Isaiah 18-44: The despair of the exile, the desire of the nations

Every culture has its own version of "home-coming", a getting together of the family where we rekindle a sense of belonging - a celebration of being together, sharing a common identity, hope and vision. Every people group or nation has an identity that is attached to a physical location, a piece of land - while, we are created in the image of God, we are also wired for communal identity. To be driven away from the land of your identity rips at the very core of your being, the ultimate punishment for a nation. As we have read through Kings and now with Isaiah offering a deep dive into the closing years of Judah, we witness the disintegration of a nation - what is to become of the Abrahamic covenant with the promise that "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed?"