Gleanings in Isaiah #1: Woe to those who are unjust - Isaiah 10:1-4

This morning I was meditating on Isaiah 10 which begins with these words:

Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,

to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.

What will you do on the day of reckoning,
when disaster comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your riches?

Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives
or fall among the slain.
Yet for all this, his [the LORD's] anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

Isaiah 10:1-4 TNIV

These words are a powerful statement of God's concern for justice in society. We must not overlook the fact that one of the primary sins for which God judges and send Israel and Judah into exile is their unjust and oppressive treatment of the weak and vulnerable in society, namely, the poor, windows, and orphans.

The words of James 1:27 echo the heart of this and many other Old Testament texts that speak about God's concern of weak and vulnerable:

"Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world." NET

Christians must increasingly develop an awareness of (a) who are the weak and vulnerable are in their society (widows, orphans, the poor, immigrants, the unborn, the elderly, the marginalized, minorities, etc.), (b) where and how these people are being oppressed or treated unjustly, and (c) what they, as Christians, can do to stand with and for these people.

Justice for the weak and vulnerable is heavy on the heart of God, and we must face the truth that if we desire to love and follow him, we must engage those things which are heavy on his heart.

From A Starbucks Coffee Cup

The Way I See It #225

People don’t read enough. And what reading we do is cursory, without absorbing the subtleties and nuances that lie deep within – Wow, you’ve stopped paying attention, haven’t you? People can’t even read a coffee cup without drifting off.

-- David Shore

Creator and executive producer of the television drama House.

Coming Soon . . . The Trouble with 'X' by C.S. Lewis

In the collection of essays titled "God in the Dock," C. S. Lewis has a short essay about dealing with "X," that person in your life who seems to constantly make your life miserable or frustrating. I just finished re-reading it yesterday and will post on it soon.

The Anglican Spiritual Tradition by John H. R. Moorman

Find it on Amazon.com

Prologue

• Moorman introduces us to a fictional priest whose story he uses to explain the history of the Church of England’s separation from the Roman Catholic.
  
• Moorman helps us see through eyes of the priest the radical changes that took place when the English church broke with Rome and the pendulum swings that took place as various kings and queens of England imposed their wills – either Roman or Protestant – on the leadership of the church.
  
• The short fictional story is important because it teaches the readers the history of the birth of the Anglican Church in way gives helps them not only understand the facts but also the emotional and existential upheaval that the laity and clergy experienced during the genesis of the Anglican Church.

Chapter 1: 'The Old Order Changeth, Yielding Place to New'

• In this chapter Moorman begins exploring the reforms that the Anglican Church brought to Roman Catholic practice and tradition.
• He argues that there were three main areas of reform: (1) the introduction of the English Bible, (2) the introduction of the Book of Common Prayer, and (3) the wedding of Word and Sacrament.
• This chapter highlights the significant reforms that took place early in the history of the Anglican church that set the stage for the further developments. It also points out where the church reformed the Roman tradition while at the same time not wanting to totally dismiss everything Roman.
  

Gleanings in Isaiah

As part of my devotional reading, I am working my way through the book of Isaiah. While I am not asking the "three questions" of every chapter and writing three sentences to summarize each chapter, I do hope to post some thoughts and insights from my journey through the book.

Suprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis

Find it on Amazon.com.

Chapter 1: The First Years

• Lewis introduces the story he going to tell in Surprised by Joy.
• He explains that this book will be a sort of spiritual autobiography and begins to explain his concept of "Joy."
• This chapter is important because it lays the ground for what is to follow, particularly for Lewis' discussion of Joy which is key to understanding so much of what he has written not only here but in many other places.

Chapter 2: Concentration Camp

• In this chapter Lewis discusses his days at the boarding school and concludes with a discussion about his father.
• Lewis hated the boarding school which run by a cruel headmaster and did not receive a very good education there with exception geometry which he credits with helping become a better thinker.
• This chapter explains many of the early influences in that shaped who Lewis become later in life especially with respect to faith--it was during these years he "first became an effective believer."

Notable Quotes:
On coming to faith in the high Anglo-Catholic church: "Unconsciously, I suspect, the candles and incense, the vestments and the hymns sung on our knees, may have had a considerable . . . effect on me. But I do not think they were the most important thing. What really mattered was that I here heard the doctrines of Christianity (as distinct from general "uplifit") taught by men who obviously believed them. As I had no skepticism, the effect was to bring to life what I would already have said that I believed" (33).

On life at the boarding school: "There was also a great decline in my imaginative life. For many years Joy (as I have defined it) was not only absent but forgotten" (34).

What is Three Read?

In order to build better comprehension and recall skills in my reading, I have decided to undertake the discipline of summarizing the chapters of each book I read in three sentences and then when I have finished reading the book summarizing the entire book in three sentences. The sentences will roughly be answers to the following three questions:

(1) What is the author talking about?
(2) What is the author saying about what he is talking about?
(3) What does this mean or why is this significant/important?

This blog will serve as place where I can easily keep track of these summaries as well as have the opportunity share them with others who may be interested.