Category: Scott Shelton

Isaiah 50:4-9a

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on April 9, 2017.

My youngest daughter has me on a very high pedestal. Her trust in me is limitless. When something breaks, her response is, “Daddy can fix it.” When a comparison is drawn among her little friends, I am always the victor. When in fear she thinks, “Daddy will save me.”

The “servant of Yahweh” plays a central role in second Isaiah. It’s exegetically correct to note that nothing significant distinguishes who this servant is. However, Christians typically hold that this is a foretelling of Jesus. Jewish tradition holds that the servant is actually the community of Israel. In either case, the fact holds that the servant is faithful to Yahweh, in the midst of mistreatment.

This is one section of a more complete picture that second Isaiah is trying to paint of a singular “servant of Israel.” The entire narrative captured in Isaiah 49:1-50:11. The breakdown of the passage is as following:

The servant introduced 49:1-7
Reaffirmation of return and restoration 49:8-13
Israel’s statements of reluctance 49:14,24
Yahweh’s answers to their reluctance 49:15-23,25-26
Yahweh’s statements about exile 50:1-3
The obedient servant 50:4-9
Reprobation if they follow their own light 50:10-11

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Ezekiel 37:1-14

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on April 2, 2017.

On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela walked out of the Victor Verster Prison after 27 ½ years. His wife holding one hand and the other hand held high in a closed fist of victory. Certainly, there were days of hopeless darkness, but that day he embraced his freedom. He was a man who was prepared to die for the anti-apartheid efforts in South Africa but was breathing new life.

Body language can tell you all you need to know at times. Mandela’s posture was victorious, but other times it was probably closer to the fetal position. The prophet Ezekiel is speaking to a people whose demeanor, attitude, and hope had dried up. Their hope was like dried, dead bones.

This people of promise, God’s chosen people, had been enslaved in Egypt, freed, wilderness wanders, conquers, occupiers, and now foreigners. They have been exiled in three different waves as consequence for their intentional, calculated, and disobedient worship of false gods. The posture of the people was marked by disobedience more than faithfulness.

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1 Samuel 16:1-13

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on March 26, 2017.

I live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States along the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. The wildlife is both beautiful and responsibly protected. Short walks around the neighborhood led to the rivers that feed the Bay. Osprey build nests on top of nearby light poles. Slow moving boaters often spot bald eagles. Blue Heron linger along the shore. When in flight, these birds are beautiful to watch. Soaring high into the sky and swooping down to capture prey. Their eyes are affixed to the water.

Growing up I used to visit my grandparents often. Upon arrival, my grandfather would quickly hand me a list of tasks he needed me to accomplish. One of them was helping him spot the various pests that lingered outside his southeast Texas home. My goals: find any trace of ants, termites, roaches, and/or spiders that sought sanctuary inside his home. I was always a willing participant because my tasks were met with generous compensation. We would walk around together, I would spot, and he would spray. Every time I found something he would say, “Good job Eagle Eye!” As a young boy, I was not sure what being an “eagle eye” meant, but I adored his affection. I have come to understand that he needed a better set of eyes around his house. I offered those eyes. Circling the house and affix to the goal of attacking the pests.

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Exodus 17:1-7

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on March 19, 2017.

“Not all who wander are lost,” the line from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings hangs in our living room. Reminding my family and visitors that just because we wander at times through this life does not mean that we are lost. We have a home. We have a community. We have a God.

In Exodus 17:1-7, the people are somewhere between the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). The desert is their home. Roaming from place to place is their occupation. They are wanderers. But that does not mean they are lost.

In the past, when I read about the desert wandering I thought the people were lost. No clear direction or leadership. There were grumbling voices from within the community growing louder by the day. The children were thirsty. The livestock faced malnutrition. Anger was building. Desperation was setting in. During desperate times people can do crazy things. Therefore, the work of leadership becomes crucial.

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