Isaiah 55, CJB emphasis in blue and green, NIV in magenta or separate, Nomads* comments in yellow, my comments in gray. *Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC
[I
read the Bible to consider a perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political
philosophy, which humankind might return to after long neglect, then develop.
It’s partially expressed by Semite scholars of 3900 years ago in Genesis
1:26-28, in my paraphrase: Female&
male-human-being may and can, independent of other entities, choose to
constrain political democracy on earth (chaos). In other words, on earth,
humankind has the power to pursue the
good and constrain the bad. The rule
of law constrains democracy and yields to statutory justice. Yeshua affirmed these visions in Matthew 5:48,
18:18, 19:3-8, and in other direct dialogue. I think the next Bible canon
should include the law codes of Sumer and competing civilizations – political
and religious history from before 4,000 years ago. Resulting insights would
take the heat off Judeo-Christianity, a Messiah vs Jesus vs Christ vs Trinity
competition, and Yeshua* that egregiously deludes Yeshua’s civic influence. The
comprehensive view could accelerate collaborative pursuit of human being (verb)
and lessen baby killings, like those happening in Israel, Ukraine, and in the
U.S.
*Competitive
monotheism survives on divisive pursuit of good intentions that accommodate the
bad and brook evil.]
From Chapter
54, CJB, “says Adonai”.
55:1 “All you
who are thirsty [yearn], come to the
water [originator of
wisdom]!
You
without money, come, buy, and eat!
Yes,
come! Buy wine and milk
without
money — it’s free! [Since
money has no use in this premise, this seems an appeal to the rich -- and the poor.
However, application to the rich is difficult to conceive much less accept.]
2 Why spend money for what
isn’t food, your wages for what doesn’t satisfy? [Wealth and labor will not satisfy this yearning.] Listen carefully to me [Adonai], and you will eat well,
you
will enjoy the fat of the land.3 Open your ears, and come to me [Is Adonai the Yeshua of “Before Abraham I am”?]; listen well, and you
will live —I will make an
everlasting covenant with you, the grace I assured David. [One
reader listed 14 covenants. I found 26. See Note 1, below.]
4 I have given him as a witness to the peoples,
a leader and lawgiver for the peoples [V 4 depicts a monarchical
representative republic rather than kingdom.].
5 You will summon a nation you do not know,
and
a nation that doesn’t
know you will run to you, [It
seems from these words the favored people is Israel rather than humankind
(opposing Genesis 1:26-28).]
for the sake of Adonai your God,
the Holy One of Isra’el, who
will glorify you.”
6 Seek Adonai while he is
available,
call on him while he is still nearby. [Work to grasp Yeshua’s civic influence
while you participate in a responsible society. Your opportunity may suddenly
end. (That’s why I attend Nomads, a reliable society, and UBC, a diversity
seeker.)]
7 Let the wicked person abandon his way
and the evil person [abandon] his thoughts [Sam Harris would exclude
Jihadism. See https://unherd.com/newsroom/sam-harris-jihadists-worse-than-nazis/,
for example];
let him return
to Adonai,
and he will have mercy on him;
let him return
to our God,
for he will freely forgive. [Is :Adonai your
God”, “the
Holy One of Isra’el”, and “our God” the same entity? Does that
entity favor Israel? Does that entity overrule the God of humankind? I think
“the God” is more clearly humble to the mystery.]
8 “For my
thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways,” says Adonai. [Reminds me
of words in Gibran’s “On Children”.]
9 “As high as the sky is above the
earth
are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts. [Only because you have not accepted Genesis
1:26-28 – the image of Adonai.]
10 For just as rain and snow fall from
the sky
and do not return there, but water the earth,
causing it to bud and produce, [I think people like accepting the mystery and Yeshua’s
civic influence, found in the faces and voices of civic people everywhere.]
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater [the provider and the
consumer in an economically balanced market];
11 so is my word [Is Adonai the Yeshua of “the word”?] that goes out from my
mouth —
it will not return to me unfulfilled; [Yeshua’s influence to the good is
effective.]
but it will accomplish what I intend,
and cause to succeed what I sent it to do.” [If Adonai or
better wrote Genesis 1:26-28, eventually humankind will rule to the good on
earth.]
12 Yes, you
will go out with joy,
you will be led forth in peace.
As you come, the mountains and hills
will burst out into song,
and all the trees in the countryside
will clap their hands. [The world celebrates the good.]
13 Cypresses will grow in place of
thorns,
myrtles will grow instead of briars.
This will bring fame to Adonai
as an eternal, imperishable sign [really? fame? After 3900 years, Israel, if not Adonai seems
more infamous than famous. It’s a travesty that Christianity aids the killing
of babies in the year 2024. Nomads class seems leading concern if not reform.].
NIV, separately
55 “Come,
all you who are thirsty,
come to
the waters;
and you who have no money,
come,
buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and
without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your
labor on what does not
satisfy?
Listen,
listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you
will delight in the richest of
fare [See
below: live, rule, mercy, pardon, joy, peace, impact, endurance.].
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make
an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a
witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon
nations you know not,
and
nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your
God,
the Holy
One of Israel,
for he
has endowed you with splendor.”
6 Seek the Lord while he may be
found;
call on
him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he
will have mercy on
them,
and to
our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my
thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither
are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the
earth,
so are
my ways higher than your ways
and my
thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come
down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without
watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that
it yields seed for
the sower and bread for
the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will
not return to me empty,
but will accomplish
what I desire
and
achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy
and be
led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will
burst into song before
you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow
the juniper,
and
instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an
everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
[The blue highlights from the NIV
version construct the following message to me. Isaiah 55 seems the God’s
instruction on how female and male human-beings my practice Genesis 1:26-28.
Civic people, both rich and poor desire to rule their personal living to the
good. The civic leader delivers justice. Therefore, dissidents and rebels who
reform survive for mercy and pardon. Villains lose personal opportunity.
Everyone shares joy and peace. The earth celebrates forever.]
Note 1: starting from https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/74722/how-many-covenants-has-god-established-with-humanity-and-are-any-of-them-everlas
List of 26 covenants, to some extent, by the God to various
people:
1.
To humankind, female and male to rule
the earth: Genesis 1:1-2, 26-28. In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . . the Spirit of God hovered
over the surface of the water. Then God said, “Let us
make humankind in our image . . . and let them rule over . . . all the earth .
. .
male and female he created them. God
blessed them [and] said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue
it.
2.
To Adam obey or die:
Genesis 2:16-17. Adonai, God,
gave the person this order: “You may freely eat from every tree in the
garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to
eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain
that you will die.
3. To Cain to constrain
emotions: Genesis 4:6-8. Adonai said to Kayin, “Why are you angry? Why so
downcast? If you are doing what is good, shouldn’t you hold your head
high? And if you don’t do what is good, sin is crouching at the door — it wants
you, but you can rule over it.” Kayin had words with
Hevel his brother; then one time, when they were in the field, Kayin turned on
Hevel his brother and killed him.
4. To Noah no blood and never
destruction by flood: Genesis 9:1,11. God blessed Noach and his sons and said to
them, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. The
fear and dread of you will be upon every wild animal, every bird in the air,
every creature populating the ground, and all the fish in the sea; they have
been handed over to you. Every moving thing that lives will be food for
you; just as I gave you green plants before, so now I give you everything — only
flesh with its life, which is its blood, you are not to eat. I
will certainly demand an accounting for the blood of your lives. I will establish my covenant with you that
never again will all living beings be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and
there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.
5.
Abraham to be a blessing to humankind: Genesis 12:1-3. Now Adonai said
to Avram, “Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away
from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I
will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great;
and you are to be a blessing. 3 I will bless those
who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the
families of the earth will be blessed.”
6.
Hagar to have
descenants who are enemies: Genesis 16:10-12. The angel of Adonai said
to her, “I will greatly increase your descendants; there will be so many that
it will be impossible to count them.” The angel of Adonai said to her, “Look, you are pregnant, and you will give
birth to a son. You are to call him Yishma‘el [God pays attention]
because Adonai has paid attention to your misery. He
will be a wild donkey of a man, with his hand against everyone and everyone’s
hand against him, living his life at odds with all his kinsmen.”
7.
Sarah to royalty: Genesis 17:15-16. God said to Avraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are not to
call her Sarai [mockery]; her name is to be Sarah [princess]. 16 I
will bless her; moreover, I will give you a son by her. Truly I will bless her:
she will be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
8.
Abrahaam’s descendant
males to be circumcised: Genesis 17:10-14. God said to Avraham, “As for you, you are to keep my
covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation. Here
is my covenant, which you are to keep, between me and you, along with your
descendants after you: every male among you is to be circumcised. You
are to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; this will be the sign of
the covenant between me and you. Generation after
generation, every male among you who is eight days old is to be circumcised,
including slaves born within your household and those bought from a foreigner
not descended from you. The slave born in your house and
the person bought with your money must be circumcised; thus my covenant will be
in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. Any
uncircumcised male who will not let himself be circumcised in the flesh of his
foreskin — that person will be cut off from his people, because he has broken
my covenant.”
9.
To Ishmael a great
nation: Genesis 17:18-21. Avraham
said to God, “If only Yishma‘el could live in your presence!” God
answered, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you are to call him
Yitz’chak [laughter]. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting
covenant for his descendants after him. But as for
Yishma‘el, I have heard you. I have blessed him. I will make him fruitful and
give him many descendants. He will father twelve princes, and I will make him a
great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Yitz’chak,
whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
10.
To Isaac the blessings
Abraham earned: Genesis 26:1-5. A famine
came over the land, not the same as the first famine, which had taken place
when Avraham was alive. Yitz’chak went to G’rar, to Avimelekh king of the
P’lishtim. Adonai appeared to him and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt,
but live where I tell you. Stay in this land, and I will
be with you and bless you, because I will give all these lands to you and to
your descendants. I will fulfill the oath which I swore to Avraham your father
— I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, I will
give all these lands to your descendants, and by your descendants all the
nations of the earth will bless themselves. All this is because
Avraham heeded what I said and did what I told him to do — he followed my mitzvot,
my regulations and my teachings.”
11. To Jacob land and
descendants: Genesis 28:13-15. Then suddenly Adonai was
standing there next to him; and he said, “I am Adonai, the God of Avraham your [grand]father and the God of
Yitz’chak. The land on which you are lying I will give to you and to your
descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the
grains of dust on the earth. You will expand to the west and to the east, to
the north and to the south. By you and your descendants all the families of the
earth will be blessed. Look, I am with you. I will guard
you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won’t
leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
12.
To the people of
Israel, favor: Exodus 19:4-5. ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and
how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now
if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you
will be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine.
13.
To
Israel frankincense as focus of worship: Leviticus 24:7-8. Put frankincense with each row to be an offering made by fire
to Adonai in place of the bread and as a reminder of it. Regularly,
every Shabbat, he is to arrange them before Adonai ; they are from the people of Isra’el, as a covenant
forever.
14.
To Saul authority to
ruin a nation: 1 Samuel 15. Sh’mu’el
said to Sha’ul, “Adonai sent
me to anoint you king over his people, over Isra’el. Now listen to what Adonai has to say. Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says:
‘I remember what ‘Amalek did to Isra’el, how they fought against Isra’el when
they were coming up from Egypt. Now go and attack
“Amalek, and completely destroy everything they have. Don’t spare them, but
kill men and women, children and babies, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys.”
15.
To David’s
descendant everlasting peace on earth: 2 Samuel 7: 11-16. [Nathan
added,] “‘Moreover, Adonai tells you that Adonai will make you a house. 12 When
your days come to an end and you sleep with your ancestors, I will establish
one of your descendants to succeed you, one of your own flesh and blood; and I
will set up his rulership. He will build a house for my
name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. I
will be a father for him, and he will be a son for me. If he does something
wrong, I will punish him with a rod and blows, just as everyone gets punished; nevertheless,
my grace will not leave him, as I took it away from Sha’ul, whom I removed from
before you. Thus your house and your kingdom will be
made secure forever before you; your throne will be set up forever.’”
16. To David’s legacy: 2 Samuel 23:2-7. “The Spirit of Adonai spoke through me,
his word was on my tongue. The God of Isra’el spoke; the
Rock of Isra’el said to me, ‘A ruler over people must be upright, ruling in the
fear of God; like the morning light at sunrise on a
cloudless day that makes the grass on the earth sparkle after a rain.’ “For
my house stands firm with God — he made an everlasting covenant with me. It is
in order, fully assured, that he will bring to full growth all my salvation and
every desire. “But the ungodly are like thorn bushes to
be pushed aside, every one of them.
They cannot be taken in one’s hand; To touch them one
uses pitchfork or spear-shaft,
and then only to burn them where they lie.”
17. King David’s praise and recap of covenants: 1 Chronicles 16:4,13-18. [David] appointed certain L’vi’im to serve
in front of the ark of Adonai, to celebrate, and to thank and
praise Adonai the
God of Isra’el. You descendants of Isra’el his servant, you
offspring of Ya‘akov, his chosen ones: he is Adonai our God, His judgments are everywhere on earth. Remember his
covenant forever, the word he commanded to a thousand generations, the
covenant he made with Avraham; the oath he swore to Yitz’chak and
established as a law for Ya‘akov, for Isra’el as an everlasting covenant: “To
you I will give the land of Kena‘an as your allotted heritage.”
18.
To Hebrews who yearn
for mercy, peace, and joy: Isaiah 55:3, 7, 12. Open your ears, and come to me . . . listen well, and you
will live — I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the grace I assured
David. Let the wicked person abandon his way and the evil person his thoughts;
let him return to Adonai, and he
will have mercy on him; let him return to our God, for he will freely forgive. Yes, you will go out with joy, you will be led forth in peace.
19.
To
Hebrews who practice justice: Isaiah 61:8. “For I, Adonai, love
justice;
I hate robbery for burnt
offerings. So I will be faithful to reward [those who grieve in protected city
Zion (v 3)] and make an eternal covenant with them.”
20.
To Hebrews in Jerusalem
after being conquered: Jeremiah 32:36-40. ““Therefore, thus says Adonai the God of Isra’el concerning this city, of which you
say that it is handed over to the king of Bavel by sword, famine and plague: ‘I
will gather them out of all the countries where I drove them in my anger, fury
and great wrath; and I will bring them back to this place and have them live
here in safety. They will be my people, and I will be
their God. I will give them singleness of heart and
singleness of purpose, so that they will fear me forever — this will be for
their own good and for the good of their children after them. I
will make with them an everlasting covenant not to turn away from them, but to
do them good; I will put fear of me in their hearts, so that they will not
leave me.
21. To Hebrew prostitutes: Ezekiel
16:59-63. “For here is what Adonai Elohim says: ‘I will do to you as you have done — you treated
the oath with contempt by breaking the covenant. Nevertheless, I will remember
the covenant I made with you when you were a girl and will establish an
everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember
your behavior and be ashamed of it as you receive your older and younger
sisters and make them your daughters, even though the covenant with you does
not cover that; and I will re-establish my covenant with
you. Then you will know that I am Adonai; so
that you will remember and be so ashamed that you will never open your mouth
again, so ashamed will you be when I have forgiven you all that you have done,’
says Adonai Elohim.”
22.
To descendants of David
and Jacob: Ezekiel 37:24-28. “‘My servant David will be king over them, and all of them
will have one shepherd; they will live by my rulings and keep and observe my
regulations. They will live in the land I gave to
Ya‘akov my servant, where your ancestors lived; they will live there — they,
their children, and their grandchildren, forever; and David my servant will be
their leader forever. I will make a covenant of peace
with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give to them, increase their
numbers, and set my sanctuary among them forever. My
home will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. The
nations will know that I am Adonai, who
sets Isra’el apart as holy, when my sanctuary is with them forever.’”
23.
To Paul’s church: Hebrews
13:20. The God of shalom (peace)
brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Yeshua, by
the blood of an eternal covenant. May that God equip you
with every good thing you need to do his will; and may he do in us whatever
pleases him, through Yeshua the Messiah. To him be the glory forever and
ever. Amen.
24.
To Elizabeth’s Zechariah: Luke 1:6-7, 13-17. Zechariah and Elizabeth had God’s approval. They followed
all the Lord’s commands and regulations perfectly. Yet,
they never had any children because Elizabeth couldn’t become pregnant. Both of
them were too old to have children. The angel said to him, “Don’t
be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will have
a son, and you will name him John. He will be your pride and joy, and many
people will be glad that he was born. As far as the Lord
is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any other
liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He
will bring many people in Israel back to the Lord their God. He
will go ahead of the Lord with the spirit and power that Elijah had. He will
change parents’ attitudes toward their children. He will change disobedient
people so that they will accept the wisdom of those who have God’s approval. In
this way he will prepare the people for their Lord.”
25.
To Mary: Luke 1:26-33. In
the sixth month, the angel Gavri’el was sent by God to a city in the Galil
called Natzeret, to a virgin engaged to a man named
Yosef, of the house of David; the virgin’s name was Miryam. Approaching
her, the angel said, “Shalom, favored lady! Adonai is with you!” She was deeply
troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The
angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Miryam, for you have found favor with God. Look!
You will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you are to name him
Yeshua. He will be great, he will be called Son of Ha‘Elyon. Adonai, God, will give him the throne of his forefather David; and
he will rule the House of Ya‘akov forever — there will be no end to his
Kingdom.”
26. To introduce Yeshua:
Matthew 3:16-17. As soon as Yeshua had been
immersed [by Jochanan], he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was
opened, he saw the Spirit of God coming down upon him like a dove, 17 and
a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him.”
Updated on July 7, 2024
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