Hope in the Midst of Pain

In our passage today, Isaiah is speaking to the nation of Israel, which was entering a really bad time. Through God’s righteous judgment, they were taken captive. It’s difficult for most of us to imagine what it would be like to live in a war-torn country, but Syria has been in a civil war for a decade. This short NBC News report about the children of Aleppo gives us a glimpse of what it would look like to live in that world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEO5O-2rXIQ. While the Old Testament did not have the sophisticated weapons of today, there is no questioning the brutality, violence, and fear that would pervade daily life. Isaiah brings a prophetic message of hope in the midst of the pain—for the nation and for us.