There are those who believe...
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There are those who believe the prophet Isaiah overstated the case for God when announcing that the Lord would "rescue his city." After all, the Lord seemed to stand by as the Babylonian army destroyed Jerusalem. And, even though the words of this text are most likely written to comfort a post-exile community, the city to which the remnant returned was a ruin which, when rebuilt, never returned to the sovereign and glorious state it had seen in the days of David and Solomon. Even today, Jerusalem suffers a tortured existence. Those who can see the longer view and the larger picture better understand the real promise in Isaiah's words. Speaking for them all was Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. As he lay dying, his city was falling to invading vandal hordes. The imperial capital, Rome, had already gone down. His advocates and his critics alike wondered where God was when their earthly fortresses were falling. Augustine pointed them, instead, to "the City of God," which will never fall. Jesus came assuring his people that Isaiah had it right.
