Daily Prophets
Day 59
“In that day men shall turn to their Maker, their eyes look to the Holy One of Israel; they shall not turn to the altars that their own hands made, or look to the sacred posts and incense stands that their own fingers wrought. Truly you have forgotten God who saves you and have not remembered the Rock who shelters you.”(Isaiah 17:7,8, 10).
Unfortunately, “in that day” is the day that Israel, the northern kingdom, will be destroyed, according to Isaiah. “In that day” is a key phrase in Jewish and, I believe, Christian prayer and thought because it points to a messianic experience as I understand it. I just think that is not what the prophet is talking about.
I understand “in that day” as the day we all wake up and see the Truth of our existence. “In that day” is the day we stop building our own altars and worshiping ourselves. It is the day that we accept the realness of God and the debt we owe God for our lives, our families, friends, community, etc. In Isaiah’s time, and unfortunately still today, we believe that our handiwork is greater than God’s creations, we believe that our worship of false gods are greater than worshipping God. Even worse, we believe the idolatry we practice is actually worshiping the One, True, Ineffable, God. Oh no!
“In that day”, to me is the day when we accept God’s Will for us and renew the covenant we made at Sinai, the covenant we make when we marry, the covenant we make when we have children. These covenants all share commitment to something greater than our own selves, acknowledgment of our need to be connected, and our statements of love, compassion, caring and kindness.
Isaiah is speaking to Judah about what is happening in the Northern Kingdom as a warning, I believe. He is trying to tell us that we don’t have to wait to suffer the same fate. He is reminding them of their debt to God, I believe in the last two sentences above. God saved us from the Egyptians, God shelters us and brings us to our proper places and we forget. How sad and self-destructive!
Rabbi Heschel says the prophets: “insists upon redemption. The way man acts is a disgrace… together with condemnation, the prophets offer a promise.”(The Prophets pg.181). The promise here being “in that day” the people will return to God and leave their idols and their idolatrous ways forever. Rabbi Heschel also teaches us:”To Isaiah, God is “a rock of refuge”. What a beautiful description of how God has been, is and will continue to be for us, a place of refuge, an experience of salvation, redemption and hope.
Our politicians, once again, missed an opportunity to unify behind what is good for We, The People. I will not get the stimulus check, I will not get any direct benefit from the legislation passed along party lines, yet I am rejoicing that the poor, the needy and the strangers in our midst will see some relief. I am in abject sorrow that the Republicans could not find it within themselves to turn to God and not turn to the altars that they made/make. It pains me that they would rather bring down destruction and ruin for all of us than reach out to the poor and the needy in order to serve themselves and the wealthy among them. Tax cuts-YES, healthcare, help for the needy and poor-NO. They are recreating the times of Israel and Judah and believe they will not suffer the same fate. We have to tell them to stop their evil ways and return to God’s Will.
In recovery, we all have had this “in that day” experience. Being in recovery is directly linked to an experience of knowing the folly and the futility of worshiping at the altars of our own hands and believing that the sacred posts we built in our addiction/altered state are real and good. Being in recovery is remembering that God is our Rock and our shelter, God is our director and our redeemer. We turn to our “Maker” each and every day, through prayer, service and community. We are a diverse group of people from all ethnicities, colors, politics, economic levels AND we all bond together and see each other for who we all are: holy souls struggling with a disease that lies to us, that tries to kill us and our only solution is connection to another(s), God and our authentic self.
I have had and continue to have many “in that day”. I forget at times that God is my shelter and my Rock. I am blessed that I come back to remembering this and return to God. Each and every day is “in that day” for me as I wake up a little more and become aware of the way I worship idols and the ways I worship God. Each and every day I am blessed to see the errors of my way and how I “buy my own press” and live as a caricature of myself. When I see the destruction I have brought through worshipping at the altars I have built, I am in pain and I am grateful that God shows me the errors of my ways so I can be redeemed by God. It is a blessing because I get to continue to refine my living, my soul and grow closer to God, to another(s), to Harriet, Heather, family and friends. “In that day” is every day that I am able to see life a little clearer and be a little cleaner in all my affairs. How are you worshiping your own altars? Have you made the decision that God is your shelter and your Rock yet? Stay safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark