“For
Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp
that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your
glory. You shall be called by a new name which the mouth of The Lord will
name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of The Lord, and a
royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed
Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate …” Isaiah 62:1-4 NKJV
You’ve
no doubt heard the story of how a frog can be placed into a pot of water at
room temperature, but will not try to escape the pot as the water is slowly
brought to a boil. The increase in the water’s temperature is so gradual
that the body (and mind!) is given time to acclimate until the boiling water
begins to do its damage.
Of
course we cannot imagine this happening to us because it is impossible for us
to comprehend such a thing unless we actually experience it ourselves. We
would like to believe we are smart enough to jump out of a pot of water that
begins to boil, but this is part of what social science understands about
“conditioning”. Over a period of time we go through changes we hardly
notice. We fail to understand how easily we are conditioned over time.
Israel
went through the same social conditioning. They were taught about their
own religion, of course (assuming they put forth the effort to be taught), but
they were conditioned to the surrounding cultures they were previously supposed
to have completely destroyed. The Lord had assured Israel He would drive
out all the “-ites” whose religious and social practices were detestable to The
Lord, but this would happen only if Israel would faithfully follow The Lord’s
instruction to the letter. They did not, as we know, so there were
remnants left of a culture The Lord knew would entice Israel.
This
reality of how easily humans are conditioned is why St. Paul encouraged the Ephesians
to “walk circumspectly” (5:15) – that is, “think” about things as we perceive
them and take nothing for granted – to think about things through the
Scriptures and The Lord. If we only react or respond impulsively, then we
will do what is pleasing to our physical senses with little thought toward what
The Lord would ask of us, ultimately taking His love for granted.
Although
we are not offered excuses, the reality of how easily we can be enticed will
not stop The Lord from doing what He intends to do through Israel. The
Lord intends not only to bless Israel but to bless the Gentiles through
Israel’s “righteousness”. So maybe we can see how easily Israel had been
“conditioned” away from The Lord so that through the Exile, The Lord
would “recondition” His people back to Himself!
Especially
considering The Story about to unfold in the season of Advent, surely we can
see the great lengths to which The Lord will go to redeem His people, release
us from our self-imposed prisons and chains, and give us the Life He has
intended for us since the beginning! All we have to do is respond with
our choices, our lives, our decisions – and The Lord will take care of the
rest!
Let
not another moment slip past. Embrace the reality of this Love, and let
the Holy Spirit teach us! Lord, bless Your Church! And come soon,
Emmanuel!
Blessings,
Michael
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