He Touched Me (by Roderick Logan)
And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6:7 ESV
Touched – What does it mean to you to be touched by someone? Does it give you a sense of reassurance, confidence, or the awareness of one with whom you are connected? Do you love hugs? Perhaps; perhaps not. Maybe for you, hugs and physical touch are expressions that raise your heart rate, cause your brow to sweat, or leave you trembling. There are appropriate ways to be touched and inappropriate ways. You would expect an inappropriate touch to feel bad; but would it surprise you that an appropriate touch might not be all that desirable either?
In the above passage, Isaiah has just encountered the overwhelming presence of HaShem. His initial vocal response is, “Woe is me; I am lost! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5). Isaiah then has this terrifying vision of an unfamiliar creature picking up a fiery hot coal out of the fire, flying towards him, and then touching his lips with this glowing ember. On one hand, you would expect Isaiah to be grateful. After all, his guilt and sin have just been taken away. It’s not exactly the image of having one’s sins washed away, or the picture of a warm, cleansing bath; but hey, at least he’s clean. Right? Maybe not.
King David did not think so. On one occasion, he and fellow musician, Jeduthan, prayed together. In the midst of their psalm to the LORD, David sings out, “Remove your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of your hand. When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath!” (Psalm 39:10-11 ESV) For David and Isaiah, the appropriate touch of the LORD came with some unpleasant consequences.
The verb nega appears 150 times in the Tanakh, and according to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, it is essentially one thing touching or contacting another thing.[1] It involves both the action of touching and the eventual consequences of having been touched. Nega is a part of everyday life. It might be the hug and kiss that welcomes a patron into the store, or the weary traveler who will be spending the night as a guest. It can also refer to sexual activity among those cohabiting. In a ritualistic context, it would refer to those things that should not be touched by the set apart ones, as well as those that are set apart not being touched by others. More particularly, nega is the touch by one in authority. By touching, the authority of the one is extended over the other. It’s a claim of ownership. However, to the one being touched, that claim might feel like a fatal blow or the infliction of a disease. The idea of being owned by God seems quite spectacular, at least in theory. In reality, the touch of God on the life of a servant has an altogether different feel. In the cases of Isaiah and David, and a host of others, it is God Who is doing the touching. He is not dealing His servants a fatal blow or inflicting their bodies; but to each of them the touch of HaShem appears and seems like a death sentence.
Messiah Yeshua had the same experience. Isaiah writes of Him, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Is 53:4 ESV); and, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2 ESV). The fact is, to be touched by God is not all that thrilling. The goose bumps are not from an anticipation of elation; but ones of sheer terror. The touch of God comes with a calling; a call to stand and deliver the message no one wants to hear, to speak words that drive the masses to label you mad. This is a call that doesn’t ask but demands something. For the man or woman of God this can, and often does, seem like a lonely crisis. How does this happen?
An absolutely healthy seventeen-year-old, female athlete takes a practice dive and comes out of the water a quadriplegic. Since 1979, Joni Erickson Tada has provided Christ-centered programs for special-needs individuals and families. That’s the call; that’s the touch. As Rabbi Sacks writes, “Crisis, failure, loss, or pain can move us…from self to other-directedness, from mastery to service, and from the vulnerability of the ‘I’ to the humility that reminds you that you are not the center of the universe, but rather that you serve a larger order.”[2]
Topical Index: touch, naga, Isaiah 6:7, Psalm 39:10-11, Isaiah 53:4, Hebrews 12:2
[1] Harris, R. Laird. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody, 1980. Digital
[2] From Pain to Humility (Behaalotcha 5775) – Rabbi Sacks (Rabbi Sacks From Pain to Humility Behaalotcha 5775 Comments) http://www.rabbisacks.org/from-pain-to-humility-behaalotcha-5775/
Just for today in the USA
Thank you Roderick…a good word today and a good reminder that, God’s touch, while it doesn’t always feel good, is ALWAYS with purpose. Yes…”crisis, failure, loss and pain can move us.” May we keep our eyes focused on Him as we look to discover that purpose in our pain…always remembering that, while we are not the center of the universe, His plans for us are good.
Judi,
Yes, “His plans for us are good,” and perhaps more so, His good is the plan for us. Philip Yancy suggests that humility is “finding a group overlooked and underserved.” His point being that mingling among the marginalized and disenfranchised, the wandering traveler is compelled to change. Yancy further suggests that, “downward mobility” – as opposed to upward mobility – “leads to success that matters.” Here is what I’ve discovered. Looking into the eyes of a 6 year old who has spent most of her life in a neglecting group home, sitting across from an 8 year old groomed for child pornography, sharing my iPad with a 5 year old who is fascinated that she now has a mommy and a daddy who will not abandon her, and holding the hands of new adoptive parents who feel totally unprepared for the siblings that just moved into their home; has moved me further outside the center. You see, all that I’ve learned, experienced, and retained is so inefficient to bring relief, comfort, and justice. I’ve been touched by God, and it is scaring the hell out of me. His good is becoming my plan.
Rod,
Deep, INSIGHTFUL, and directing for us all. Many times we emerge from the deep pain, blessed with having met Yeshua in the midst of those flames. Blessed to have been called for His service, and yet never wanting to undergo the pain, again. I never wish to trade those blessings. Even though I knew I could have only been so deeply blessed within the furnace.
Just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It was their obedience to G-d that brought them into the furnace. By remaining obedient, even unto a possible death, they got to meet Yeshua, and were used to show a king and the whole kingdom the living G-d. Yet, they had to choose… bow or stand for G-d!
Excellent article! God’s ‘touch’ has molded and refined me many times. The work we share is certainly a daily touch from God!
Shalom
I just wrote a very long e-mail and first it was stated that I did not have a valid e-mail address and then it said I did not send it all
Great article and so true. Possibly not everyone’s favorite perspective, but one that shouldn’t be ignored and may often be overlooked. God’s touch is God’s touch no matter what it feels or looks like and it is done with purpose….his purpose and his way that is so much higher than ours.
Thank you, Roderick. Beautiful TW.
Those who have been truly touched by YHWH can hardly hide their humility. They have met the One who is greater than them. Amein.