Isaiah 1
1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”

4 Woe to the sinful nation,
a people whose guilt is great,
a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord;
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.

5 Why should you be beaten anymore?
Why do you persist in rebellion?
Your whole head is injured,
your whole heart afflicted.
6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head
there is no soundness—
only wounds and welts
and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged
or soothed with olive oil.

7 Your country is desolate,
your cities burned with fire;
your fields are being stripped by foreigners
right before you,
laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.
8 Daughter Zion is left
like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut in a cucumber field,
like a city under siege.
9 Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us some survivors,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the instruction of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.

18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land;
20 but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

21 See how the faithful city
has become a prostitute!
She once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!
22 Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,
partners with thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them.

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The Prophets were Performative
- Isaiah - walked around naked and barefoot for three years
- Ezekiel – model city and lay siege to it, laid on his die for 390 days and then on his other side for 40 days
- Jeremiah wore a yoke around his neck
- Hosea married a prostitute
- Elijah called down fire from heaven

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To understand the prophets we need to remember the story, the history, of which they are a part.

They are deeply rooted in the story of the Exodus and tradition of one of the greatest prophets – Moses.

Exodus 19:3-6
3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

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Golden Calf - Exodus 32

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It is in this picture, that the prophets are always caught up in.
Calling God’s people to be who he rescued them to be.
Calling them into something new in the midst of a world that always wants to drag you back to slavery in Egypt.

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Hundreds of years later, by the time you get to the books of the prophets we have in the Old Testament, God’s people, Israel, have become a great nation. And yet they have failed to be the people God imagined.

Many look upon what King Solomon ultimately creates and comment that he has just recreated Egypt.
1.Forced Labor: Solomon conscripted laborers for his building projects, similar to the forced labor in Egypt (1 Kings 5:13-14).
2.Wealth Accumulation: Solomon amassed great wealth, much like the wealth of Egypt, through heavy taxation and trade (1 Kings 10:14-29).
3. Military Expansion: He built a large army with chariots and horses, reminiscent of Egypt's military might (1 Kings 10:26).
4. Political Alliances: Solomon formed alliances through marriages, including marrying Pharaoh's daughter, which echoes Egypt's political strategies (1 Kings 3:1).
5.Temple and Palace Construction: Solomon's grand construction projects, including the Temple and his palace, reflect the monumental building projects of Egypt (1 Kings 6-7).
6. Economic Policies: His economic policies, including trade routes and taxation, mirrored the economic control exercised by Egypt (1 Kings 10:15).
7. Number of Wives and Concubines: Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3).

The people have surrendered their imagination.
The prophets come to wake them up.

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“The prophet speaks into an absurd and terrifying world where humanity is in defiance to its Maker.” - Heschel

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Why this series?
We need these words to wake us up. To call us back. To give us new imaginations again. B/c we are constantly in the midst of a world that would like to drag us back to Egypt.

I want you to keep in mind as we read their words, that they are not different from the words of Jesus.
Jesus himself was one of these intense, disturbing figures.
Jesus himself is the greatest prophet, for he is God in the flesh.

Jesus had a prophetic imagination.
He imagined the world – Loved God, loved one another.
- Alternative world, justice, generosity, care, hospitality
- Called it the kingdom of God.
Everywhere he went he preached about this new way of living.
Invited people to repent and follow him.

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Will you be open to the Prophetic Imagination?

The world is ordered based on someone’s imagination. Someone’s vision.
When the Spirit of God speaks, new worlds can be created. God wants to reorder the world through us.

Will you be open to being critiqued? Disturbed?
Can things be better? Can you be better?
Are you trapped or will you allow the prophetic imagination to shake you awake into the new?
Church needs critique. Christian culture needs critique.

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Will you have ears to hear?
What will you hear? I don’t know.
Only that there is one who speaks.
But that’s the invitation. To have ears to hear the words of the prophets in this series.
Allow them to disturb, awaken and give you some radical hope again.
Ears to hear with an open imagination.
Don’t begin with the answer, or any type of framework.
Begin with ears to hear and trust in the God of newness.

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Luke 6:17-26
17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

20 Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.

23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.