Isaiah

I was studying Isaiah 15 and 16 in my devos today and couldn't help but to think about how detailed Isaiah's visions were. There are even details on what the conditions of the streams will be.

I have read that the prophets were God's "covenant enforcement officers." I think the description is fitting. Their job was to warn people of God's impending judgement for not following their covenant with Him. It wasn't always bad news, but it seems that is the predominant content.

It seems like the role of prophet is opposite of the role of pastor today. As a pastor, our job is to proclaim the Good News of Christ's resurrection. It is to announce the new covenant, based on better promises that God offers to all people. While we need to occasionally confront those living contrary to the covenant, we predominantly get to share the good news, not the bad (except for the hell, fire, and brimstone guys who love to scare people into faith).

I was thinking that in some ways we are the same. I think of how Jonah didn't want to go to Ninevah because of their wickedness. He wanted God to judge them and destroy them. Sometimes there are people I want to see God judge and destroy too. Fortunately, it's not my call! God loves all people and wishes for everyone to come to repentance. Ultimately, we need to obey God and share His message with even the "least of these". Like Jonah, we need to sit back and watch God work. We need to lose the arrogance and remember that we are sinners too, saved only by the grace of God ourselves. Unlike Jonah, we need to rejoice when our enemies turn to Christ and celebrate that we are now brothers and sisters in His kingdom.