What is your purpose? Without purpose, what is there? What is life to be? These inquiries often posed during troubling time.
For some people, they often chase purpose. This is not a difficult endeavor. This is especially in the present time in which those advancing notions of purpose can keep talley via social media.
Beyond individual motivation, Humanity, in every generation, contains eschatological thought which triggers thoughts of purpose. These end of times thoughts uniquely blend existentialism. Saving the world from destruction certainly is a admirable purpose in life.
This current generation were scared by a pandemic. The echos of the Spanish Flu were abound. Oh my …, the whole world was going to die! Those appreciating history and actual medicine, however, appreciated the fact that the true echo of the Spanish Flu was the annual seasonal flu which Humanity endures. While not threatening to eradicate humanity, the flu can be fatal. It, however, became a reality of life. Before Covid-19, much of medicine’s prevention tool was the annual “flu shot.”
Before COVID-19, there was the threat global warming. Before that, there was the threat of global cooling. And before that, there was the threat of nuclear obliteration.
Antiquity also had moments in which they confronted “end of times” notions. The Levant, with the rise and fall of regional superpowers, created atmospheres in which national fates included fatality.
Israelite nations, the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, experienced frequent bouts of existentialism. The Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman occupations presented periods of uncertainty and a loss of control.
The Temple in Jerusalem, the house of the Israelite Deity’s name was no longer a stable concept. With the Temple’s initial destruction, scripture reported on the Deity’s emergence beyond beyond Zion. The Deity reached beyond its nation to employ the likes of the Persian leader Cyrus to do his bidding. The destruction of the Israelite nations due to their lack of fidelity toward their Deity was on the table.
The Prophet Isaiah’s writings address a people with “end of times” concerns. What was to be made of the people’s relationship with their Deity when their nations ceased to exist? What is our purpose?
While we do not have a time machine, we as humans are capable to empathizing with thos from the past. We all have experienced some loss and the emotions surrounding it. we know what it is like to have feelings of an uncertain future; the last day of school, leaving a long term place of employment, and the passing of loved one or family member are good examples. Beyond the loss, we ponder upon the question: “What will it be like moving forward?”
At the time the Book of Isaiah was written, the foundational aspect of the Ten Commandments was challenged. While there were a multitude of commandments existed, what was to be of the Children of Israel’s nationhood? What was going to be with the many rituals which involved a Temple and a Priesthood?
The Prophet Isaiah attempts to answer the question the “how can people continue to live on when it appears that their covenant-based relationship has been smashed?”
Isaiah addresses the people at a time in which reconfiguration must occur. He writes at a time upon which the Decalogue’s original purpose arguably was becoming obsolete. Thus, Israelites most likely re-visited questions such as “what is the meaning of life?” and “what is our purpose on the planet?”
We are afforded the Prophet IsaIsa’s writing which address this tenuous time at which Israelite nationhood existentialism was at fever pitch:
“For thus said Hashem, Creator of the heavens. He is the God. The God Who fashioned the earth, and its Maker; he established it; He did not create emptiness; He fashioned it to be inhabited: I am Hashem and there is no other. I did not speak in secresy, some place in a land of darkness; I did not tell the descendents of Jacob to seek Me for nothing; I am Hashem Who speaks righteousness, Who declares uprightness. Gather yourselves and approach together, O survivors of nations. Isaiah 45:18-29.
He then added:
“Turn to Me and be saved, all ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. I swear by Myself, righteousness has gone forth from My mouth, a word will not be rescinded: that to Me shall every knee kneel and every tongue swear.” Isaiah 45:22-23.
What should be made of this message?
In essense, the message was a back to the basics. The world, not just the promised land, was meant for someone to live out their lives; to be fruitful and multiply. Also, the message was one in which the deal remained. A Deity that is both righteous and upright will maintain its relationship. It was a message that while you may be spread all over the world, you need to stick together.
With the Deity of the Ten Commandments telling his nation to “take care of yourselves, for you are on your own”, there were those who understood and appreciated that they maintained the resources from the covenant. While without a nation, they would still be in receipt of instructions, statutes, ordinances and commandments via the Torah. They understood that there was the necessity to be on the “same page” to continue on.
In sum, Isaiah’s words reflected radical shifts of geo politics. His words presented a radical change in the Deity’s relationship with the Children of Israel. The end result was that beyond the directives from the Torah, they were given instructions of fraternity and cooperation; a gathering of a people who were to be dispersed throughout the world. Thus, in those end of times moments, the concept of hope emerged.
Be well!!
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The Ten Commandments Project 