Isaiah 48

Hear are some thoughts from thinking and reading over a couple of verses in Isaiah 48. I am using the English Standard Version and when I quote the Hebrew definitions, i am using the Theological Word Book Of The Old Testament. I hope you have as much fun with God as i did over these ideas.

Isaiah 48:15-16

“I, even I, have spoken and called him; I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.

Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.”

1. You have spoken. You are not silent. There are words that You want me to hear. There is a message You want me to understand. So You speak. Any breakdown in the communication process leads to uncertainty. And You do not want me to be uncertain about Your intentions and feelings toward me. This is vital for attachment to continue. There has to be words to express You. And You are the one speaking those words. And You want it very clear. What is most important for me is to actually hear what You are saying. If I miss that message, then I miss You. That is why Your words are so important. They express You. And I could not know how You are if there are no words.
2. You have called. The Hebrew word for calling is closely associated with naming something. So for You to call is for You to name. That personalizes our connection. When Nancy and I named our children, we contemplated and discussed so that we would have the exact and perfect name for each of our children. It is heart warming to imagine that You are taking the time to give me the perfect and exact name. It is an expression of contact and intimacy. It is a spoken name. It shows that You are attentive to me. It shows that You know me. So when You are speaking, You are calling out my name and addressing me personally. To hear what You are saying means that I am going to be hearing You say my name. If I get quiet and imagine that You are saying my name, with a smile on Your face, looking deep into my eyes, my cheeks in Your hands...”Billy,...Billy,...”
3. You have brought. Now the actual Hebrew word is “to come”. The thought here is that You come to me. One of the most important words used in attachment language is “proximity seeking” behaviour. In other words, in an attachment bond between and child and parents, children seek to be as close as possible to the primary care-giver to maintain the safe and secure feeling that comes from being close. Whether You bring me close to You or You come close to me, You are actively involved in proximity seeking behaviour. You come as Savior. You came as strength. You come to comfort. And the list goes on. The point I want to feel is Your desire to be close to me and the actual work that You perform to make sure that proximity occurs between us. And again, what words would You be speaking? You are telling me that You want to be close to me and that You are going to make that happen. It is aggressive initiative from You. You move strongly toward me. I do not want to be close to a threat. You pose no threat. You are not going to shame me or create fear in me. You are going to insure that I feel safe and secure. Just like any good parent should do with their child.
4. I will prosper in my way. The Hebrew word for prosper means “to accomplish satisfactorily what is intended”. So my question for You is what is intended? What will I successively accomplish? Well, I think that You mean that I will achieve proximity with You. We will succeed at attachment to each other. The path to You will be a reality. The path will actually be traveled on together. And to succeed in proximity with You means that You have to create that path. And that path You becomes open to me through the Messiah who came to bring me into the open expanse out of the contracted prison of isolation from Your presence.
5. "Draw near to Me." Now the Hebrew word emphasizes this whole idea of proximity seeking behaviour. It literally means “being or coming into the most near and intimate proximity of the object (or subject)”. “The more essential significance of the root emerges in cases where the “drawing near” renders the subject close enough to the object to see it, to speak to it, or even to touch it.” And this is Your command. You are telling me to draw near to You. You want me to seek proximity with You. You want me close enough to You to hear You, to feel Your presence, to sense Your feelings for me. And when I am hearing You call my name, and when I am feeling Your desire to be with me, and when I am sensing Your love for me, and when I sense how special I am to You, I want more than ever to be close to You. I want to seek proximity with You.