Daily Prophets
Day 163
“Now, thus says God:…Who formed you, Israel? Fear not for I will redeem you; Because you are precious to me, and honored and I love you. Fear not, for I am with you. My witnesses are you, declares God; My servant whom I have chosen. It is I, who for my own reasons, wipe away your transgressions and remember your sins no more.”(Isaiah 43:1,4,5,10,25).
Isaiah, the second, begins this chapter with a reminder to the people, God has created each of us individually and as a people. Every people, every ethnicity, everyone owes their creation to God and, Israel who strayed from their path of serving God, is reminded of God’s power to redeem. In a time where people were hiding, living lives of quiet desperation, and engaging in self-deception, deception of another(s) and mendacity-there was, naturally, fear they could never be redeemed.
This is certainly true today also-people will lie, cheat, help another(s) to die; just to not have to admit their own errors. These people believe that they are more powerful than God or worse-they believe that God wants them to lie, cheat, kill another(s) because Jesus, God, Allah, etc wants death over redemption. The opening verse above emphasizes how important redemption is to God. The next verse explains the reason-we are all precious to God-no one is not precious to God. There is no hierarchy in preciousness as I read the 2nd verse above.
Imagine if we would appreciate, receive, and live in this manner. We are all precious to God, we are all loved by God and no one is more valuable, dignified, etc than anyone else in God’s ‘eyes’, as Sanhedrin 37a teaches us also. We would no longer need to enslave another(s), no longer need to lord power over another(s), use one’s unique gifts to help everyone, engage in truth, transparency and forgiveness, ensure that everyone belongs rather than make them over in our image, etc. We would co-create the world that God is hoping for and entrusting us to build. Treating everyone with the preciousness, honor and love that God gives us would change and save our planet-It is God’s will and may it be ours.
God also is reassuring us of our connection by reminding us to “fear not”, don’t give into the unhealthy fears and the fears that cause us to hid, run away and engage in self-deception/mendacity. God is with us, always. How do we know this? Because we take a breath, we awake each day new and with a pure soul as our morning prayers remind us. We are able to change, we have to change, we redeemed and God is with us at all times, how do we repay God for these gifts? By being the servant that God is calling us to be. We, Israel are the servant that 2nd Isaiah is speaking of. Israel-people who wrestle with God, each other and ourselves- are the servants bringing the message of redemption, hope, love, care, kindness, justice, mercy and truth to the world.
Rabbi Heschel explains the last verse above so beautifully in describing 2nd Isaiah’s task: “he calls upon her (Israel) to sing and to rejoice. Israel’s transgressions are trivial and insignificant when compared with God’s love. Iniquities pass, even their memory may vanish in forgiveness, but God’s love for Israel, will never pass, never vanish.”(The Prophets pg. 153). Rather than misinterpret the ending verse above, Rabbi Heschel’s words and teaching help us put the verse in perspective. God is not being selfish, or trying to look good, God is redeeming us, forgiving us and wiping the memory of our missing the marks away because that is who God is! God is our Redeemer, God is our Forgiver, God is our Lover. 2nd Isaiah is bringing this message of song and merriment so that we can retake our place in the universe, no longer dwell in the darkness of shame, guilt and seek power for our own sake rather than for God’s sake.
In recovery, we live in the world of redemption, forgiveness, joy, truth, transparency, love. It is the world that God is giving us as a gift and we do everything we can to honor this gift of forgiveness, memory loss and love. We are redeemed, we realize we are imperfect and we rejoice in this state of being where we never have to hide nor engage in self-deception and mendacity. In recovery, we are in awe of, grateful for and honor God’s love. We humbly accept the honor of being God’s witnesses and we testify to God’s redemption of us and how this redemption is open to everyone who wants each and every day.
I have been redeemed is difficult for me at times when people deny my humanness because I am not “dignified, politically correct, and a liability”. Today’s reading from the prophets reminds me that God redeemed me and continues to. God’s love is more powerful and healing than anything and I experience through Harriet, Heather, my siblings, my extended family and my friends. I forget that I am precious to God and when I forget, I lose me and God/universe loses me and this is the greatest crime I commit. My time in exile has been uplifting for me as I have learned and relearned important lessons. Most of all, I have found the me that began this journey 34+ years ago, the me that continues to learn and grow-loudly and messily. I am grateful that God redeems me and that you forgive me. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark