Isaiah 34:12-15

“¹² They shall name it No Kingdom There, and all its princes shall be nothing. ¹³ Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches. ¹⁴ Wildcats shall meet with hyenas, goat-demons shall call to each other; there too Lilith shall repose, and find a place to rest. ¹⁵ There shall the owl nest and lay and hatch and brood in its shadow; there too the buzzards shall gather, each one with its mate.”

In Isaiah’s proclamation of destruction and judgement upon the country Edom, a long-standing enemy of Israel, becomes a home for wild animals, like the buzzard. Poor buzzards, or maybe lucky, they are also listed in Deuteronomy and Leviticus as unclean sources of food. Their presence in a land was as a sign of its wasteness, its deserted destruction, uninhabitable for humans. Yet these buzzards would have thrived. As interesting to note the presence of such creatures as buzzards in this destruction, it was not a sign of goodness. But God’s presence will ultimately bring life again. Their presence were warnings, but God had the final say and promises to bring the redeemed home again.

Prayer

Creator God, even in the wilderness of arid deserts, buzzards soar and make a home. While they may not be of joy to us, they are your creation. Continue to open our eyes to signs of your welcoming kingdom and eternal embrace of Christ assured, as dried springs become fountains of eternal life, Amen.