Ureika

 I almost sent this to my pastor.  I got to the end and realized there's a perfectly sound solution to this matter that doesn't involve wasting his time.

"I was trying to read Isaiah ch30 earlier today.  First 5 verses, he's talking directly to the Israelites.  The header for vs 6 says "oracle against beasts in Negev". Is that part of the original text?  If so, that would make sense, given the overall heaviness of obscure symbolism in this section of Isaiah.  I started this week sometime reading ch26.  [X] was saying he had just finished reading ch28 so I figured I'd start somewhere in that general area.  I don't remember the exact context of Isaiah but I do remember it was largely God rebuking the people for various wrongs they'd carried out.  Chapters 26-29 weren't any exception(s).. I'm guessing vs6 and 7 is God speaking to Isaiah about the Israelites... The header gets me expecting to read exactly that; an oracle against the beasts.  So far it seems like I'm reading about the proverbial beasts...it says "they" travel to Egypt (with a bunch of words in between) ... I guess I should just survey all the  disparate pieces and then run through it again and piece them together... seems like an odd way to read but then again that royalty guy probably felt likewise about being told to take a bath to be healed of his leprosy..."

I'll update this blog once I finish executing my attempt at the above strategy.

UPDATE: I finished reading it...I think I was having difficulty with it because I was trying to read it out loud and the inclusion and placement of various words seemed to me to very dense and I couldn't read what I was seeing on the page out loud with any kind of expression because so much of it is not obvious as to what it's saying.  The only thing I get out of the passage is that God is seriously pi**ed off and wants people to stop whatever it is they are doing wrong.  There's a passage that sounds like it might be referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit and then there's passages that talk about the future which I can only imagine are written for the benefit of future generations and have no intention of comforting anyone who would have been reading them at the time...or maybe I'm wrong about that... maybe some of the not *as* guilty folks who'd gone to Hell pre-Jesus got a 2nd chance to enter Heaven or maybe they were let in graciously...idk.  He says things throughout like "I won't be burn against you forever" which to me sounds like possibly what I just described or at least something similar to it.  I guess maybe He means the collective "you", like collectively everyone who will ever read this text...but the sentence doesn't indicate that.  Not every person who has read The Bible is an Israelite.  And the people who live today and in previous centuries are not the same people who read these prophecies.  So it's really confusing.  The only thing I can think of is the questions I'm asking aren't really relevant.  God does not promise to save the world.  He does promise to offer salvation to it, and it's a given that some people won't get it.  I don't think it makes sense to think God preemptively rejects people on the basis of hatred, which seems to be how many people preach on Romans ch9.  God even tells His people in Matthew 18:18: It's up to Christians to hold the door to the Kingdom open.  If we just give someone an invitation to church and let them be, not talking to them, not encouraging them and challenging them, it is their responsibility to take the invitation but the only thing that might keep them from going is sins that they committed and kept adding to and were encouraged to hide or defend.  God's people are not required to protect every person from falling into sinful patterns of deed and thought.  God's people would be much more numerous if more people were as concerned about the future of humanity as they really should be.  It is beyond tiring though and I believe God understands that but I don't think he's necessarily *happy* about it.  He does confirm it however and accepts the outcome.  That would have been a lot for Paul to include in Romans ch9 and I don't think people would have read and responded to it in a way that God would be glorified in.  God doesn't want a kingdom of Marthas rushing to get everything done and stressing out over everything. He certainly doesn't want an ongoing debate about "Who'se more loving than who?".  Or people despairing over their role in humanity s destruction.  Plenty of people deny God based on a linear meat and potatoes interpretation of Romans 9.