Daily Prophets
Day 48
“God said to Isaiah: Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz (king of Judah)…And say to him:Be firm and be calm. Do not be afraid and do not lose heart… But Ahaz replied: I will not ask and I will not test the Lord. Listen House of David (Isaiah) retorted, is it not enough that you treat people as helpless that you also treat my God as helpless?(Isaiah 7:3,4,12, 13).
Isaiah is trying to assure Ahaz not to make a pact with Assyria that will ultimately destroy Judah by leading them to idolatry. Isaiah is speaking in God’s name and saying to him the same advice that Moses said to Joshua; stay aware and realize the assistance God is giving you and will give you to defeat your enemies. I see this as a call to all of us as well. When I call out to an outside/alien force to defeat our inner demons, we are engaging in idolatry and, usually, things get worse in the long run.
Isaiah goes on to let Ahaz know that God is willing to be tested, if Ahaz cannot just accept Isaiah’s words. While it may seem very pious for Ahaz to refuse to ask and test God in verse 12, I see arrogance. God is calling out through God’s prophet and the king, is not willing to ask for help nor see if help could come to him. He has compartmentalized God, faith and Judaism. They are something for the Temple, not for politics; they are something for the Temple, not war; they are something for the Temple, not everyday life; according to the way Ahaz is thinking, speaking and acting.
Isaiah is livid, he is so angry that Ahaz is unwilling to accept help from God, yet will accept help, even solicit help, from Assyria! He encapsulates the issue in one sentence; verse 13 above. Ahaz ‘kisses up and shits down’ - he will woo the King of Assyria, eventually cause the ruin of Judah and he will treat his subjects as helpless and with disdain and dishonor. We are still refuse help from God, when we treat others as helpless, when we think we are the smartest person in the room, when we bully etc.
Rabbi Heschel says in his book The Prophets on page 64: “The issue was to let faith be the guide in a public life; other people’s lives were at stake; the culture of the country was in peril. ..So Ahaz decided that it was more expedient to be “son and servant to the King of Assyria than son and servant to the invisible God.” Throughout our history this has been the issue, hasn’t it? It is never about service, it is about whom/what do we serve. While, as Rabbi Heschel says, it was reasonable for Ahaz to go with expediency, it was/is wrong. The name of Isaiah’s son means “a remnant will return to God and be saved”; a clear indication that Ahaz’ decision to rely on Assyria would lead to destruction and ruin, yet he was too scared, stubborn, blinded to realize this.
How true this is for our political leaders as well. They speak about God, just don’t rely on God. All spiritual disciplines have at their core: justice, truth, love, compassion, caring and kindness, according to the Dalai Lama at a lecture I attended with other faith leaders years ago. Yet our political leaders are more interested in making pacts with outside powers who will eventually lead them to ruin, than relying on the inner call of their souls, the call of God to help one another, to care for one another, to “love your neighbor as yourself”. Will they learn Isaiah before it is too late?
In recovery, we know that God is the help we need. The 2nd step; “Came to believe a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity” is the bridge between acknowledging the problem and surrendering to God’s will. In recovery, we have tested and asked God for help and God has always helped, we haven’t always been willing to accept the help or like the help! In recovery, accepting God’s help is the only thing that gives us the strength and courage to move forward. We have been Ahaz and we have lost everything. Now, in recovery, we have a deep belief in Isaiah’s words and we live them so we can continue to grow our recovery and our souls.
Reliance on God is the foundation of my life and has been for over 34 years. Reliance on ‘other kings’ has led me to disappointment and inner turmoil over this same period of time. Immersing myself in these verses, I realize how I relied on God and, at the same time, relied on ‘Assyria’. I relied on people who I thought/needed to see as people who relied on God, yet actually relied on themselves and what they could get. I am also guilty of this behavior as well, in hindsight. I know that I have been able to stand firm and not lose heart because of my reliance on God and not myself nor others. I also know the pain of relying on another(s) who is ‘Assyria’ because what they want is for them, what I wanted was for us. I have been doing a lot of inventory these past few days and I realize that when I spoke just for God and another(s), I was okay and when I spoke with my ego involved, I wasn’t nor did it work out well. I work hard to keep my arrogance in check and treat each person in the way they need to be treated and speak to them in ways they can understand. My inner life has been torn up in my recovery and every time there is a remnant that turns to God, is healed and grows stronger. How and when are you relying on outside powers? When and how do you rely on God? Stay safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark