16 February 2011

Finishing the Quote in Isaiah 63

One of the speakers at the conference The Holocaust and the Bible quoted Isaiah 63 at the end of his talk, as an encouragement about the destiny of the Jews. The quote is from Isaiah 63:7-9:
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD 
And the praises of the LORD, 
According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, 
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.
For He said, “Surely they are My people,
Children who will not lie.”
So He became their Savior.
In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old. 
I love that passage ... but of course verse 10 follows verse 9:
But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;
So He turned Himself against them as an enemy,
And He fought against them.
Hmmmm... it's a bit more complex and intricate in regards to the Jewish people than we would care to admit. I am not saying this is the ultimate state of we Jews. All I am saying is that it is more fair to Scripture to read the "good news" and the "bad news" as a unit.





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