David Bahn – Reflections

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Today’s readings: Zephaniah 1-3, Psalm 56.

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
    shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
    O daughter of Jerusalem!
¹⁵ The LORD has taken away the judgments against you;
    he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
    you shall never again fear evil.
¹⁶ On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
    let not your hands grow weak.
¹⁷ The LORD your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
¹⁸ I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
    so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
¹⁹ Behold, at that time I will deal
    with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
    and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
    and renown in all the earth.
²⁰ At that time I will bring you in,
    at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
    among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
    before your eyes,” says the LORD.

There is a remarkable verse here in Zephaniah 3:17. God says, “He will rejoice over you with singing.” (NIV) The ESV is a bit jarring to me, saying that God “will exult over you with loud singing.” I like the word exult. I’m not sure I like the “loud singing” part. But tell that to a soccer fan. They fill up the stadium with singing!

This is a remarkable verse because the Bible tells us many times that we should sing to God. But only here does it tell us that God sings over us. Set that beside the opening words of Zephaniah’s prophecy, and you have quite a contrast:

“I will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
“I will sweep away man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds of the heavens
and the fish of the sea,
and the rubble with the wicked.
I will cut off mankind
from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
(Zephaniah 1:2–3)

Yet the book ends in a completely different key. Zephaniah closes on this beautiful note (pun intended!). It is a dramatic conclusion. God promises not only to sing over his people, but to save them, quiet them with his love, gather them, restore them, and dwell in their midst.

And so he sings. I’m guessing that God does not sing off-key! But seriously, the fact that God sings over us says something about his heart. Think of when you sing. Maybe it’s while rocking a child who is fighting sleep. Perhaps it’s when your favorite song comes on the radio. Maybe you’re someone who sings in church with gusto. Or perhaps you sing quietly. Or only in the shower?!

God’s song rises out of his mercy, redemption, and the restoration of his people. He delights so much in us that he woos and draws us closer and closer. Then he promises to be with us. With us—at our side. With us—in solidarity. With us—as his protecting presence. With us because he delights in us and desires us near.

The contrast between the opening words of Zephaniah and the closing words of his book points to something else. God promises to restore the honor of his people. He will restore their fortunes. Why? So that the nations might see what it looks like to live under God’s gracious favor.

The beauty of this passage is found in its verbs. After calling us to sing, every decisive action belongs to God. He saves. He rejoices. He quiets. He sings. He gathers. He restores. We simply receive what only he can give. Jesus has made that possible through his death and resurrection. On the Last Day we will experience these promises in all their fullness. Until then, live in the assurance of God’s song of love, knowing that he delights in us so deeply that he sings over us with favor, grace, and love.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: 2 Kings 23, 2 Chronicles 34-35, Psalm 55.

2 Chronicles 34:1-7

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. ³ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. ⁴ And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶ And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, ⁷ he broke down the altars and beat the Asherim and the images into powder and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

[During repairs to the Temple, Hilkiah the priest discovers the long-neglected Book of the Law. Deeply convicted by its words, Josiah renews the covenant, intensifies his reforms, and calls the nation to celebrate the Passover.]

2 Chronicles 35:16-19

So all the service of the Lord was prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah. ¹⁷ And the people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. ¹⁸ No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

Josiah first begins to restore God’s rightful place in the life and worship of Judah. He is determined to remove every vestige of pagan worship. In 2 Kings 23, we read that “he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places… those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens.” He also “brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD… and burned it.” We even learn that he “broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.”

In the house of the LORD! How far Judah had fallen. The nation was desperately in need of reform.

After contrition and repentance comes a new sense of devotion. The people lean into God’s commands and celebrate the greatest Passover since the days of Samuel the prophet. The numbers are numbing. The logistics are daunting. The fervor is palpable.

Something similar can happen in our own lives. We gain a fresh appreciation for God’s grace and a renewed desire to honor and obey him. It isn’t conversion, necessarily, but it is renewal. Maybe you’ve been there. Perhaps you’ve rediscovered God’s Word and its rightful place in your heart and life. If so, begin with repentance. Renewal always begins there. So does revival. But it doesn’t end there.

God doesn’t desire that we merely feel sorry for our sins. He desires faithful hearts. And he provides the means to create and sustain that faith. Through his Word and Sacraments, the Holy Spirit points us to Jesus—his life and teaching, his suffering and death, his resurrection, and his promise to return. Through these means, the Spirit kindles and strengthens faith in our hearts.

Sometimes we need a wake-up call—a sudden and painful awareness of our sin and our need for God’s grace. There may need to be some housecleaning in our hearts to restore God to his rightful place. But he is as close as a prayer of confession and the remembrance of your Baptism. He delights to reclaim his rightful place in our hearts, and lives there by faith.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Nahum 2-3, 2 Kings 22, Psalm 54.

2 Kings 22:11-13, 15-20

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. ¹² And the king commanded [his men], saying, ¹³ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

¹⁵ And [Huldah the prophetess] said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶ Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. ¹⁷ Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. ¹⁸ But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, ¹⁹ because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.’” And they brought back word to the king.

At first glance, today’s readings seem to pull us in two different directions. Nahum 2–3 pronounces God’s judgment on Nineveh, the proud capital of Assyria. Then, we turn to 2 Kings 22 and the account of young King Josiah discovering the long-neglected Book of the Law during repairs to the Temple. It almost feels like an interruption. In reality, these events unfold during the same period of history. As Assyria’s power begins to crumble, God is at work not only among the nations but also among his own people. The two accounts belong together, revealing the Lord’s absolute rule over history and preparing us for an important lesson about justice, repentance, and grace.

The message of Nahum (which means comfort) brings comfort to Judah because they live in fear of the cruelty of the Assyrians. He foretells the destruction of Nineveh – the very city to which Jonah did not want to go. When he went there the people repented and God relented and did not destroy the city. Assyria is represented by Nineveh, and the Assyrians were brutally cruel. So we can understand why Jonah didn’t want to go there earlier, and why it was so comforting to know that God was going to destroy them.

Nahum shows that God judges a proud, unrepentant nation—Nineveh. Huldah announces that Judah also stands under God’s judgment. Yet in the midst of that announcement, Josiah discovers that the LORD sees the humble heart. God’s justice is certain, but so is his mercy toward those who repent.

Paul makes much the same point in Romans 1 and 2. He begins by describing the unmistakable evidence of humanity’s rebellion against God. It is easy to nod our heads in agreement—until he turns the spotlight on us. “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges” (Romans 2:1). The problem is not simply their sin. It is ours. No one stands righteous before God on his own. His justice is impartial; he does not overlook sin simply because it is found in “our” camp rather than “theirs.”

But neither is God’s final word condemnation. Josiah humbled himself before the Lord, confessed the truth, and found mercy. So do we. When God’s Word exposes our sin, it also points us to the Savior. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Paul adds, “of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15). That is not merely Paul’s confession. It is ours as well. And because Christ has borne our sin, all who repent and trust in him receive mercy, forgiveness, and life. That is the source of true and eternal comfort.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Isaiah 66, 2 Kings 20-21, Psalm 52.

Isaiah 66:19-24

I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. ²⁰ And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. ²¹ And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.

²² “For as the new heavens and the new earth
    that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
    so shall your offspring and your name remain.
²³ From new moon to new moon,
    and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.

It’s clear that God does not want anyone to perish, but that all would come to repentance and be saved. This is testified to throughout Scripture (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3–4; Ezekiel 18:23; Ezekiel 33:11; John 3:16–17), which consistently reveals God’s gracious desire to save all people through Christ.

That’s because God loves the world. It’s because God’s very nature is love. It’s because God has created us in his own image and desires that we be returned to him, and restored to a relationship of love and truth.

But sometimes I wonder about the motive behind God’s sending people to the nations and bringing the nations into his kingdom. Israel had failed so often to be the people God had called them to be. Their kings were corrupt, their worship was compromised, and their hearts wandered far from him. Jesus would later tell the religious leaders, “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits” (Matthew 21:43). It is tempting to read Isaiah’s closing vision as though God had simply given up on his people and gone looking for someone better.

But that is not Isaiah’s message. Isaiah concludes his prophecy with a beautiful picture of God’s saving work moving outward to embrace the whole world. God first reveals his glory, then graciously preserves a remnant through judgment. Those survivors are not spared merely for their own sake—they are sent to proclaim God’s glory among the nations. As the nations hear the good news, they are gathered into God’s family and brought to him as a holy offering. Finally, some from those very nations are appointed to serve as priests and Levites, illustrating the astonishing reach of God’s grace. The movement is unmistakable: God saves, God sends, God gathers, and God commissions. That pattern finds its fulfillment in Christ, who sends his Church into all the world with the good news of salvation.

The story doesn’t end with people hearing the Gospel. Those who hear become those who invite. The remnant becomes the missionary. The rescued become the rescuers.

Perhaps that’s the most beautiful part of Isaiah’s vision. God doesn’t simply save people; he sends them. He doesn’t simply gather worshipers; he gives them words to speak. Those who have heard his invitation become his invitation to the world. So it should not surprise us that the Bible closes, not with a command, but with an invitation—one first spoken by the Spirit, then by the Church, and finally by every believer who has heard the Good News for himself.

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Revelation 22:17)

Grace received becomes grace shared.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Isaiah 57-59, Psalm 49.

Isaiah 57:14-19

And it shall be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
    remove every obstruction from my people’s way.”
¹⁵ For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
    who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
    and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.
¹⁶ For I will not contend forever,
    nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before me,
    and the breath of life that I made.
¹⁷ Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry,
    I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,
    but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.
¹⁸ I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
    I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
¹⁹     creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD,
    “and I will heal him.

Years ago, Deion Sanders and Jerry Jones appeared together in a pizza commercial shortly after Deion had signed a $35 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry asked, “What’ll it be, Deion—15 million or 20 million?” Deion grinned and replied, “Why not both?” Of course, he had already signed for the full $35 million. The point of the commercial was simple: for one price, you didn’t have to choose one pizza or the other—you could have both.

When it comes to the Christian faith, we also need to remember a “both/and.” It is by faith alone that we are saved, justified before God, forgiven of all our sins, and given every eternal blessing in Christ. But faith is never alone. As Luther wrote, “Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly.”

Isaiah confronts people who wanted the blessings of religion without lives transformed by faith. They fasted, worshiped, and observed the outward forms of devotion, yet at the same time exploited others and ignored those in need.

“Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?”
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,
and oppress all your workers.
Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist.
(Isaiah 58:3–4)

God’s answer was not to abolish worship but to restore its purpose. Genuine faith bears genuine fruit.

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”
(Isaiah 58:6–7)

Jesus lived these words perfectly. He worshiped his Father with a whole heart while welcoming sinners, healing the broken, feeding the hungry, and showing mercy to those whom others overlooked. Through his death and resurrection he forgives our failures, restores us, and gives us his Spirit.

Now he calls us to a both/and faith. Believe his promises. Worship him faithfully. Confess him boldly. Feed the hungry. Welcome the stranger. Care for the hurting. Defend the oppressed. Visit the lonely. Love the neighbor God has placed in front of you.

You won’t do it perfectly. Neither will I. Jesus knows that. He forgives us. And then he says again, “Love your neighbor.” His forgiveness never weakens his commands; it frees us to live them. So we must rise each day, forgiven and renewed, to live the faith we confess. For as Isaiah promises, “your light shall break forth like the dawn… and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.”

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Isaiah 54-56, Psalm 48.

The verses from these chapters that I will use are in the text of this post.

JJust when you think you’ve reached the mountaintop, you discover another five peaks—each stunningly beautiful in its own right. That’s what happens after Isaiah 53 (yesterday’s post, The Gospel According to Isaiah). Chapters 54–56 continue the breathtaking view.

Notice the progression:

• The LORD loves his people (54)
• The LORD invites the thirsty (55)
• The LORD gathers the nations (56)

Let’s pause at five jewels along the way.

Isaiah 54:1, 5

“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear…

For your Maker is your husband,
the LORD of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer…”

Israel would face difficult days and feel abandoned and barren. Yet the Lord promises that she will not remain desolate. He himself will give her children by his grace.

St. Paul cites this passage in Galatians 4:26–27 and points to the spiritual children of Abraham—all who believe, from every family of the earth. God casts a wonderfully wide net.

Isaiah 54:7–8

“For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you…

…with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the LORD, your Redeemer.

These verses remind me of Psalm 30:5:

“His anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.”

And of Romans 5:20:

“Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

For his children, God’s last word is always grace.

Isaiah 55:1–3

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters…

Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live.”

Jesus himself echoes this invitation when he speaks with the woman at the well (John 4) and again on the last and greatest day of the Feast (John 7:37).

Then, at the close of Scripture, Revelation 22:17 broadens the invitation still further:

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”

Those who receive the invitation immediately are urged to begin inviting others.

Isaiah 55:10–11

“So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose.”

This promise points in two complementary directions.

First, it tells us how God’s Word works. God speaks—and things happen. My favorite example? “Let there be light.” And there was light. (Good light, by the way.)

Second, Jesus is the incarnate Word. He faithfully accomplished the Father’s saving purpose through his incarnation, teaching, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. And one day he will complete that work when he returns to gather his people into everlasting glory.

Isaiah 56:6–8

“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

“I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”

I’ve visited five continents (four of them on various mission trips). I’ve never met someone for whom Jesus did not die. From the cold outskirts of Moscow in 1993, to a tiny Chinese village in 2003, to the African Serengeti in 2020, to Mexico, Guatemala, and the neighbor across the street, God desires all people to be saved.

He is still gathering people to himself. He still delights to hear and answer their prayers.

These five jewels sparkle with the beauty of the Gospel itself. The more we linger over them, the more they reveal the heart of God—a Redeemer who loves his people, invites the thirsty, and gathers the nations.

What a journey we’re on as we Follow the Word!

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: Isaiah 51-53, Psalm 47.

Isaiah 53:5-7

Who has believed what he has heard from us?
        And to whom has  the arm of the  LORD been revealed?
²  For he grew up before him like a young plant,
        and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
        and no beauty that we should desire him.
³  He was despised and rejected by men,
        a man of sorrows  and acquainted with  grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
        he was despised, and  we esteemed him not.

⁴  Surely he has borne our griefs
        and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵  But he was pierced for our transgressions;
        he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
        and with his wounds we are healed.
⁶  All we like sheep have gone astray;
        we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the  LORD  has laid on him
        the iniquity of us all.

When we use the term Gospel, it most properly refers to the Good News of Jesus Christ: his life, ministry, teaching, healing, preaching, suffering, death, and resurrection. It is the Good News that, for Jesus’ sake, our sins are forgiven, we have been redeemed and saved, and we have been brought into fellowship with God. Gospel is also used to refer to the first four books of the New Testament, each of which tells the story of Jesus. Some people even use it as an adjective: “gospel truth”—a truth they consider absolutely certain. But we seldom use the word to describe an Old Testament book.

Yet a reading of Isaiah 53, with even the slightest familiarity with the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, convinces us that the term certainly applies here. Isaiah’s description of the Suffering Servant is filled with references that point unmistakably to Christ—even though these words were written some 750 years before his birth.

Isaiah describes the Suffering Servant as one whom no one would consider attractive. He wasn’t a handsome hero. His life was not one people would envy. Humanly speaking, it ended in tragedy and humiliating defeat.

Consider the scene at Jesus’ crucifixion. Many concluded that he was a terrible sinner. Surely God had singled him out for judgment. He was crucified between two criminals. As people passed by his cross, they either turned away in grief, unable to look any longer, or they mocked him as one stricken by God.

We who confess Jesus as Lord, however, know another truth. He was not suffering for his own sin. He bore our sins on the cross. He carried our griefs. We were the ones who had gone astray. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21). And all this was for our forgiveness, life, and salvation.

I have reflected many times on Jesus’ suffering. There is a limit to the pain of others that I can carry in my own heart. I can only bear so much before I become overwhelmed. But Jesus had no such limit. He took upon himself the sin, grief, and sorrow of the whole world. And it killed him.

But that is not the end of the story.

Isaiah goes on to proclaim that, though the Suffering Servant died with the wicked and was buried with the rich, “he shall see his offspring” and “divide the spoil with the strong.” The Servant who suffered and died would also live again. Isaiah is pointing not only to the cross but also to the empty tomb and Jesus’ resurrection.

Jesus fulfills every part of that prophecy. He prayed for those who put him to death. He intercedes for us even now, and God has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He is the living Savior—the Suffering Servant who laid down his life for us, took it up again, and has redeemed so that we may be his own and live under him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

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Today’s readings: 2 Kings 19, Isaiah 49-50, Psalm 46.

Isaiah 49:5-7

And now the  LORD&nb sp;says,
        he  who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
        and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for  I am honored in the eyes of the  LORD,
        and my God has become my strength—
⁶  he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
        to raise up the tribes of Jacob
        and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you  as a light for the nations,
        that  my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

⁷  Thus says the  LORD,
        the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
        the servant of rulers:
“Kings shall see and arise;
&nbs    p;   princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;
because of the  LORD, who is faithful,
        the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

I got a lesson on leadership and vision during my vicarage at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming. (A Lutheran vicar is much like an intern during seminary.) When my supervising pastor learned of a telephone issue in the church, he didn’t simply fix the phone. He worked with the church leaders to install an entirely new phone system. It not only solved the immediate problem but opened new possibilities for communication between the church, school, and offices.

Ever since, I’ve tried to cultivate a “lift up your eyes” approach to leadership. It’s a way of looking beyond immediate problems to larger opportunities and God’s greater possibilities.

You might say that God is the author of that attitude, for he speaks through Isaiah:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
(Isaiah 49:6)

In other words, God says, “Restoring my own people is not enough.” He is revealing a far greater vision. His Servant will not only restore the tribes of Jacob but become “a light for the nations,” bringing God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.

The same is true for us. God delights to see his churches flourish. He is pleased when ministries succeed, churches grow, and people find a home among his gathered people. But churches do not exist for their own benefit. In fact, the Church uniquely exists for the sake of those who are not yet part of her fellowship. When that purpose is forgotten, churches eventually die. It is when they give themselves away that they discover true life.

Think of it this way. If, the moment someone came to faith in Christ, God immediately took that person to heaven, it might seem like a wonderful arrangement. No more temptation. No more pain. No more sin. But then who would tell your neighbor about Jesus? How would the nations hear the Gospel? God didn’t save us only for our own sake. According to Jesus, we are the light of the world. Our calling is to let that light shine so others may come to know the Savior.

My supervising pastor could have fixed a phone. Instead, he saw an opportunity to strengthen the ministry. God’s vision is always bigger. He didn’t simply restore his own people. Through Israel’s Messiah – our Lord Jesus Christ – he set out to rescue the world. And today he sends his Church into that same world to be the light of Christ.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Isaiah 46-48, Psalm 45.

Isaiah 48:9-13

“For my name’s sake I defer my anger;
    for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
    that I may not cut you off.
¹⁰ Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
    I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
¹¹ For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
    for how should my name be profaned?
    My glory I will not give to another.

¹² “Listen to me, O Jacob,
    and Israel, whom I called!
I am he; I am the first,
    and I am the last.
¹³ My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
    and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I call to them,
    they stand forth together.

My leadership mantra is, “I want the first word.” I seldom want the last word. Sometimes I must have the last word. When I’m the one responsible for making the decision, I have the last word, and I’ll take ownership of it—and responsibility for the outcome. But my last word is seldom the ultimate last word. And my first word is never really the first word. After all, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

I want the first word as a leader because, by speaking first, I frame the question. And the one who frames the question charts the course to the future—as much as anyone can actually shape the future. I want to suggest a pathway forward while allowing those who have heard the first word to shape the decisions and work together toward the goals that first word has framed.

But God is different.

He has both the first word and the last word. Only God can claim to be the First and the Last. No one was before him. No one will second-guess him. His word is final. I think of that whenever I read, “I am the first and I am the last.” His first word was, “Let there be light.” And there was light. And the light was good. The Bible’s last word is grace. Jesus says:

“Surely I am coming soon.”
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:20–21)

There are a whole lot of words between God’s first and last words. Some of them are hard. From, “I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid,” to, “What is this you have done?” And, of course, there are the hard words of judgment Isaiah speaks to God’s people and to the nations.

But God’s last word is grace. The Law may be his necessary word, but in Christ his final word is always forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Full disclosure, though: I do get the last word every Sunday when I lead worship. The last word is a blessing I never tire of pronouncing:

The LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The LORD look upon you with favor and give you peace.

That’s a last word I will always be glad to speak.