The prophet now goes on to pronounce that Asyria would suffer and fall. God had meant for Asyria to be used as  a Rod against Israel. The Rod, or stick, is that of the shepherd, used to guide his sheep. However, Asyria had by now (720 BC)  far exceeded the guidance that God intended the nation to be used on Israel, taking over much of Israel's land and leaving only Jerusalem untouched 'like a hut in a field of cucumbers'. For exceeding their mission, the Asyrians would be felt a harsh blow - and indeed they were, being overwhelmed by Babylon in the 6th Century BC.

Asyria would experience Woe because it had become proud of its own achievements, forgetting that God had made their success against Israel possible. Hence the phrases about the axe claiming the success that is due to the woodsman, the saw thing credit fort he work of the carpenter. We in our turn may often be called upon to do God's work and it is an all to human trait to claim the fruits of our labours are due to our efforts - not to God's carefull planning.

Isaiah is far from the prophetic voice of one single person - the span of Isaiah covers three phases and possibly five - scholarly discussions have not fully resolved this. The distinctions come from the literary style which strongly suggests at least three authors, and the emphasis of the content changes also: Up to Chapter 36 Isaiah is prophesying against bad behaviour, then there is an historical interlude until we hear prophetic voiceless again, but this time of deliverance and a time of freedom in Chapter 49 onwards.

For the first few days of this week we are hearing from the early Isaiah, on Friday we hop into Historical Isaiah. Following the golden days of David and Solomon, Israel entered a long and prosperous period into which Isaiah spoke against the drunkenness, idolatry, greed and oppressive behaviour towards the poor that often characterises affluent and peaceful nations (we need to reflect on our own nation here!).  Todays' prophesy includes remarkably precise directions which point to a pool and channel that still have archaeological traces on the ground today. The message is clear - we have two enemies approaching our boarders, but if we remain faithful to God and do not waver in our trust, they shall be destroyed by an even greater force (Assyria). Ahaz it turns out does not listen and throws his kingdom into the hands of Assyria, trusting in their human might rather than in God's.

Prophetic readings are meant to make us think - they are far from predictions of future things to happen (history in reverse).. Do we have fears that we allow to over-run our lives? Are we worrying about the winter ahead with fuel prices, high inflation, political uncertainty and even war in Europe again? Do we trust in human remedies of power, possessions or influencers, rather than in God's way of humility, openness and vulnerability? Well, remember that God does uphold his city forever (Psalm 47). One last point - the Kings' son is given the name Shear-jasub, which means 'a remnant will return'. Perhaps this was penned as a reminder that Israel did return from the Exile: in our contest it may mean that God will always be with us and will always bring us home from whatever trials befall us.

Every summer, starting with the Feast day, I read the rule of St Benedict. I have an 'explained' version by Cary-Elwes and Wybourne. The Rule of St Benedict for Lay People gives insights into how this ancient rule, adopted as a way of life by most western monastic orders, is a good guide to christian life for us all.

Recently we have been travelling through a synodal process, of listening to each other, discovering how our differences are often our strengths as a Catholic community. The rule of St Benedict's very first word is 'Listen'.

"Listen carefully my child, to the teaching of the master and bend close the ear of your heart. Readily accept the advice of your loving Father and faithfully put it into practice, that by the labour of obedience you may make your way back to him from whom you have strayed."

One might immediately think the word 'obedience' is highly anti-synodal and echoes to us thoughts of magisterium, clericalism or even 'pray, pay and obey' as that notorious and out of date guidance for laity had it. But far from it: Benedict explains that it is through obedience to God that freedom lies. "All valuable obedience is to God, but brought to us through many streams: conscience, scripture, the church, circumstances of life, a rule of life" [Cary-Elwis]. To be obedient to God we have to listen to God - however God chooses to speak to us, so being awake and ready to hear God is an essential first step. Even Jesus, who was, is and ever will be God, chose to make himself obedient to Gods' the Father's wish - "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass my lips: but let it be done according to your Word". [Matt 26:39].

So this summer I shall once again open each day with a word from the Rule, and try to be prepared to listen.

By contrast to Hosea, Isaiah prophesied to the southern kingdom (Judah). He was evidently of priestly descent. He began his career ‘in the year that King Uzziah died’. Uzziah had been the hope of his people, and he embarked on a meteoric career. The nation prospered. But hubris struck Uzziah. He presumed to offer incense in the Temple, the prerogative of the priesthood. Uzziah ended his reign in quarantine as a leper. [II Chronicles 26.16-23] His death brought a sigh of relief to Jerusalem. Yet disquiet and apprehension remained. Isaiah went to the Temple, and in an extraordinary vision he felt its very foundations tremble. He felt deeply his own sin and that of the nation. In the midst of it all he saw the Lord who at once cleansed him of his sin and called him to the life of prophecy. Isaiah’s vocation was the making of him, called out of darkness into light, out of slavery into freedom, out of every deceit into life worthy of the name.

‘Ephraim’ is another of the prophet’s metaphorical names for the people of Israel. Ephraim was the second son born to Joseph, the son of Israel [Genesis 30.22-24], during his sojourn in Egypt. [41.50-52] Joseph’s portion of his father Jacob’s (Israel) bequeathal was divided between these two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh); centuries later, when the ten northern tribes rebelled against the reign of King David’s grandson Rehoboam [I Kings 12.16] it was the tribe of Ephraim who led them; by Hosea’s time Ephraim had become a common name for the whole of the northern kingdom. [cf Jeremiah 31.9]

In 722 Israel was invaded by the Assyrians and from that time it essentially disappears as a nation. [I Chronicles 5.26; II Kings 17.5-6] Assyrian cuneiform states that 27,900 Israelites were taken captive from Samaria. The land of Israel was re-populated with peoples conquered by the Assyrians. [II Kings 17.24] Some of these people married Israelites, and their descendants became known as Samaritans, despised by New Testament times because of their mixed-racial ancestry and their rejection of the Jerusalem Temple. [John 4.1-42; Luke 9.51-56; 10.29-37]

Did Hosea live to see the Assyrian invasion and the dispersal of the Israelite population? It would appear that he did not. He certainly, though, was witness to the consequence of an apparently secure but decadent society being overrun by rapid social and religious disintegration. Yet for all that, Hosea never loses hope. The God in whose name he speaks promises to ‘heal their disloyalty’, to ‘love them with all my heart.’

‘Out of Israel I called my son.’ For St Matthew [2.15] this verse is taken as a prophecy to account for the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt to escape the murderous designs of King Herod. For the prophets, though, it was the central metaphor for the life of Israel.

Creation is described not as forming and shaping, as if God had taken up someone else’s discarded materials and made something of them. Rather, creation is call. ‘Let light be’ God declares [Genesis 1.3] and in response to that unignorable summons light comes into existence. ‘By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made’ the Psalmist [32(33).6] declares. God’s Word (which is the metaphor the prophets customarily use for God’s very essence; cf John 1.1] is potent, creative and it imparts life.

Our relationship to God is well described by the metaphor of vocation, vocation not primarily meaning ‘what we do’ but ‘who we are’. {Cf Ephesians 1.3-14] God calls us out of darkness into light, out of slavery into freedom, out of all the counterfeits we think of as life into life worthy of the name.

Rain is often taken as an image of the bounty of God: ‘showers of blessing’ as an old Protestant hymn describes it. Agricultural societies knew the difference between rainy years and years of drought [cf I Kings 17.1]; other prophets looked at rain as a metaphor for the Word of God coming down from heaven to human hearts. [Isaiah 55.10-11] Drought seemed the sign of God’s displeasure; rain, and the consequent luxurious growth, the sign of God’s favour.

Jesus reminded his listeners that ‘the rain falls on honest and dishonest men alike’
[Matthew 5.45], one of many efforts to broaden perspectives and help people recognise that there is no easy correspondence between misfortune and God’s judgement. [cf Luke 13.1-5; John 9.1-3] Nonetheless it is spiritually healthy to acknowledge God as the source of wealth and prosperity, to recognise that lives filled with blessings are most of all opportunities to share with others. [cf Ecclesiastes 11.1] If we think we are well off because of our abilities and industry our pride may well be setting us up for a fall! [Proverbs 16.18]

Hosea refers to Israel as Samaria, after its capital city. Hosea writes in the 8^th Century Before Christ, long after David’s united monarchy has been sundered into two kingdoms: Judah, centred on Jerusalem, in the south, and Israel in the north. Hosea denounces the ‘calf of Samaria’, a reference to the golden calf made by Aaron whilst the people impatiently awaited Moses’ return from his conference with their Lord and God. [Exodus 32.1-35] For Hosea that episode stood for the whole history of Israel’s relationship with God. ‘They will have to go back to Egypt’ he asserts.

Israel was formed as a nation by the experience of wandering in the wilderness. Upon their liberation from Egypt God had declared that they would not enter the promised land by the short way but ‘by the roundabout way of the wilderness’. [Exodus 13.17-18] Continually the people complained that Moses had led them to a place of death [14.11; 16.2-3; 17.3] but, paradoxically, the wilderness was a place where they were to find life worthy of the name.
[cf John 10.10] In the wilderness a loose collection of slaves was transformed into a people united to each other by their ever-deepening union with God himself.