Finding Your Calling · Day 2
Isaiah 44:1-5 — a devotion
Isaiah 44
- 1나의 종 야곱, 나의 택한 이스라엘아 이제 들으라Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:Yet listen now, Jacob my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen.
- 2너를 지으며 너를 모태에서 조성하고 너을 도와줄 여호와가 말하노라 나의 종 야곱, 나의 택한 여수룬아 두려워 말라Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.This is what the LORD who made you, and formed you from the womb, who will help you says: “Don’t be afraid, Jacob my servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
- 3대저 내가 갈한 자에게 물을 주며 마른 땅에 시내가 흐르게 하며 나의 신을 네 자손에게, 나의 복을 네 후손에게 내리리니For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring;
- 4그들이 풀 가운데서 솟아나기를 시냇가의 버들 같이 할 것이라And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.and they will spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses.
- 5혹은 이르기를 나는 여호와께 속하였다 할 것이며 혹은 야곱의 이름으로 자칭할 것이며 혹은 자기가 여호와께 속하였음을 손으로 기록하고 이스라엘의 이름으로 칭호하리라One shall say, I am the LORD’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.One will say, ‘I am the LORD’s.’ Another will be called by the name of Jacob; and another will write with his hand ‘to the LORD,’ and honor the name of Israel.”
KJV and World English Bible — Public Domain · 개역한글 ⓒ Korean Bible Society
Background
Isaiah is a book written by the prophet Isaiah, who ministered during the era of the southern kingdom of Judah (the 8th century BC). Chapter 44 belongs to the latter part of Isaiah (chapters 40-55), which delivers a message of comfort and restoration to the people of Israel in the Babylonian exile. At the time, Israel had lost their nation and were despairing in a foreign land. Into that situation God reaffirms their identity, saying, I made you and I chose you. After promising Israel's salvation in chapter 43, chapter 44 moves on to an even more specific vision of restoration — the promise to pour out His Spirit. This passage serves to confirm God's unchanging love and plan even in the despair of exile.
Reflection questions: 1. How might the fact that God made me with intention change the way I understand myself? 2. Where does my life feel dry right now, and am I asking God to pour His life into that place? 3. What might it look like in my daily life to confess that I belong to the LORD?
Today's reflection
In Isaiah 44:1-5, God declares to Israel, I made you and I chose you. The promise to pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground means that God will pour spiritual vitality into His people. As a result, He says, Israel's descendants will spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams.
The key theological insight of this passage is that God chose us and formed us. The Hebrew word yatsar means to shape something with intention, the way a potter forms a vessel. God did not make us at random; He fashioned us with a particular purpose in mind.
To put it simply, God made each of us as carefully as a craftsman shaping a work of art. And He promises to pour the water of life into the places that have gone dry.
Does your life feel parched right now, or as if it has lost its direction? God promises to pour water into exactly those places. When you are unsure of who you are or why you are here, the God who made you and chose you will breathe fresh life into your days.
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