“Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.” Isaiah 8:18 (NIV)
Signs give information and are posted so that all who pass by may see them, read them, and be informed. Symbols, on the other hand, may be posted for public view, but they immediately convey meaning. No reading necessary, the meaning is evident. Consider the highway symbols posted along a nation’s highways.
What is the most important roadside sign? Rest Area. It conveys knowledge of a convenient place nearby to rest and relieve travel stress. 🙂
In today’s passage, the Prophet explains to his audience that their God, Jehovah who lives in Mount Zion, has conveyed information to them. And God’s information to Israel is conveyed through His prophet and the prophet’s children. It seems that God is not interested in a one-time sermon that can be forgotten before the people can get to lunch. He intends for His people to be constantly reminded as His prophet and the prophet’s children move among His people.
Consider the proverb taught to us by our elders. “You are the only Bible some people will ever read!” In 2009, perhaps we should give some serious thought to the sort of example we are for Christ. In our “walk with Christ,” do we convey accurate information of faith and holiness? Do we convey the message of grace, mercy, and love? What is the most important information that we Christians should be conveying to the world around us?
Yes, I know these are challenging considerations. Note, however, the words of Paul to the Corinthian church: “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” 2 Cor. 3:2-3 (NIV). You and I are letters from Christ. He wrote his letter in our lives by the Spirit of God. And Christ’s message in us is “known and read by everybody” around us.
Dear Father, thank you for writing your message on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Grant that we may faithfully convey the proper signs and symbols of your grace. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today as Christ’s symbol,