Day 196: the destruction of israel

Isaiah 9:1-6 This passage is proclaimed as the First Reading at the Mass during the night (“Midnight Mass”) on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).

Ch 9:6-7 This child, a descendant of David, will lead the People of God along paths of justice and righteous forever. Indeed, Christ was born in Bethlehem, the very city of David’s own birth (cf. Lk 2:11-12).

Ch 9:6 Prince of Peace: The promise of peace that permeates the Old Testament is fulfilled perfectly in Christ, who gives a peace that the world cannot give. This peace consists in sharing in the love and joy of Christ. Those who abide in the life and love of Christ first received in Baptism and nourished by the Eucharist will be an oasis of peace and serenity for everyone. (CCC 2305)

Ch 9:8-10:34 This long prophecy is a judgment on the Northern Kingdom of Israel, parts of which were already suffering under the Assyrians.

Ch 10:1-4 The prophets especially castigated the Kings of Israel for their infidelities and for having failed in their responsibility to defend the weak and maintain justice for all their people. 

Ch 10:5-19 The inspired books of Scripture often credit or blame God for natural disasters, victory or defeat in war, and afflictions related to sin; in fact, nothing can occur without God’s knowledge and without his consent. However, the Lord does not will evil deeds, especially those that inflict suffering upon others; rather, he allows for the exercise of people’s freedom and its subsequent consequences. (CCC 304)

Ch 10:18 Both soul and body: The human person is composed of body and soul. The soul animates and gives configuration to the body. While the soul unites with and expresses itself through the body, it can live separately from the body after death. At the resurrection of the body on the last day, the just will enjoy everlasting life. (CCC 365)

Ch 10:20-34 Assyria carried out God’s judgment unwittingly on Samaria, and the army was moving south toward Judah. God intervened to save those who trusted him. Those spared from the destruction of foreign forces and domination would one day form the faithful remnant that witnessed the restoration of Judah. 

Tobit 10:1-7 Tobit and Anna grew concerned that Tobias had not yet returned as expected. Ironically, it was the blind Tobit who saw the protection of God toward his son with the eyes of faith, while Anna, whose sight was intact, faltered in her trust of God. 

Ch 10:7-13 Tobias, conscientious about his duties to his mother and father, departed with Sarah to return to them. Raguel and Edna recognized this refined respect and charged their daughter to have the same disposition toward her new in-laws. The familial love and bond was quite evident among all parties involved. The Fourth Commandment is first among the seven Commandments dealing with human relationships, which signifies that honor for one’s parents is an obligation that follows immediately after love of God. (CCC 2197)

Ch 11:1-19 Immediately upon his cure, Tobit praised God for his mercy; he continued to praise God with the news and vision of his daughter-in-law. Tobias had fulfilled every word of his father’s advice.

Ch 12:1-22 The gratitude of both Tobit and Tobias prompted them to reward Raphael generously for his assistance. Raphael’s response was rich with wisdom as he extolled the virtues of prayer, obedience to God, self-denial, and almsgiving. He also revealed his identity and how he was sent by God to heal both Tobit and Sarah in answer to their prayers. They were awestruck, but the angel referred all their praises to God, whose will he fulfilled.

Ch 12:8 Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the traditional means to grow in the Christian life. These different acts of piety and penance should be especially practiced during the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent and are principal ways of seeking conversion. In prayer we express our desire and commitment to conversion to God, by fasting we experience conversion through the discipline of our physical bodies, and in almsgiving we bear evidence of our conversion to others. (CCC 1387, 1434)

Ch 12:12-15 Angels are present and active throughout Scripture; this is especially true in this book. Angels take our prayers to God and also transmit God’s will to us. Our guardian angels in particular watch over us and intercede for us before the Father. (CCC 336)

Proverbs 10:12 This proverb implies a remote connection between faith and works. Urging hospitality and service to others, Peter wrote that life for one another “covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pt 4:8-10). James taught that a person who repents from sin will save his or her “soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (Jas 5:20). This is also echoed in Paul’s essay on life: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7). (CCC 1815)

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)

• After successfully retrieving the family treasure in Rages, Tobias and his new bride, together with Raphael (still in disguise), return to Nineveh, where they are met by the overjoyed Tobit and Anna.

• Only after this does Raphael reveal his true identity as an angel of the God of Israel. 

• Raphael exhorts Tobit and his family to continue their fidelity and to “praise God and give thanks to him; exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what he has done for you” (Tb 12:6).

(*Walking With God: A Journey Through The Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)

• GOSH!! (how many gosh’s is that so far as we reach Day 196? Anyone? Bueller?? 🤔)

• Isaiah Ch 9, how INCREDIBLE is this?

• What’s the context?

• The context is in the beginning of Ch 9 there is going to be the destruction of Israel (NORTHERN KINGDOM)

• The Assyrians are coming in and are going to DESTROY it

• Isaiah 9:1, “...In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, (so that happened, the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel) but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations…”

• Another word to say it is the GALILEE OF THE GENTILES

• Isaiah then goes into a poem in 9:2, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.”

• You may have heard this before, right? 🤔

• In Matthew’s Gospel, this is in Ch 2 Jesus comes after the Baptism by John in the Jordan River

• He goes into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for 40 days, he’s fasting and all that

• Where does he go from there?

• He goes to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali

• This is INCREDIBLE!

• Jesus is the FULFILLMENT of what Isaiah is writing here in Ch 9

• Jesus goes up to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali

• Now for some GEOGRAPHY stuff

• The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali

• Remember, those were two of the tribes that made up the northern ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel

• When the Assyrians are coming in, they come in from the north

• What do they do?

• They take out the first two northern tribes which were NAPHTALI and ZEBULUN

• They were the FIRST to be destroyed and brought into desolation

• They are DESTROYED COMPLETELY

• AND YET…

• The promise is...in this very spot where everything began to be DESTROYED is the SAME SPOT where everything will be REBUILT

• So Jesus goes up to the NORTH SHORE of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Land of Zebulun and the Land of Naphtali

• What does Jesus begin doing?

• He sees Simon and his brother, Andrew fishing and says, “Come, follow me.”

• He sees James and his brother, John fishing and says, “Come, follow me.”

• He assembles these four Apostles and he ultimately assembles how many Apostles?

• 12 APOSTLES WITH HIM THAT SYMBOLIZE THE RECONSTITUTED 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL WITH JESUS AS THE KING!!!

• Those 12 men are the RECONSTITUTED ISRAEL!!

• It all begins where?

• It all begins in the Land of Zebulun and the Land of Naphtali

• The Land beyond the Jordan

• The Galilee of the Gentiles

• “People who have walked in darkness have seen a great light!”

• How INSANE is this?

• SO GOOD!!

• SO GOOD!!

• Isaiah goes on to give this INCREDIBLE PROPHECY of what Jesus will be like

• Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ Of his Kingdom there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom…”

• OH GOSH!

• ALL THE THINGS!

• SO GOOD!

• Here is Jesus who is COMPLETELY FULFILLING THIS

• Because how can ANY person AT ALL fulfill this?

• WHY?

• Because one of the names of this “child to be born,” “a son to be given,” is MIGHTY GOD HIMSELF

• There is NO GOD BORN TO US EXCEPT FOR JESUS CHRIST

• WHO CO-EXISTED ETERNALLY WITH THE FATHER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

• BUT…

• When Jesus took on our flesh in the INCARNATION, Jesus was BORN IN TIME

• The Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ the Son of God BECOMES AMONG US

• DIVINE PERSON

• WITH A DIVINE AND HUMAN NATURE

• As it says here, HE IS MIGHTY GOD!!

• SO INCREDIBLE!!

• The rest of the prophecy goes on to talk about how the people in the Northern Kingdom DID NOT TURN BACK TO THE LORD no matter what happens

• What’s going to happen is that Manasseh will devour Ephraim and Ephraim will devour Manasseh and together they are against Judah (SOUTHERN KINGDOM)

• It is HORRIBLE!!

• It is TERRIBLE!!

• They are going to be DESTROYED

• God also speaks to those people who are going to destroy them in Isaiah Ch 10

• God is speaking woe to the Assyrians

• This is REALLY REMARKABLE!!

• Not only is God saying in Isaiah 10:5, “Ah Assyria, the rod of my anger, the staff of my fury!”

• God is using Assyria, this nation, as a nation to bring JUSTICE to the Northern Kingdom of Israel

• God will use them 

• AND YET…

• At the same time, Assyria is NOT GOOD

• They are WOED (if that’s a word...Google Docs spell check says it isn’t 🤔)

• God is pronouncing WOE over them

• Even though God is using them as a TOOL to bring about JUSTICE in the NORTH, they are NOT GOOD

• It is REMARKABLE that the end of Isaiah Ch 10, God is already promising a REPENTANT REMNANT in Israel

• God is saying, “Yes, even though all of this destruction is going to happen, there will be my people who will still be left. And my people will still be able to accomplish my plan which is to bring about worldwide blessing to the world.”

• We have this great story in the Book of Tobit

• Tobias has gotten married now to Sarah

• They are getting blessed by his in-laws and he blesses them back

• The words of Tobit and Anna (I think Fr. Mike misspoke when he said it was Tobias and Sarah), who are waiting for their son

• Tobit says, “No, he’s going to be fine!”

• Anna says, “No, he’s dead!”

• The Biblical author wrote in Tobit 10:6, “But Tobit said to her, ‘Be still and stop worrying; he is well.’ And she answered him, ‘Be still and stop deceiving me; my child has perished.’”

• That’s great

• That’s good writing right there

• That’s beautiful

• Raphael gives his exhortation

• Raphael says in Tobit 12:8, “Ok you are going to pray. Prayer is really good. Yes, keep on praying. But prayer is good when accompanied by FASTING, ALMSGIVING, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

• Prayer can’t just be on our lips

• Prayer can’t just be that we spent some time in prayer

• It also must accompany FASTING...I DENY MYSELF

• It also must accompany ALMSGIVING...I TAKE CARE OF THOSE AROUND ME

• It also must accompany RIGHTEOUSNESS...I AM ACTUALLY DOING WHAT GOD HAS COMMANDED ME TO DO

• PRAYER is a RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

• FASTING is DENIAL OF SELF (Jesus said, “You cannot be my disciple unless you deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me.” SO WE HAVE TO FAST!!)

• ALMSGIVING is TAKING CARE OF THOSE AROUND US

• RIGHTEOUSNESS is FOLLOWING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND FOLLOWING WHAT GOD HAS TAUGHT US TO DO

• Tobit 12:9-10, “For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have fullness of life; but those who commit sin are the enemies of their own lives.”

• IT PIERCES THE HEART!!

• THOSE WHO COMMIT SIN ARE THE ENEMIES OF THEIR OWN LIVES

• So pray to God and ask, “God, help us not to be the enemies of our own lives. Help us to be friends of YOU and friends of ourselves by choosing what YOU, God, want us to choose. Help us to choose YOU. Help us to choose RIGHTEOUSNESS. Help us to choose JUSTICE. Help us to choose ALMSGIVING. Help us to choose all those good things.”

• Let that be the reality of your life, that you are NOT the enemy to your own life

• PRAY FOR FR. MIKE

• PRAY FOR EACH OTHER

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we give you praise and glory and we thank you so much. We thank you for your word and we thank you for your wisdom that you give to us through these wise sayings of Solomon in the Book of Proverbs. Because we know. We know it is true that you call us to not mess around with evil. You call us to choose the good with our whole heart, to choose you with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, to love you with everything we have and everything we are because hatred stirs up strife but love covers all offenses. Help us to love you well. Help us to love you wisely in this world that can often be so confusing and so tricky to know how to love the people around us well, to know how to love you well, and to let people into our lives, to let them know us, to let them love us. So we ask for your help, Lord. Help us to love well. Help us to be loved well. And help us to be an image of you in this world every day of our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”