God continues calling our attention to the choices we make, and their consequences. As we choose to live ego's fantasies and illusions, our discernment, intellect and common sense also follows the same predicament.
“For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children that refuse to hear the teaching of the Lord; that say to the seers: 'See not,' and to the prophets: 'Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy delusions; get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us'.” (Isaiah 30:9-11)
Discernment, intellect and common sense are “the seers” and “the prophets” we force to partake in “smooth things” (vanities) and “delusions” (ego's fantasies and illusions) that deviate our true purpose by denying and rejecting righteousness (the “right things” to do) as the path in which we are supposed to walk. These delusions cause our separation from the holiness God wants us to be, for He is our God who is Holy.
“Wherefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: 'Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon; therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, which breaking comes suddenly at an instant.” (30:12-13)
Our ways and means to fulfill materialistic fantasies and illusions become the oppression and perverseness where we remain, until we choose to wake up from them and return to the goodness of Love's ways and attributes. We have said many times in this blog that eternal vigilance is the key to remain in the goodness we are and are destined to manifest. Some compare it to walking through a straight and narrow path, where goodness is the path itself as well as its destination. Thus we realize in a sudden instant that we can lose track, once we change the object of our attention. Ego's fantasies and illusions become the wall that fall onto us, as heavy and as high as we build them up.
“And He shall break it as a potter's vessel is broken, breaking it into pieces without sparing; so that there shall not be found among the pieces thereof a shard to take fire from the burning, and to take water out of the cistern.” (30:14)
In an eloquent metaphor the Prophet evokes the change that God promises for our consciousness in His Final Redemption. The vessel represent the old and outdated negative ways and means to approach life and the material world. He will break it to make sure it will never be the container either for fire or for water. He will make us aware that the wrong perception and approach must change in order to give way to goodness as the cause and effect of God's Creation. This positive approach is the foundation of the Messianic Consciousness.
“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: 'In returning and rest shall ye be saved, in tranquility and in confidence shall be your strength; and ye have not been willing'.” (30:15)
Here the Prophet evokes the confidence in the security we find by returning to our Creator, stillness and tranquility as our strongholds. These are opposite qualities to agitation, unrest, and unsettledness, that lead us to weakness from which we can't return to our Essence and true identity. In this sense we understand peace as a quality inherent to Love's ways and attributes. It is not about a stagnating stillness, but the certainty and confidence in who we really are and have as the inheritance of God's Love. Yet we are not willing to make the right choices.
“And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have compassion upon you; for the Lord is a God of justice, happy are all they that wait for Him.” (30:18)
We are reminded again that God stands by His Love to grant us free will. Hence He is patient with us, and waits for our return to His ways and attributes. Thus we understand that He is gracious to us because He loves us. In this awareness we honor and exalt Him, for He is compassionate with us. The Prophet teaches us a great lesson when he tells us that happy are those that wait for God. In this context, waiting implies our willingness to return to Him. This is not about waiting with crossed arms and legs until He has compassion for us.
As long as we take the step towards Him, He will be will us: “Therefore tell [the people of Israel] them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Return to Me', says the Lord of hosts, 'and I will return to you', says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 1:3). Hence the choice is ours. As we have mentioned frequently, God declared His Redemption after He took us out of Egypt from the house of slavery. Still, He waits for us to embrace His Redemption.
We realize that His waiting and our waiting meet in one place that is our permanent connection with Him. This place is Zion at Jerusalem, for those who dwell it and wait in it. In our permanent bond with God, He hears and He answers. Zion at Jerusalem is this bond where our Love and God's Love dwell together. Thus we realize that as we begin to enthrone Love's ways and attributes to lead all levels and dimensions of life, God's Love is also manifest.
“For, O people that dwells in Zion at Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious unto you at the voice of your cry. When He shall hear, He will answer you.” (Isaiah 30:19)
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