He will raise a signal for the nations
and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
But they shall swoop down on the
shoulder of the Philistines in the west
and together they shall plunder
the people of the east.
They shall put out their hand
against Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites shall obey them.
And the Lord will utterly destroy
the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,
and will wave his hand over the Rived
with his scorching breath,
and strike it into seven channels,
and he will lead people across in sandals.
And there will be a highway from Assyria
for the remnant that remains of his people,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt.
Devotional
It seems like everyone is always trying to get home. Dorothy. John Denver on his country roads. Star Trek: Voyager. Rush hour. We can't wait to get home.
As we saw yesterday, God's done it before, bringing his people home from exile around 450BC. And he's going to do it again. Here, Isaiah talks about those great returns, both still in the future in his day.
God will bring his people - the dispersed of Judah - back home. But when he begins that final return, things won't be how they were before. Just being there isn't enough: God's going to transform them inside and out.
Where God's people have been divided against each other - the jealousy of Ephraim and harassment of Judah - they won't fight any longer, or even want to fight.
Where God's people had suffered violence and competition - from the Philistines, Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites - they will be victorious and have peace.
The same God that did the impossible in bringing us out of Egypt will do it again. He will bring us home.
Prayer
Lord, teach us to trust in you, and to look forward to the grand reunion at our eternal homecoming. Amen.
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