When word came to the house of David that Aram was encamped in Ephraim, the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled. When the prophet Isaiah reports on the invasion of Judah by the combined forces of Syria and the Northern Kingdom he is the center of the narrative. It would be fascinating if we had King Ahab’s account of the event. My guess is that he would be the hero of the story resisting the invaders and Isaiah just one of his advisors. Perhaps the spiritual message underlying the dual visions is to remind us that events in the world have a spiritual component. It might be a cliche to say that politics and religion don’t mix that that is not the way the Bible thinks. Rather, every political choice reflects certain values and the job of believers is to insist that the Godly virtues of compassion, equality, care for the poor, welcoming the stranger are built into those choices.
JULY162024
By Church Staff
