Satan’s challenge to Isaiah

The Book of Isaiah tells of a Suffering Servant and a Prince of Peace, which Christians believe are prophesies of Jesus. The Book of Isaiah also tells of a God whose ways are cruel and violent, and of a Messiah who will rule with a rod of iron. George Frideric Handel used more of Isaiah in his Oratorio, The Messiah, than any other book of the Bible.

[sing] “Comfort Ye, Comfort Ye my people”, saith your God.

Said your God, Isaiah, the God who watched the murder of children and the cruel humiliation of his people.  Defeated by the Assyrian, enslaved by the Babylonian who had destroyed your temple, you sat by the River Euphrates and wept: “Justice is far from us and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light but all is darkness, for brightness but all is shadow.” I was prince of that darkness in Babylon, I sneered at your prayers.

And then it came to you, a new light and a new song: [sing] unto us a son is given.  Who did you want this Messiah to be, Isaiah?  For you prophesied both a king to rule with a rod of iron and a suffering servant of peace: [sing] who hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows!

I feared he’d become the man of sorrows, when I met him, once, out on a dusty road; so, I tempted him with the other half of what you had foretold: 1. “Jesus, if you are the Son of God make bread from these stones”; 2. “Throw yourself down from this temple parapet so the angels will lift you up!”;  3. “For your father’s sake, take command of these kingdoms and rule!”.  He pondered, then put me behind him, choosing instead your other prophecy of sacrifice and love: [sing] He was bruised for our iniquities.

On what then can we all agree – Satan, Isaiah, George Frideric Handel and his angelic choir?  The Messiah did not as you had prophesied and I had hoped, tell his enemies to lick the dust from his feet or to eat their own flesh and blood – he took those sufferings upon himself and dignified them.  He did teach the justice and righteousness that you said will redeem us. And the murder and the rod of iron?  I sit with those sins and understand them; you must walk away from me and challenge them, with your faith of Abraham, your laws of Moses, the love of Jesus and, like his mother Mary, with song:

[sing] for our warfare, our warfare, is accomplished and our iniquity

 is pardoned (?),

for our iniquity is pardoned.

As I said, I met Jesus once, out on a dusty road, I met him a long time ago.

 

2019.