When I was preparing an Advent study, I focused on the early part of Chapter 2. What a mistake! Chapter 1 has so much insight into both the corruption and potential of man.
To prepare any space, its faults and weaknesses must be known. If you need any further reference on this, feel free to ask anyone who has suffered from hidden water damage. You can paint and patch to your heart's content, but until the underlying problem is corrected, the cosmetic efforts matter little.
But much like the water-damaged home, the repair of any individual or nation-state is quite difficult. The rewards are great, but there is little wonder as to why so many refuse to take it on. Yet the longer we go neglecting ourselves and others, the sicker we get. Oozing and decrepit, others wonder why we live like this. Including God:
Why do you seek further beatings? Why do you continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it,
but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds;
they have not been drained, or bound up, or softened with oil.
(Isaiah 1:5-6)
There is so much wrong, but we are never declared to be a lost cause. Even when we have declared ourselves worthless, given up all hope, and fallen into willful neglect, there is something that can be restored. Elaborate rituals are rendered meaningless as we are advised to "cease to do evil, learn to do good." It can be quite a learning curve! Few of us (self included) have a perfectly formed conscience, so getting to True North is much more difficult than expected.
God has faith in us, but are we ready to have faith in ourselves?
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