Come to Me – Day 13

To understand what is going on in today’s verse, we need to understand something of Jewish law. Here the prophet uses Mosaic Law, associated with divorce and debtors’ slavery, as an analogy to show that Judah is separated from God and in slavery because of her own sin.

If a husband wanted to divorce his wife, he had to give her a certificate of divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Here, in Isaiah, the Lord speaks to Judah and says, “I did not officially divorce you.” He implies that there was a temporary separation between “husband and wife” because of Judah’s sins. The Lord does not have any creditors, but he did sell his “children” because of their sins. It was their actions, not his, that caused them to be sold into slavery in Babylon.

We also read here that the Lord tried to rescue his people, but they did not answer his call. It was Judah that rejected the Lord, not the Lord who rejected Judah. When he comes to take her back, to rescue her, no one comes forward to greet him. They chose not to believe prophets who told them that their exile in Babylon was only temporary. They did not think that the Lord was capable of rescuing them.

The more time we spend with God, the less likely we are to make sinful choices. A bit later in this chapter we read, “The Sovereign Lord … wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught” (Isaiah 50:4). Set aside at least five minutes each morning to read the Bible and listen to what God wants to teach you.