A disaster movie

In ever disaster movie, there comes a moment when the hero tells everyone that the disaster is coming. Usually a political figure says, "Can you prove that? Is there any evidence of that?" There never is. So the political figure, not wanting to close the beaches, or the campgrounds, or the amusement parks or whatever, keeps them open and sure enough, disaster happens. In the movie 2012, a political figure announces on television that everything will be all right. The movie's hero says to the damsel in distress, his ex-wife, "When they tell you everything will be all right, that's when you worry."

Isaiah never tells anyone that it will be all right. He makes it clear in his writing, "Don't tell me it's going to be all right. These people are doomed. It's not all right." When you tell people they are doomed, it doesn't make you a popular person at the time. Though your intentions are pure, and though later it might be remembered that you tried to prepare everyone, you won't be Mr. Popular.

I try to envision the first readers of Isaiah's prophecy and what they must have thought. Verse after verse, sentence after sentence of basically down-beat, depressing prophecy. Doom and gloom are the offering continually.

In the 22nd chapter we read, "A prophecy against the Valley of Vision: what troubles you now, that you have all gone up on the roofs, you town so full of commotion, you city of tumult and revelry? Your slain were not killed by the sword, nor did they die in battle. All your leaders have fled together; they have been captured without using the bow. All you who were caught were taken prisoner together, having fled while the enemy was still far away. Therefore I said, “Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people.”

I've done some things that folks would call terrible in my life. Just writing that sentence makes me ashamed. But God's mercy was such that he didn't turn away from me, even then. To have God say, "Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly," about something I've done would be the worst, absolute worst thing imaginable. Think of reading that for the first time.

Perhaps the initial reaction would be a defensive one. "Oh, he really didn't mean that. He was just angry."
Then comes the explanation one. "But, see, I had to do it because ..."
Then comes the deflective one. "I couldn't help it. That's just who I am, that's just the way YOU made me."
Then comes the most favorable one. "That's not really sin, is it? I didn't know. You should have explained it more clearly, because after all you know me and I would never do that normally."

Isaiah is talking about the siege of Jerusalem here when he describes leaders who have fled and soldiers who die without battle. They died of famine as the city's walls, built to keep enemies out, instead kept the army of Israel in. The people went up on their roofs (not the peaceful place of the song "Up On The Roof") to see the army that had built camp fires and put up tents and basically set itself for the long haul.

The "Valley of Vision" is simply a wonderful way of saying that most prophecies or visions approach God's people through Jerusalem, the city on a plain with mountains stretching in the distance. In other words, God was saying that the coming siege of David's City would be so important that visions would be seen by many. In one translation, it calls it the "burden of the Valley of Vision." And quite a burden it must have been.

The burden of telling people what they don't want to hear fell upon prophet after prophet after prophet. At one point Jesus reminds everyone that the prophets were often stoned for their trouble. That burden still falls on pastor after pastor after pastor. It is indeed a burden. No one wants to hear about sin any more. No one wants to hear about living for the kingdom any more. No one wants to hear they're not living Jesus' abundant life any longer. No one wants to talk about sacrificial living or tithing or whatever hurts.

If you say what you believe to be truth, you're negative. Or you're fired. Or you're simply gone. Sometimes the burden gets too difficult and the pastor simply turns away from his or her call.

Isaiah never converted a single person. Never had a confession of faith. Never increased the attendance of the Temple one soul. He simply told the people what God advised him to tell.

God whispered to Isaiah his verdict on the people. "You'll pay for this outrage until the day you die." Isaiah spoke truth. The politicos refused to listen. Disaster happened.

Makes for good fiction, except it happened exactly as Isaiah said it would.