Turnabout

This week is on Isaiah 14:1-2:

The Lord will have compassion on Jacob;
once again he will choose Israel
and will settle them in their own land.
Foreigners will join them
and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
Nations will take them
and bring them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations
and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives of their captors
and rule over their oppressors.

These verses are pretty cool because they come at a time when there was no hope for Israel. They were being invaded and carried off as slaves by Babylon. God's comfort to them was basically "You may be slaves today, but someday you will rule the world." It probably seemed like nonsense.

God can turn situations completely around though. Imagine yourself in the position of someone whose nation is occupied by a strong foreign power, whose soldiers are looting the wealth and taking prisoners away to some far off land. Could you picture yourself as being an empire? Could you imagine having access to the world's wealth, and influence and power in all places? It would seem like madness.

That's pretty much what happened though. Israel was repopulated. The Jewish people are represented in all places of power now. In inviting the Gentiles into His kingdom, foreigners are now part of God's people and serve Israel's God, who is now our God as well. What rational person could have predicted that at the time of Babylon's sacking of Israel? And yet it happened.

There is no situation that is completely hopeless. God can turn anything around. Even the worst evil can be redeemed for his good purpose.