“…you shall raise up the foundations of many generations ...” Is. 58:12. (NRSV)
Back Ground:
The affiliates of Isaiah's addressees were fasting for all the erroneous reasons! They fasted to get things from God and hypocritically appear righteous. God says, though, that we should fast to free others from their sins, to intercede with God for their healing, to help provide for their needs and to understand the Will of God. Here the writer says, you shall build the old waste places - Shall repair the old ruins, and restore the desolate cities and fields to their former beauty. This language is taken from the condition of Judea during the long captivity at Babylon. The land could have been desolated by the Chaldeans, and lain waste for a period of seventy years. Of course all the remains of their former prosperity would have gone to decay, and the whole country would be filled with draughts and ruins. But all this, says the prophet, would be restored if they were obedient to God and would keep his law. Their descendants would be so numerous that the land would be entirely occupied and cultivated again, and cities and towns would rise with their former beauty and magnificence.
Etymology:
‘You shall raise up the foundations of many generations’ - That is, the foundations which had endured for generations. The word 'foundations' here (מוסד môsâd), means properly the foundation of a building, that is, on which a building rests. Here it means the foundation when that alone remains; and is equivalent to ruins. The Hebrew phrase translated 'of many generational' (דור־ודור dôr-vâdôr, generation and generation), is equivalent to one generation after another, and is the usual form of the superlative degree. "Breach" has a very interesting usage in the English language as it pertains to our relationship with God and the church's present state. Here is a list of synonyms for "breach" taken from The Reader's Digest Oxford Complete Word Finder: "break, gap, opening, rupture, split, alienation, schism." The repairer of the breach - Lowth, 'The repairer of the broken mound.' The phrase properly means, 'the fortifier of the breach;' i.:e:, the one who shall build up the breach that is made in a wall of a city, either by the lapse of time, or by a siege. The restorer of paths to dwell in - Lowth and Noves render this, 'The restorer of paths to be frequented by inhabitants.'
Key Words: Rebuilt, Raise up, Foundation, Generation, Repair, Breach and Restore
Study Themes: Raise up the Foundations, Repair the Breach and Restore the Path
Context Today:
India today is not much differing from the stated context. The foundations of our rich culture, heritage, traditions, lives and livelihood have got ruined by the new-developmental policies such as modernization, commercialization, industrialization, economic reformations, globalizations, raise of Right-wing political, religious, linguistical, ethnic, caste and resistive ideologies.
The Relationship with the earth, land and agriculture, nature’s relationships such as rainfall, food gains cultivation, traditional life-giving and life-sharing lifestyles of the communities and earth have turned with economic, consumeristic and commercial values which breach the humane call and commitment to earth, land and life.
The inhumane paths of the communities make the society sick, unhealthy, unressistable, unhygienic, malnutritious and weak with epidemics and pandemics in physically and socio-spiritually.
Therefore today we are called to………….
1. Raise up the foundations.We live in the midst of ‘use and throw’ and consumeristic culture. If something is not useful we are forced to throw that and go for new including our tradition, culture and heritage.
1. Do our traditions, heritage and cultures had strong and rich foundations? If so, why
Back Ground:
The affiliates of Isaiah's addressees were fasting for all the erroneous reasons! They fasted to get things from God and hypocritically appear righteous. God says, though, that we should fast to free others from their sins, to intercede with God for their healing, to help provide for their needs and to understand the Will of God. Here the writer says, you shall build the old waste places - Shall repair the old ruins, and restore the desolate cities and fields to their former beauty. This language is taken from the condition of Judea during the long captivity at Babylon. The land could have been desolated by the Chaldeans, and lain waste for a period of seventy years. Of course all the remains of their former prosperity would have gone to decay, and the whole country would be filled with draughts and ruins. But all this, says the prophet, would be restored if they were obedient to God and would keep his law. Their descendants would be so numerous that the land would be entirely occupied and cultivated again, and cities and towns would rise with their former beauty and magnificence.
Etymology:
‘You shall raise up the foundations of many generations’ - That is, the foundations which had endured for generations. The word 'foundations' here (מוסד môsâd), means properly the foundation of a building, that is, on which a building rests. Here it means the foundation when that alone remains; and is equivalent to ruins. The Hebrew phrase translated 'of many generational' (דור־ודור dôr-vâdôr, generation and generation), is equivalent to one generation after another, and is the usual form of the superlative degree. "Breach" has a very interesting usage in the English language as it pertains to our relationship with God and the church's present state. Here is a list of synonyms for "breach" taken from The Reader's Digest Oxford Complete Word Finder: "break, gap, opening, rupture, split, alienation, schism." The repairer of the breach - Lowth, 'The repairer of the broken mound.' The phrase properly means, 'the fortifier of the breach;' i.:e:, the one who shall build up the breach that is made in a wall of a city, either by the lapse of time, or by a siege. The restorer of paths to dwell in - Lowth and Noves render this, 'The restorer of paths to be frequented by inhabitants.'
Key Words: Rebuilt, Raise up, Foundation, Generation, Repair, Breach and Restore
Study Themes: Raise up the Foundations, Repair the Breach and Restore the Path
Context Today:
India today is not much differing from the stated context. The foundations of our rich culture, heritage, traditions, lives and livelihood have got ruined by the new-developmental policies such as modernization, commercialization, industrialization, economic reformations, globalizations, raise of Right-wing political, religious, linguistical, ethnic, caste and resistive ideologies.
The Relationship with the earth, land and agriculture, nature’s relationships such as rainfall, food gains cultivation, traditional life-giving and life-sharing lifestyles of the communities and earth have turned with economic, consumeristic and commercial values which breach the humane call and commitment to earth, land and life.
The inhumane paths of the communities make the society sick, unhealthy, unressistable, unhygienic, malnutritious and weak with epidemics and pandemics in physically and socio-spiritually.
Therefore today we are called to………….
1. Raise up the foundations.We live in the midst of ‘use and throw’ and consumeristic culture. If something is not useful we are forced to throw that and go for new including our tradition, culture and heritage.
1. Do our traditions, heritage and cultures had strong and rich foundations? If so, why
they are falling today by the influence of up from our day today lives and life styles?
2. If this is so, do our culture and tradition are useless?
3. According to the call today what would be our responses to rebuild the broken wall
2. If this is so, do our culture and tradition are useless?
3. According to the call today what would be our responses to rebuild the broken wall
of our society?
4. And what would be the tools to raise up the foundations
4. And what would be the tools to raise up the foundations
2. Repair of the Breach
We live on God’s bond love and relationships. But the humane misbehavior had breached the trust with God and everything God made for each other with reciprocal relationships were broken. Those caused the Global Worming and Climate change.
1. Do we accept that God created relationship with earth, creature and communities
were breached by humane domination and greed?
2. List out the Ecological sins?
3. How can we repair and rebuild the breached relationships?
4. Would Eco-friendly spirituality and life-style be considered as tool to repair the
2. List out the Ecological sins?
3. How can we repair and rebuild the breached relationships?
4. Would Eco-friendly spirituality and life-style be considered as tool to repair the
broken breach of God’s Love, relationship and with earth and nature?
3. Restore of Paths
India lives in villages mostly where there are no roads, even if there are roads those are not approachable to those villages. And the road in the villages is unhygienic with garbage, debris and other wastes. The City approaching reads also have Garbage dump yards which makes the society unhealthy and unlivable.
1. Are the pandemics and Epidemics are curse or wrath of God?
2. Is unhygienic humane living conditions are punishment of God? Or is it because
our humane sin?
3. Do our wastes make the society unhealthy and unlivable?
4. What would be the waste management mechanism? Can it be a saving act of God?
5. What would be our responses to make out society healthy and strong?
We as God called humane are called to repair the damages as we are created in God’s image and agents of God’s mission to reconstruct and rebuild and repair the damages of making society healthy and livable. This mission of raising foundations, repairing breaches and restoring paths would help us to create God’s home back as was given to us earlier. It does not mean, however, that the paths or ways were to be places in which to dwell, but that the ways which led to their dwelling-places were to be raised, restored, and repaired again as God created home.
3. Do our wastes make the society unhealthy and unlivable?
4. What would be the waste management mechanism? Can it be a saving act of God?
5. What would be our responses to make out society healthy and strong?
We as God called humane are called to repair the damages as we are created in God’s image and agents of God’s mission to reconstruct and rebuild and repair the damages of making society healthy and livable. This mission of raising foundations, repairing breaches and restoring paths would help us to create God’s home back as was given to us earlier. It does not mean, however, that the paths or ways were to be places in which to dwell, but that the ways which led to their dwelling-places were to be raised, restored, and repaired again as God created home.
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