Isaiah 20: The Naked Prophet
Naked and Barefoot
I'm sure the title has gained some attention. In Isaiah 20 God gives Isaiah the mission of putting off his waist garment and sandals, walking naked and barefoot, for three years!. Most commentators explain this away in a figurative sense. They say that Isaiah didn't really walk naked but in a humble destitute manner. I would disagree with this interpretation. The Bible is not always filled with "family friendly" stories. There is a woman who is cut up into twelve pieces after she is raped all night; there is a woman who drives a spike through a man's temple; there is murder, treachery, adultery, and a fat king who is pierced through with a knife that is engulfed in his big fat stomach. And all of this is explicitly written in the Scriptures and even in a greater graphic form than I have given.
Naked Assignment
So, for Isaiah to be given the assignment to walk naked (most likely with his buttocks exposed only) doesn't surprise me. All of the prophets were given assignments that were difficult such as Hosea marrying a prostitute. So what can we learn from naked Isaiah? Can you imagine if you were given this assignment? What would your neighbors think of you?
The Diploma & The Hospital Gown
Years ago there was a movie titled Patch Adams starring Robin Williams. It is based on a true story about a medical student who desires to change the establishment through non-traditional approaches to medicine—primarily through listening, laughing, and caring for the patient. In the movie of Patch Adams, when he receives his diploma for graduation, he wears a hospital gown for the ceremony. When he walks back to take his seat, you get a glimpse of what Isaiah might have looked like! If you still don't get it, then you must have never worn a hospital gown. The point is that Isaiah was given an assignment that required the ultimate humility. God was giving the nations a visible demonstration of his desired result—humility…destitute of one's own pride and self sufficiency. So what assignment has God given you? God does not promise happiness every day of our lives—he has promised redemption!
Our Assignment
Yes Psalm 16:11 would seem to promise happiness, and this will come, but only after we are willing to do the hard things. I like what a well know female author told another woman who was complaining about her husband not meeting her emotional needs. She told her to get a grip and start being the woman of God that she was called to be. Too many of us just haven't stepped up to the plate to do the hard things. Whether as a spouse, a parent, a staff member, a neighbor, God has given us an assignment to walk humbly with Him. God desires us to humble ourselves so that he might lift us up. The alternative is for God to humble us Himself. If we would take the initiative, i believe that God would redeem us and our relationships in ways we could not dream possible. And we all need to be thankful that our assignment might not be as bad as we thought. I can't wait to ask Isaiah about his experience. I'm sure he has a lot of stories to tell!
I'm sure the title has gained some attention. In Isaiah 20 God gives Isaiah the mission of putting off his waist garment and sandals, walking naked and barefoot, for three years!. Most commentators explain this away in a figurative sense. They say that Isaiah didn't really walk naked but in a humble destitute manner. I would disagree with this interpretation. The Bible is not always filled with "family friendly" stories. There is a woman who is cut up into twelve pieces after she is raped all night; there is a woman who drives a spike through a man's temple; there is murder, treachery, adultery, and a fat king who is pierced through with a knife that is engulfed in his big fat stomach. And all of this is explicitly written in the Scriptures and even in a greater graphic form than I have given.
Naked Assignment
So, for Isaiah to be given the assignment to walk naked (most likely with his buttocks exposed only) doesn't surprise me. All of the prophets were given assignments that were difficult such as Hosea marrying a prostitute. So what can we learn from naked Isaiah? Can you imagine if you were given this assignment? What would your neighbors think of you?
The Diploma & The Hospital Gown
Years ago there was a movie titled Patch Adams starring Robin Williams. It is based on a true story about a medical student who desires to change the establishment through non-traditional approaches to medicine—primarily through listening, laughing, and caring for the patient. In the movie of Patch Adams, when he receives his diploma for graduation, he wears a hospital gown for the ceremony. When he walks back to take his seat, you get a glimpse of what Isaiah might have looked like! If you still don't get it, then you must have never worn a hospital gown. The point is that Isaiah was given an assignment that required the ultimate humility. God was giving the nations a visible demonstration of his desired result—humility…destitute of one's own pride and self sufficiency. So what assignment has God given you? God does not promise happiness every day of our lives—he has promised redemption!
Our Assignment
Yes Psalm 16:11 would seem to promise happiness, and this will come, but only after we are willing to do the hard things. I like what a well know female author told another woman who was complaining about her husband not meeting her emotional needs. She told her to get a grip and start being the woman of God that she was called to be. Too many of us just haven't stepped up to the plate to do the hard things. Whether as a spouse, a parent, a staff member, a neighbor, God has given us an assignment to walk humbly with Him. God desires us to humble ourselves so that he might lift us up. The alternative is for God to humble us Himself. If we would take the initiative, i believe that God would redeem us and our relationships in ways we could not dream possible. And we all need to be thankful that our assignment might not be as bad as we thought. I can't wait to ask Isaiah about his experience. I'm sure he has a lot of stories to tell!
Labels: Isaiah 20: The Naked Prophet
posted by Mark Hamby | 10:28 PM
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