We all have favorites. Favorite color? Blue. Favorite ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip. Favorite Bible verse? Isaiah 45:23 and Philippians 2:10, 11. “You can’t have two favorites,” you might say. But what if those two verses are saying the exact same thing?
In Paul’s letter to the Church in Philippi, he quotes Isaiah’s prophecy to a kingdom on the brink of exile. This prophecy would bring great comfort to the people of Judea. Exile, by the time Isaiah was prophesying, was a vivid possibility and there would have been reason to despair. The words of the prophecy in Chapter 45:
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"By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that
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shall not return:
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To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance”
evoke an image of a God who is almighty, powerful, and exceedingly good to cause all other powers, individuals and nations to submit to, worship, and be loyal toward.
Roughly 800 years later, another prophet, the Apostle Paul wrote not to a nation displaced by judgment, but to a church that faced similar suffering. Paul chose to quote and expand upon the forecast of Isaiah in his letter,
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"So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and
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under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
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the Father."
Paul is offering the church the same consolation that Isaiah offered to Judah, that they would be delivered by the only God and Lord, Jesus, who is the same God that brought Judah out of exile in a far country, and back home. Paul quotes Isaiah to the Philippian Church because he has the same message that Isaiah had for Israel: “Hope in God. He will be exalted and you will be delivered!”
The former Chair of the Bible Department of Hebrew University, Shalom M. Paul writes that Isaiah 45:23 is “God’s irrevocable oath that all peoples of the earth will worship Him.”
The worship of God is what is at stake with Israel’s mission, Israel’s faith is not a parochial matter at all but part of a universal drama that will culminate when God’s word is fulfilled: “To me every knee shall bow.” This offers hope to the exiled nation and also gives them the anticipated fulfillment of their mission by the work of God."
The fact that 800 years later there was a church in Philippi to whom Paul could write a letter is the outworking of Isaiah’s prophetic invitation. The Philippian church was Paul’s first European church, established in c. 49 AD. The letter to the Philippian church was written just a decade or so later in 61 or 62 AD by an imprisoned Paul, possibly while he was awaiting his execution.
I love the letter to the Philippians because it is a joyful letter. Even so, its undercurrent is a sober realization that time is running out for Paul. His last message to this bedraggled church in retreat before the world is urgent — both due to the nature of the message and the short time remaining for Paul.
CSMSG and the church as a whole is wrestling with the difficult question of worship in a post-COVID19 world. Social distancing and refraining from singing are, for now, our reality, but Paul is writing to a church established after the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. And Paul has the same message of Isaiah: In the midst of suffering and uncertainty, hope in God.
My family and I say Compline every night. One of my favorite prayers reflects this truth,
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"Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we
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who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal
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changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Amen.
The comfort that he offers is that although they are suffering, and things seem uncertain, we know the outcome. The Lord will be recognized and worshiped by all — even their oppressors. Not only that, but this Lord will rescue them. Paul can offer Isaiah’s succor to the Philippian church because the two are writing to the same audience — the people of God who are waiting for God.
One of the most inspiring Christians of this age is Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. Through apartheid and genocide, he has trusted that God is on his throne. Through extreme suffering and hardship, he ever remained stalwart and steady; and unquenchably joyful — almost always pictured with a smile on his face. How? When asked about the meaning of Christian struggle and suffering, he exclaims, “I’ve read the end of the book! We win!”
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.
Peter +
