Slices
Prepare
Bring to mind a song or tune that brings a sense of hope. Depending on where you are, why not hum, whistle or even sing it to the Lord, who is our salvation (v 2)?
Bible passage
Songs of praise
12 In that day you will say:
‘I will praise you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defence;
he has become my salvation.’
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:
‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.’
Explore
There’s a song we sing regularly in our church, and it appeals to all ages. It’s about God being a great big God. It says that ‘he’s higher than a skyscraper … deeper than a submarine’ and beyond our imagination.* There are actions, and whenever the band strikes the opening chords, we’re on our feet.
It works because the words are simple, and yet utterly profound. And it’s got a toe-tapping tune. Isaiah surely has a song in mind here. It’s a personal song, a burst of hope from a grateful heart (vs 1,2), but in the second part (vs 4–6) it transcends individuals and sweeps up the people of Israel, indeed the whole earth.
In his book Isaiah for Everyone,** John Goldingay sees this chapter as marking the end of the first great section in Isaiah. After a series of confrontations, warnings and judgement, the Lord is giving his people a song of hope. It’s a song of the future, but it’s to be sung now.
*Vineyard Kids, 2011
**John Goldingay, Isaiah for Everyone, SPCK, 2015
Respond
Imagine ‘the wells of salvation’ (v 3). The flowing, cool, refreshing depths of this living water. In your imagination, lay hold of a jug and fill it to the brim with this water of God’s saving presence – and quench your thirst.
Deeper Bible study
‘Blest be the everlasting God, the Father of our Lord; be his abounding mercy praised, his majesty adored.’1
I recently attended Praise Gathering, with a four-hundred-strong choir singing praise songs. In a troubled world, it might seem self-indulgent for hundreds of Christians to devote hours to enjoying themselves in a night of praise. Isaiah 12 inserts itself into a very troubled story. It reminds us that sometimes it’s right to set aside everything else that could rightly occupy our time and focus purely on celebrating God’s goodness. The passage sparks off thoughts of the song of Moses, Mary’s song and psalms of praise,2 extravagant expressions of thanks for God’s intervention and victory. This song is sung, ‘In that day’ (v 1), the day when God’s promises are seen to come to fulfilment. The day when justified anger is blessedly now turned away and replaced by comfort; when peace is established, a permanent peace, because the Lord himself is Saviour and Defender. God’s ‘salvation’ (vs 2 (twice), 3) is the great theme: salvation that provides an antidote to fear, a defence against enemies and a fullness of joy.
We continually need reminders of salvation. Baptism, communion and Christian fellowship (modelling God’s forgiveness and love) are just three. Communion is both a reminder to us and a proclamation of the Lord’s death to others. Praise is never solely internal. If the Holy One of Israel is among us it begets an overspill of praise. What God does in Zion does not stay in Zion! It becomes a witness to all nations, calling others to join in exalting him (vs 4,5). When others seek to demean God and the church, our call is to witness to our experience of him and to talk up the way we have been blessed by his people. We must not be quiet about what God has done. Our role is to make his greatness known, way beyond the bounds of his people.
How can you encourage other believers to praise and non-believers to hear about God’s great works?
1 ‘Blest be the everlasting God’, Isaac Watts (1674-1748) 2 Deut 32; Luke 1:46–55
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 1,2; Psalm 80
Pray for Scripture Union
Praise God for bringing churches together, as he has done in Winchester, to jointly organise residentials and other activities that so powerfully help young people to explore, respond and grow in faith. (This week's prayers relate to these stories: A real game-changer! and Celebrating volunteers: Wendy's story.)
Can we count you in?
Each year we host action-packed, faith-filled holidays and missions for hundreds of children, helping them create lasting memories while having the time of their lives! Could you take a break from the day job and volunteer with us?
