Crisis ConvertedSample

Theme: Divine Divorce

Crisis Converted Then:

God’s pain is often expressed by his prophets. These hard verses capture his pain well. God is not aloof or apathetic towards Israel. Rather, Israel is his bride. He is intimately, relationally bound to Israel. In ancient Israel, a woman could be divorced for adultery. Then she was often sold into slavery. This is the background to this painful text. Isaiah uses the word “sent away,” which is the technical word for divorce. He then describes her being sent into slavery. Yet, God’s staggering point in this passage is that he didn’t divorce her! Though Israel was adulterous and should’ve been sold into slavery, he still came searching for his bride. Yet, when he called for her she wasn’t there. Again, she was with someone else. 

Crisis Converted Now:

Divorce is painful in all circumstances. Even when it is entirely necessary, it is still painful. So many times the divorcee who expects to feel freedom, instead just feels hurt. The prophets don’t shy away from the deepest pains of the human condition. Actually, this pain is where the prophet most often dwells and speaks to us from. It’s because God knows the pain of divorce. He knows the hurt from fractured, broken relationships. He is the God of running mascara, soaked Kleenexes, and shallow, hard breaths. He is the God of punched drywall, locked jaws, and violent groaning. God knows our pain and the prophet speaks to us from that place.