"To whom then will you compare me?" asks God, through the mouth of the prophet. This passage celebrates the greatness of the creator who gives strength to the weary. It's interesting to note in light of the impending war on Iraq, as well as other global conflicts, that God is described in v. 23 as one "who brings princes to naught and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing." Why is there so much talk in the Bible, and particularly in the prophets, about God exalting the lowly and casting down erstwhile leaders? Maybe it's because too many leaders let power go to their heads, caring more for their own legacies than the wellbeing of their fellow citizens, not to mention the citizens of other countries. Whether they reside in a palace in Baghdad or in the White House, whether in Beijing, Moscow, London, Havana, Brasilia, or Nairobi, all leaders should remember that they are merely temporal. Their nation, neighboring countries, and above all the God of the universe will continue long beyond their passing. They would do well, then, to abandon mad schemes of regional or even world domination and join with God in giving power to the faint and strength to the powerless. As Abraham Lincoln said, "Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." Right makes might, not the other way around.
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As the Isaiah passage does, the psalmist likewise calls on people to recognize and praise God, specifically for his activity as one who cares for the poor and oppressed. Why is the God who determines the number of the stars and gives them their names concerned about the lowly? Perhaps God's measure of an individual doesn't depend on that person's net economic output, as too often is the case in the industrialized world. God sees value in everyone, but he is especially concerned about those who can't fend for themselves, probably because not enough others care about their plight. One group of people is not more important than another because they have military might (see v. 10). In fact, just the opposite seems to be the case. Those who have power are called on to use that power for good, not evil. Lifting up the downtrodden is good (v. 6), killing innocent civilians and ignoring the needs of the poor is not. "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him," but how do we demonstrate our reverence for God? We do so by watching the good that God does and joining in the work.
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Unlike some contemporary preachers, Paul doesn't proclaim the gospel as a get-rich-quick scheme, nor does he do so out of a feeling of moral superiority. Preachers and teachers who assume an air of holiness in relation to their hearers either have forgotten the awe of their first encounter with God, or they've never really had the kind of profound encounter that changes one's life. Like the prophet Jeremiah, Paul says that he is unable to resist the call to proclaim the good news he has heard. Because early Christians collected his letters, we know something of the activity of Paul, but how many modern-day Pauls labor to bring good news to those who need it, becoming all things to all people? To the bi-vocational pastor in the rural church, the lay sister working quietly with sick children, the teacher who tries to keep at-risk children in school, the nurse who spends her vacation helping the people of Central American improve their lives, the minister of any faith who encourages his or her flock to resist evil and love others, Paul would say, keep the faith!
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Jesus' ministry included a strong dose of healing the sick and casting out demons, according to the gospels. Some moderns take passages like this as a reason to engage in scientifically and theologically suspect practices that tend to benefit the healers more than the healed, and these excesses, and the charlatans who practice them, must be rejected by Christians. What are modern, scientifically attuned people to make of such a reading? We should focus not on the premodern beliefs recorded here but on the much more important light that it sheds on the personality of Jesus. The thrust of the story recorded here is that Jesus cared about people and met their needs, no matter what or how seemingly intractable they were. Furthermore, Jesus didn't stay around a place where he'd done great things and gained some recognition so that the people might admire him. Rather, he visited other places where the need was greater. Too frequently we focus on needs that are easy to meet. It's easy to give money, for example, but it's often hard to minister to somebody one on one. And we have more concern for our neighbors than for people in other villages, not to mention foreigners. If Christians want to follow the example of Christ, they must expand their horizons, both in terms of the needs they seek to meet and in terms of the people to whom they seek to minister.
For another discussion of this passage, click here.