“Rule For Finger Pointing”
Isaiah 58:6-12 

Introduction

This morning’s sermon is based upon the Old Testament reading from Isaiah, chapter 58 which we have just heard but especially vs.9 – “If you do away with the finger pointing and the malicious talk…” 

I.                    Finger Pointing and the Sin of Judging Others

A.    Shear-Jashub

Finger pointing has been socially unacceptable for a long time.  The prophet Isaiah began his ministry in the year 740 BC.  It was the year that King Uzziah died.  Isaiah was married and had at least two sons.  It may take a little imagination but we can almost picture Isaiah walking with his son Shear-Jashub (not a name you would pick for your child today I hope, but a prophet gets prophetic with everything and Shear-Jashub is prophecy.  It means “a remnant will return.”  And so every time someone would ask Isaiah why he chose that name for his son – Isaiah would have an open door to talk about how Israel must repent or it would be taken into captivity by a foreign nation but that God in his grace and mercy would be sure that a “Shear-Jashub” – a remnant will return.)   

Imagine Isaiah walking with his son Shear-Jashub.  While walking, young “shuv” begins to point at some people who are different than the rest, for one reason or another.  Isaiah puts his arm around the boy in a fatherly way and patiently instructs his son saying, “Son, it’s not polite to point.  Besides, all you are really pointing at is the outside of a person.  Try to see people as God does.  He sees the heart, the inside and He knows the goodness and the evil inside all of us. He knows that we all fall short of the glory of God.” 

B.    Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz

Again, it may take some imagination to picture Isaiah at another time, this time with his second son, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, (again, only a prophet!  Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz literally means “quick to plunder, swift to the spoil” and Isaiah would tell anyone who asked why this name for a child how God would protect Israel from it’s enemies who wanted to plunder her by making Israel Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz – “quick to plunder, swift to spoil.”) 

Imagine the father and son walking together, and the child, maybe with a slight tone of contempt in his voice, points to some poor people who are obviously homeless by their worn clothing.  Again, father Isaiah reaches out to the hand of his son and lowers the pointed finger and lovingly instructs his son saying, “Boz, it’s rude top point fingers at other people. You don’t’ know anything about their circumstances or situations.  Rather than pointing your fingers at them, let’s open our hands to them and point all our fingers at them, and share some of the blessings that God has given to us with them.” 

C.    Unacceptable Socially as well as by God.

Now, it doesn’t take any imagination at all to see the picture which Isaiah paints for us in our text today.  People with needs, both physical and spiritual abound.  But instead of opening their hands to help, God sees a lot of finger pointing with malicious words.  Isaiah speaks for God Himself when he says, “If you will put away the finger pointing and the malicious talk…” 

If my math is correct, it’s been about 2,700 years since the days of Isaiah the prophet.  A lot has changed since then but finger pointing is as unacceptable today as it was then.  Not only socially unacceptable but unacceptable to God.  And yet, it’s a problem which we all have that is as alive today as it was in 740 BC. 

D.    Finger Pointing is Judging Others.

Another word for finger pointing is judging.  Judging others.  When we point our finger at another person we’re judging them.  And it should be easy enough for us to see that this is the work of the devil in us.  It’s God’s job to judge.  Jesus says, “God has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man.”  (John 5:27).  We just confessed before God and one another that we believe Jesus will come again to “judge the living and the dead.” 

And so when we find ourselves pointing fingers, judging others, it’s the work of the serpent from the garden telling us – “you can be like God.” 

E.    We Judge By Outward Appearance

And when we, who are not God, put ourselves in the place of God and judge others, we do a lousy job of it because we judge only by outward appearances.  We not only cannot see into the heart of another person, most often we never even take the time to listen to anther person long enough to hear their story. 

A man who smelled like a brewery flopped on a subway train and sat next to a priest.  The man’s tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half-empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket.  He opened his newspaper and began reading.  After a few minutes the disheveled guy turned to the priest and asked, ‘Say father, what causes arthritis?’  The priest replied, ‘mister, it’s caused by loose living, being with cheap women, too much to drink and a contempt for your fellow man.”  “Wow” the man muttered, returning to his paper.  The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man an apologized.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come on so strong.  How long have you had arthritis?”  “I don’t have it Father.  I was just reading here that the Pope does.” 

We cannot help but notice that this is one of those issues about which Jesus raises his voice.  To the Pharisees who are leveling all kinds of accusations against Him and making judgments about who is a sinner and who is not, Jesus says,   “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”  (John 7:24) 

To the crowds gathered to hear Him preach Jesus sternly warns, “Do not judge or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged…  Why do you  look the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  (Matthew 7:1-5). 

This is a problem that even faces the Christian Church as it worships.  James writes, “Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 4:2-4). 

Even within the church there can be this kind of finger pointing that goes on where there is a friendliness to some and a cold shoulder to others.  One Sunday a student from a local college visited a church in the suburbs of a college town.  He came in blue jeans and a t-shirt and no shoes.  The church was full down to the last pew.  Finding no seat, he walked down the aisle and just squatted on the carpet.  The tension was so thick you could slice it.  Then an elderly man walked down the aisle.  What would he do?  Everyone watched him.  With great difficulty he lowered himself down to the floor and sat next to the young man for the rest of the service.  And everyone else felt ashamed of themselves. 

Isaiah speaks for God saying that we must let God be the judge of others because “he will not judge by what he sees with his eyes or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge…”  (Isaiah 11:3). 

The devil encourages us to point fingers at each other.  For if we busy pointing fingers at others we cannot be busy feeding the hungry – either with physical bread or the Bread of Life.  As long as we are pointing fingers we cannot be clothing the poor either with clothes for the body or with the robes of righteousness.  Worst of all, when we are pointing fingers at others, we face a harsh judgment from God for trying to be God in His place. 

II.                  Finger Pointing and the Grace of God.

A.    Behold Me – God points at Himself.

Pointing finger in judgment of others is socially unacceptable and unacceptable to God.  And yet, the Scriptures show us that there is a finger pointing that is highly recommended and very acceptable. 

In Hebrew, there is a small word – “Hina.”  It means – “Behold,” or more freely, “Hey, look here.”  It’s an exclamation! There is excitement and promise it that small word.  It’s a word that wants to draw attention to something.  It’s a word that is found in verse 9 of our text this morning and it has a little suffix attached to it.  – “Ni.”  First person, singular – “me.”  “Hina-ni”  Behold Me.  “You will cry for help and He will say, Hina-Ni – Behold Me!”  God is pointing finger – He’s pointing finger at Himself. 

Here is the only acceptable and most loving finger pointing the world will every know.  God says, “Hina-Ni” and He draws our attention to Himself.  If we will “Behold Him” which means we must put our pointed finger away, we will see that it is we ourselves who are hungry in need of food.  We are shamefully naked, without protection, in need of clothing.  We are wounded in need of healing.  To all our needs, God points His finger at Himself and shows us that there is relief for all our needs in Him and only in Him.  

God pointed His finger at Himself for the Israelites in the desert and they could “Behold him” in the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.  God pointed His finger at Himself for the Israelites of the Tabernacle and the Temple and they could behold Him above the Ark of the Covenant behind the Holy of Holies.  

B.    Behold Me – God points at Jesus.

But now in these last days, God points His finger at His Son Jesus Christ and He raises His voice urging all people to “Behold Him.”  The Hebrew “Hina” becomes the Greek “idou.” 

John the Baptist raises his voice in the desert, “Idou” Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  God is pointing His finger at His Son Jesus Christ, in whom is the forgiveness for all of our finger pointing and all our sins.   

God is pointing His finger at His Son in judgment - because He has placed all of our sins on Jesus and judged them.  And the verdict was that our lives were not worthy of the grace and love of God because we have used every excuse in the book for not obeying Him.  Rather than being good children of God we have tried to make God our child to do what we want Him to do.  Rather than being faithful servants of Christ, we have tried to make Christ our servant and have scolded him severely when He didn’t do things the way we wanted them done.   

Everything that is judged unfaithful and unworthy in you has been judged in Christ on the cross.  Your judgment is complete.  You have been found unfaithful and unworthy.  But God has sent His Son to carry out the judgment on our behalf.  You have died with Christ.

But we dare not stop there for once again we must notice that God is pointing His finger at His Son and through the voice of the angel at the tomb He says, “Behold, He is not here.  He is risen.  Just as He said He would.”  Your judgment is complete in Christ.  You have died with Christ.  And you have been raised with Christ. 

C.    Acceptable Finger Pointing for Us

And so there is an acceptable finger pointing for us too.  Just as God the Father has pointed His finger at His Son that we might look to the Son for full and total acceptance, we are compelled by God’s love for us to point our finger at His Son as well that others may look to Him and be saved.     

Rather than judge others we are to point others to the judge of all the earth.   

“If you do away with the pointing finger and malicious talk, … then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”   Isaiah 58:9-10.  Amen.