May 3, 2019
Everyone enjoys rejoicing. We like to celebrate, whether it’s someone’s birthday, a victory by our favorite team, the marriage of a friend, or the achievement of some life milestone. But the thought of rejoicing without a tangible reason to do so sounds crazy. It makes no sense. And yet, in Isaiah 66:7-14, the prophet calls on the people of Judah to rejoice – even though their present circumstances were far from rejoicing-worthy. They were facing the judgment of God in the form of the Babylonian empire. Their destruction was eminent, and their future looked far-from-appealing. But here was God’s prophet telling them to “rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her.” They must have thought he was crazy. Somewhere along the way, he had lost his mind. Or had he? Isaiah was speaking on behalf of God, revealing to the nation of Judah the plans He had in store for them. And while the majority of those plans would not take place in their lifetimes, the people of Judah were still expected to rejoice in all that God was going to do. He was a faithful God who would follow through on every commitment He had made. They could count on it and rejoice over it. And there was no reason to wait for it. They could and should rejoice!