RETURN TO THE ABBEY DIARY ENTRY #1

Isaiah 52:4: “Behold the former things have come to pass and new things do I declare, before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

I leave for my second visit to the Abbey in three years to spend a week in silence.  I am facing new beginnings, new things are entering my life so quickly that I must take a break and spend this week in silence for I can be sure I am really hearing God’s voice.

Judging from the mail I get it appears I am not the only one looking forward to some new things. People of all ages have written to me talking about the need for a new beginning or something new to come into their lives. Well, Isaiah 52:4 is the verse to claim.  Not only does it promise new things, but God will tell us of them before they happen. Ok here it comes, we need to look at the context.  Don’t you just hate that?  A perfectly good promise and we need to look at the context. But, hey, if this is only meant for Isaiah’s time, why is it in the Bible unless there is a present day application.

The context indicates that this is Isaiah who is speaking the Words of God and he is saying that now that his prophecies of the past have come to pass, then what he is about to say should also come to pass.  This is God speaking through Isaiah and He is saying something a little odd that He will declare the new things, but before they actually come to pass he will tell us about them.  That may sound a little contradictory.  If he is going to declare the new things isn’t that the same as telling us of the new things?

The word declares is negad and means to tell or speak out in clear and straightforward terms.  The word is in a Hiphal participle form, so he is presently declaring a new thing and he is making it very clear as to what this new thing will be. The word is Hebrew is chadesh which means to restore, and renew.  The letters of the word new thing would suggest this new thing is in regards to one’s relationship with God.  It is spelled Cheth which is a bonding with God and you will accomplish that by passing through the Daleth or doorway  to His Shin or His peace and fulfillment found only in Him.  The fact that it is in a Hiphal form  suggest an excitement or anticipation on the part of God.  In other words God is so excited about this new relationship with Him that He is declaring this new thing or this new relationship with Him before it even happens.

Even before it springs forth he will announce it. The word spring forth is tsamek which has the idea of sprouting.  So even before this new thing begins to sprout, he will tell or announce it.  The word for tell is shama’ which carries more of the idea of hearing rather than speaking and it is also in a Hiphal form. He will do something that will cause you to be aware of this new thing.

So even before this new thing begins to take root, we will be hearing or listening for it. The whole idea of the Hiphal form for negad and shamawould seem to suggest a sense of anticipation and excitement for this new relationship. There is a picture being drawn here and it is a picture of a bride groom anticipating the fulfillment of his relationship with his bride.  Just as the bridegroom proposes or accepts the arrangement of marriage with his bride, he declares   “I am taking for myself a bride.”  He makes it clear and plain to everyone.  Everyone celebrates and preparations for the wedding begin.

The remaining chapter goes into detail about this new thing that God is going to do or the wedding plans and events that will unfold before the wedding actually takes place.  Yet, it can all be summarized into the idea of God restoring chadesh his relationship with man. I must be honest since my last visit to the Abbey I have lost much of that glow that I shared with God.  I am looking forward to a chadesh a renewed relationship with God.

The thing that stands out in this is that  this is not a picture of God pushing buttons and pulling levers to bring everything to a conclusion.   It is more a picture of a wonderful play that God has set up, with a beautiful story line about the preparation for wedding.  There are a lot of villains and twists and turns in the plot.  Yet all the time there is this growing anticipation for the final moment when the groom finally comes for his bride and their marriage is consummated.

God is being pictured here as a wonderful story teller who is anxiously awaiting the final act and scene when he can establish Himself as the true hero of the story. We tend to forget that he is the bridegroom.  The bridegroom looks forward to his wedding day just as much as the bride.  He is just as anxious as we are to bring this all to a conclusion, to reach that final consummation with Him.  Even before it springs forth or begins to bud He is anticipating, listening as a bridegroom anticipates and listens for his bride.  He is enjoying that period before the wedding when he sees and hears his bride in happy anticipation of that day and rejoices in knowing that he is the reason for her happiness and anticipation.

I see no reason not to make a personal application here. Sure I want a change in my life.  There are many things I want to change. But if I experienced a change or a new level in my relationship with God, I have a feeling all the changes I desire will take place as a result of that relationship, just as a bride whose relationship with her husband changes when he takes her as a bride. Her life changes completely, she has a new home, new family and new life all together.  Old things pass away and all becomes new. The bridegroom is not slack in hinting of this coming change,  the look in his eye, the tone of his voice, his slightest touch is filled with passion and arouses passion in her. As I go through my simple changes, a new apartment, new book being released, new fellowships in each I sense God getting excited over what is about take place.  I have no idea but oddly this all this is happening at the same time I am going off to spend a week in silence with Him and Him alone.

Our time on earth is merely a time of preparation for the wedding.  As with any preparation for a wedding, there are many difficulties and trials.  As the day of the wedding grows closer, there are many exchanges between the bride and groom in the growing realization that their relationship will soon be consummated.  This is that time for us and God as He is anticipating this “new thing:” just as much as we are.

I go to the Abbey fully expecting to hear God declare the change that will take place in my relationship with Him and I know that change in my relationship with Him will correspond to a change in my life. But, you know what, I am so excited over the change in my relationship with Him, I don’t care about the changes that will take place in my life, for better or for worse.

 

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