Isaiah’s Message: Rebellion and God’s Unfailing Love

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the Lord has spoken: ‘I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.’”
Isaiah 1:1-3 NIVUK

Isaiah started his massive book of prophetic writings with a vision that spanned the years from about 740BC to 700BC, across the reigns of the four kings quoted in the first verse of chapter one. So in a sense, these initial verses in Isaiah form an overview of what was to come, and he didn’t hold anything back. We don’t know who Isaiah’s father was apart from his name, Amoz, but Isaiah based all his prophetic messages on the covenant between God and His people, Israel, and, straight away, we see a charge laid against the Israelites for failing to understand who their Master was. It is quite a poignant start, as any parent will understand, in that the Lord declared that He has reared His children but then they rebelled against Him. 

How many parents today can echo the same theme, as their teenage children find that they want to plough their own furrows and move on, rebelling against their parents’ authority. They may drop out of college, or school. They may get into the wrong company and start on the slippery slope into moral and physical ruin, riven by drugs and caught up in crime. There was a Biblical character who did just that, and he became the subject of one of Jesus’ parables. We read, “Jesus continued: ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the estate.” So he divided his property between them” (Luke 15:11-12). Here we have it: a rebellious son bringing heartache and shame to his father, with a lack of respect and honour. Straight away, we can see Jesus’ take on the complaint made by God 700 years before. But the story continued in the next verse, as predicted, “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living”. The Israelites rebelled against their Father in Heaven, the One who created them, and the younger son rebelled against his father, who brought him up. 

But after a while, the son found that a life of debauchery failed to satisfy him, and eventually he ran out of the means to keep living that way. There was nothing like hunger pains and the demeaning task of feeding pigs to bring common sense back into his life, and the son returned to his father. But what was the first thing that he thought about, through the fog of hunger that was clouding his mind? His father. He must have gone over and over in his mind what he would say in that moment when he knocked on the front door of his father’s house, and we read, “When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants”” (Luke 15:17-19). 

But what about his father? He didn’t stay inside, mourning and moping, wondering what he had done wrong in his child-rearing days. Instead, we read in the next verse that he kept watch, “ … But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms round him and kissed him”. Back in Isaiah, we overlay the actions of the prodigal’s father over the way the Lord must have felt after rearing his children, the Jews, only to find them rebelling and going their own way. The prodigal’s father had the pleasure of welcoming a repentant son back into his house, but God had yet to see the fruit of His patience with His rebellious children.

The Lord’s complaint against Israel compared the limited knowledge of an ox and a donkey, animals that knew the source of all they needed for life, with the lack of knowledge of the Jews, who failed to understand who their Source was. Worse, they proceeded to work out their rebellion by pushing God away. So God looked on, yearning for them in the same way that the prodigal’s father yearned for sight of his own son.

We pilgrims were redeemed from a life of sinful rebellion against God. After all, what is sin, other than rebellion against God? God, as any loving parent would, set out the right way to live before His children. He warned them that choosing any other way would only lead one day to ruin. We pilgrims know the same, but we are thankful for the Holy Spirit within us, gently whispering in our ears, “Not that way; go this way”. Yes, we too get it wrong sometimes, but God, the Father, is always looking out for us, heading back into our arms.

Heavenly Father. We thank You that You are always there for us, and always ready with open arms to welcome us back home. We worship You today. Amen.

Headship

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you. But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”
1 Corinthians 11:2-3 NLT

Paul outlined an important principle in 1 Corinthians 11:3 about headship. However, first, we must define what “headship” means in the context of Biblical teaching, discipleship, and spiritual authority. Paul wrote that the ultimate Head of everything is God Himself. One of the mysteries of the Trinity is the order contained within it, and we read that God was the head of Jesus Christ. But that is obvious to anyone reading the Gospels and Jesus’ time on earth. There was a Father-Son relationship in place, and the first time this emerged into public display was after Jesus’ baptism by His cousin John. We read in Mark 1:10-11, “As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy””. Jesus often made references to His Father in Heaven, and this is portrayed in places such as John 14:31 – 15:1. “But I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going. I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener”. The respect and awe that Jesus demonstrated in His relationship with His Father in heaven were evident for all to see.

Paul also wrote that the head of man is Christ. This means that Christ is the ultimate authority and source of spiritual life for men, something that we male believers need to take extremely seriously. It defines an order that cuts across some popular misconceptions, because it puts the spiritual life of a man centrally in his relationship with God. So a believing man, regardless of his relationship with anyone else, is responsible and accountable to Christ for all that matters in his life. No one else has the authority to usurp that order. 

The last thing that Paul highlighted in 1 Corinthians 11:3 was the principle that a man is the head of a woman. Such a thought is, understandably, difficult for women today to embrace because it is so counter-cultural in its concept and application. In Ephesians 5:21-24, Paul wrote, “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Saviour of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything”. Once again, Paul wrote that a man is the head of a woman, in this case, his wife, and the word “submit” emerges in the text. But the man’s role in all of this is contained in the next two verses in Ephesians. “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word”. This principle of laying down one’s life for another is central to the relationship between a man and a woman, particularly when they are married. But we should note that the “church” contains both men and women (and children) and there is a need for every believer to nurture their spiritual lives in their relationship with Christ.

What is the impact of this hierarchical order on believers today, and in a society that promotes equality between the sexes? Firstly, male believers have a responsibility to look to Christ as their head, looking to Him for all aspects of their lives. In their decision-making. In their spiritual lives. Being accountable to Jesus for all that they do. Secondly, regarding women, they should not extend the principle of spiritual authority beyond what Paul’s teaching actually says. Men do not have a dictatorial right over a woman, although some men think they do. The principle of loving wives is a sacrificial one, and makes the man responsible for his wife’s well-being. However, there are many single women in society today who are quite comfortable with their singleness and have applied the principle of Christ’s headship to their spiritual lives. Without the opportunity of a male figure in their lives, they perhaps, when needed, should seek out the spiritual advice of their father, or pastor or some other male leader in their church or fellowship. But that is advice that applies to everyone when God’s counsel is required. 

One other thing, some churches have female pastors. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:12, “I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly”. I don’t believe that having a female pastor leading a church is ideal, particularly if the pastor is on their own. However, sometimes, when a male leader is absent from a church leadership, a woman will step into the role, and God will use her to lead His church. God will anoint such a woman for the task of a leader or a pastor. 

Dear Heavenly Father. In this emotive and misunderstood area of Christian relations, we pray for Your guidance and leadership at every step. We love You, Lord, and worship You today, with a grateful heart for all that You have done for us. Amen.