right now. Build houses. They are blessed. Plant vineyards and eat their fruit. Both are blessed. Bring children into your city, as disappointing as it can be sometimes. This is blessed. Jeremiah 29:7 is a crescendo. Four verses before the more famous Jeremiah 29:11, we are shown how big God's heart to bless here and now is. He says, "And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." Our vision for restoration is indeed too small.
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