The vineyard of the LORD Almighty
is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
Isaiah 5:1-7
According to Isaiah, the story of God and his people Israel goes like this:
God turned a single nomad into a great nation. He gave them the best real estate on earth. He had a few expectations: Love each other. Take care of the down and out. Bless your neighbors. But when God comes by to check-in, all he sees is bloodshed. All he hears are cries of distress.
It’s a sobering thought: God coming in to check in on you. Hoping to see you’ve been a blessing to those all around you.
I like advent because I get to indulge my pensive personality and pray “God, why haven’t you shown up in my pain?” and “Jesus, you sure are taking a long time to get back!” But I read this and wonder if God is waiting on me, too. Wondering why I have allowed so much bloodshed and distress on my watch.
It’s Advent, and God is waiting.
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