Isaiah Week Four: Healing Hands

I was tempted to skip chapter three. It is kinda depressing if I’m being honest. Isaiah goes into macabre detail about the coming judgment when Babylon eventually takes Judah into captivity. God is going to remove all wise rulers. We see this historically fulfilled. The first wave taken to Babylon (with Daniel), were primarily nobles – almost attempts at guarantees of good behavior for those remaining. The second wave taken were the skilled craftsmen and more local leaders. Judah would be left with immature rulers. By the time we get towards the end of Isaiah three we read, “In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; the signet rings and nose rings; the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans and the veils.”

He says there will rottenness, baldness, sackcloth, branding, and death – a wretched description of the final destruction when Jerusalem was demolished. Nebuchadnezzar had tried his own version of patience but by the third time he besieged Jerusalem, he was done with their rebellion. He razed almost all of it to the ground. The suffering was devastating. This chapter describes a world without beauty but also, in some ways, a world without hope.

Israel has had so many devastating moments throughout their history. They have had moments of rebuilding but there will come a day when the devastation will feel complete. They will be surrounded on all sides and abandoned by all allies. Yet in that instant of total abandonment, they will see clearly for the first time. Their denial of Jesus as their foretold Messiah will shift into focus. They will look on him who they have pierced (Is. 53) and they will call out to the only one who can deliver them. And what glorious deliverance is promised.

In Isaiah sixty-one we read, “The LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…to give a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit” (Is. 61:1-3). I’m sure we’ll talk more about these verses if we make it all the way to chapter sixty-one but think about the symmetry of these promises. The utter devastation that will be wrought as a result of their rebellion and then the total restoration. Everything that he takes away in judgment will be given back in rejoicing once they repent and seek his face.

Going back to chapter three for a minute, verses six and seven talk about a man who refuses to lead. The people are searching for someone to give them direction or guidance but the one who is chosen says, “I will not be a healer” (v. 6). That word “healer” could be translated a “binder of wounds.” He will not give more because he feels that he is empty. He declares that he has nothing to give. How often do we look for someone or something to bind up our spirits and hurts? Our standards are often pretty low. These people were content with someone who had a cloak. We might think they were foolish but what do we substitute? What do we use to bind our spirits? Retail therapy, our favorite food, an unhealthy relationship, things that sparkle, noise from social media, friendships and fun that receive priority? Yet think about the promise again in Isaiah 61 – he has come to “bind up the brokenhearted” (v. 1). Yes, he will restore what was ruined in judgment (and through their own sin) but beyond that, he will heal their hearts. He takes our innermost desires, longings, hurts, pains, and vulnerabilities and is willing, eager even, to heal them and meet our needs.

I’m not saying that he will give us all of our desires. He isn’t a genie or vending machine. However, he has promised to give us more – never less than our desires. He will give us better, holier, wiser, eternal, soul-satisfying gifts from his very sufficiency and in his perfect timing. We’re heading into Valentines this week and as we celebrate love, remember the only source of perfect love. Let’s remember that he alone can bind up our hearts and make them whole, holy, and wholly his. Once we are assured of his love for us, we can love one another. We can be ministers of reconciliation. We cannot “fix” people. However, we can point them to Jesus. We can lead, love, and speak truth in grace as we point them to the one with healing in his hands.