Choosing a King

Woes to Unrepentant Cities


The Glory and Strength of Zion

Isaiah Reassures King Ahaz

Isaiah 7:1-9

Psalms 48:2-3, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

Matthew 11:20-24

The passage from Isaiah in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is a portion of the 300 year story of the Two Kingdoms, Israel and Judah, and the social, political and religious turmoil of struggles for power by Egypt, Assyria and Babylon in the Middle East. The prophets were often warning the Hebrew people not to create a kingdom, monarchy or political power in the region. The people of God were to depend on the Presence of God to guide their affairs. Isaiah reassures King Ahaz that the Assyrian menace will not deal with Judah as it had deal with Israel in the north. Often the conquering and conquered people adopted the customs and practices of each other. Isaiah warns that Judah needs to remain faithful to God and the Hebrew practices. The psalmist proclaims that the citadel of Zion, captured by David and the sight of Solomon’s Temple would be the sign to all that God is with his people and that would be the source of their protection from attack. The relationship to which to the Divine invites humanity is not always chosen by people. Matthew comments on the choice of the cities of the region that had seen the action of Jesus yet failed to respond to His invitation to repent or return to intimacy with God. The consequence of walking away from Divine guidance is spiritual disruption. The extension of this to physical and material disruption may not be obvious. The wholeness of people is an asset to confront all of life’s challenges.