Sing, You Woman Wey No Get Child

One woman sit down alone inside tent wey too big for her. No voice of children, no toys for corner. And somebody come stand for di door and talk: begin sing. You go need more space.

Dis words come from di book of Isaiah, wey God talk to im people for dark time. Jerusalem don fall. Di temple don scatter. Dem don carry plenty of di people go exile far away for Babylon. Dem feel say dia story don end, as if God don waka comot from dem forever. For di old world, woman wey no fit get children dey often feel shame and emptiness, and wife wey her husband send away dey feel say dem reject her, say she dey alone. Na dis pictures God dey use for im people now. Woman wey no get child. Person wey dem leave empty. Person wey dem abandon. And then e talk.

Sing, you woman wey no get child, you wey never born. Burst out with song, shout for joy, you wey never feel labour pain. Because di children of di woman wey dem leave alone go plenty pass di children of di woman wey get husband, na so di Lord talk. Sing? Before anything change? Yes. Then God give instructions, like person wey dey prepare for family wey go soon grow. Make di place of your tent big pass. Make dem stretch di curtains of where you dey live. No hold back. Make your ropes long, make your pegs strong. Your family go spread go right and go left. Cities wey don empty go full with people again.

No fear, God talk, because you no go shame. You go forget di shame of your young days and di sorrow of being alone. Why? Because di One wey make you na your husband. Di Lord of hosts na im name. And di Holy One of Israel na your Redeemer. Dem go call am di God of di whole earth. Then God talk honest about wetin don happen. For small moment I leave you, e talk. For one flash of anger I hide my face from you for small time. Di exile na real, and e be di result of wetin dem do. But hear wetin come after. With great mercy I go gather you. With kindness wey no get end I go show you mercy, na so di Lord your Redeemer talk.

Then God remind dem about Noah. After di flood, e promise say water no go ever cover di earth again. Dat promise don hold. So now e make another one. I don swear say I no go vex with you again, and I no go rebuke you. Because di mountains fit comot, and di hills fit shift, but my kindness no go comot from you, and my covenant of peace no go shift, na so di Lord wey get mercy for you talk. Think about di biggest, strongest thing wey you know. Mountain. God talk say: even if dat one shift, my love for you no go shift.

We get very old evidence of dis words. For nineteen forty-seven, inside one cave near Qumran by di Dead Sea, shepherds find clay pots wey carry old scrolls. One of dem, wey dem now dey call di Great Isaiah Scroll, get di whole book of Isaiah, all sixty-six chapters, and dem copy am around di second century before Christ. E old pass di Hebrew manuscripts wey scholars get before by more than one thousand years. And dis promises of chapter fifty-four dey inside.

Sing, You Woman Wey No Get Child. You go find am for Isaiah chapter fifty-four, verse one to ten. God tell people wey feel say dem don finish make dem sing, and make dem make space for bigger family. Christians dey remember dis words for Christmas, when di love of God come near, and one family wey wide reach to carry every nation begin grow. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. God talk say im kindness no go comot from you, even if di mountains comot. Wetin dey make you feel say dem don forget you, and how dis promise dey talk to am?