Isaiah 1:1-20
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So over the next little bit in our Bible reading plan, we will be walking through one of the larger books in the Old Testament.
The book of Isaiah.
I think from what I saw it was split up pretty heavily in between some other books, but nevertheless, we will be in Isaiah for quite a while.
Around about a month from what I recall.
So I thought I might be helpful for us to talk about this book in particular tonight.
Isaiah contains 66 chapters.
And obviously, like many other books, it bears the name of the one who wrote it.
And so, The prophet Isaiah wrote this.
And just a little history about Isaiah.
Isaiah was a prophet, meaning he delivered the word of God to the people of God and specifically to the southern kingdom of Judah during one of the more contentious times in Israel’s history.
I know when we think about Israel’s history much of what we think about is contentious.
They didn’t have much history that wasn’t contentious.
But this time was particular hard.
This was a time of rebellion among both the people and among the leaders.
Now, don’t mistake… they were outwardly religious—
They continued offering sacrifices and attending worship.
They did all the right things religiously speaking, but their hearts had drifted far from God.
They went through the motions of worship, but there was no substance behind it.
I think if we’re honest, we’ve all been guilty of this in one sense or another.
Where you come to church and Your heart is not in it.
Maybe your mind is somewhere else.
Maybe you’ve been walking in a season or period of sin in your life and so you just feel disconnected because you know that your priorities have been misplaced.
And so you are here.
Everybody sees that you are here
But inwardly, your heart is far from God.
At this point, that is where we find the people of Israel.
That is the spiritual condition of the people.
Still had all the forms of worship.
But they were caught up in some serious idolatry.
They were acting unjustly. They were in sin.
And so Isaiah is going to prophecy against the people of God.
Isaiah reads like most of the prophecies in the Old Testament.
Most prophecies read like lawsuits, where God is exposing their sin and warning the people of coming judgment.
But there is grace all throughout this book, you’ll see that, God, through the prophet, consistently holds out hope for them.
He promises that there will be a repentant remnant.
He also promises that one day the promised Messiah will come to save His people.
And so the section that we are in tonight
Isaiah 1:1–20 functions as the introduction to the entire book.
So look with me here at verse 1 of Isaiah 1.
I. God Charges His Rebellious Children (vv. 1–9)
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.
So if we’re looking at this like a courtroom, verses one and two form the convening of the courtroom.
In a courtroom there are two sides and there are the judge.
The charges are going to be delivered by Isaiah.
According to verse 1, The charges will come by way of a vision that Isaiah had regarding Judah and Jerusalem during the time of the kings listed in verse 1.
In verse two, we see Heaven and earth called as witnesses
The Lord calls heaven and earth as his witnesses against the people.
In other words, its not a secret what they have done. Those in heaven and those on earth know what it is they have done.
But what have they done?
Beginning at the end of verse 2 and moving through the next, several verses, we find the charges against them.
Look at those verses with me.
2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” 4 Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.
The charge against them is rebellion (vv. 2-4)
The first description of them is children who are rebellious.
Children that he has reared up.
In other words, God has taken care of them.
God has raised them.
God has brought them to where they are today.
And yet they have rebelled against him.
He’s done so many great things for them, but they have chosen to go their own way.
In verse 3, he speaks of donkeys and oxen, and how even they know their own master.
In other words, even the most stubborn of animals understand their place when it comes to who rules them, and who is their master and Lord.
“God isn't insulting donkeys here. He's insulting Israel."
But the point here is Israel is more stubborn.
A donkey knows. An ox knows, but, it says the children of Israel do not understand.
They do not know their God.
Israel does not know her God.
And here is where we must be clear.
This is not ignorance as a result of a lack of knowledge.
You know, there are some people who act a certain way because they just don’t know any better.
Children for a good portion of their life are ignorant as to how things work and how they are to socially interact and things like that.
They have to be taught and raised a certain way.
And so you expect a child to make missteps.
We expect to have to correct children with regard to interrupting adults or controlling themselves.
They are ignorant. They don’t know yet.
But thats not the condition of Israel.
These are people who know the truth.
They’ve been given the law of God.
But they are choosing to be willfully ignorant of God
They are choosing to not know their God versus choosing to know him and to walk in his ways.
And we know this because of what he says next-
Read verse four—
4 Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.
Notice here what he says—
He give five descriptions of their guilt here.
They are a (1)sinful nation.
Now we hear that term sinful a lot, and so let’s make sure we understand what it means.
It means full of sin.
It means that they are a people that everywhere you look around them they are rebelling against God.
He goes on to say they are (2)people laden with iniquity
In other words, they’re sin is a burden to them. It is laid heavily upon them.
Their wrongdoings are stacked up. In other words, this isn’t a one time thing.
They are habitual offenders. People laden with iniquity.
(3)He calls them offspring of evildoers.
In other words here he is saying they are following in the direction of their parents.
They are on the same path as those who came before them.
They are walking in the corrupt ways of their parents. Even their heritage is corrupt.
(4) He says that they are children who deal corruptly.
In other words, this corruption extends to every part of their lives.
Even their business dealings are corrupt.
(5)And the final charge in verse 4, is they have forsaken the LORD.
The text says They are utterly estranged.
That word is estranged means to turn aside.
They have departed.
And this is where this is heartbreaking because these were people who were once close to God.
God had drawn close to this people, but by their own actions, they have willfully left him.
I think we all know how heartbreaking it is whenever someone who has been a close friend or a close family member, when they become estranged.
They leave the close proximity of blessing.
Just the other day I heard of a friend of mine from back in high school who had left his family.
I was shown a picture of him. He looked awful. He’s living a destructive life.
His mother was broken, because she knows how blessed he was under her own roof and just not even knowing where he is or what he’s doing now or how he is now was heartbreaking to her.
He is estranged. So much so she doesn’t even feel like she knows him anymore.
What’s different about that situation and the situation with Israel is God knows everything.
Sometimes it may be comforting for us not to know where our estranged family members or loved ones are or what they may be doing.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss when it comes to that.
With God, he knows all things.
Israel is estranged and he sees it all.
In fact, he has brought the rod of discipline upon them so that they might see where they are.
In verse 5 and following, Isaiah prophecies that the hardship that Judah is currently facing is a result of their sin.
Look beginning in verse number 5.
5 Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil. 7 Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners. 8 And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. 9 If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.
The evidence of their rebellion is the fact that they are devastated.
Verse 5, God basically says, Why would i even beat you anymore?
Joel Beeke here says “They had been beaten so many times, that there was no place left to strike.”
Sin has left them spiritually diseased.
They are sick.
There is no oil to help them.
They are suffering
In other words, they’re not going to the place where they can be helped.
He goes on to say in verse 7—Their land is devastated.
Other countries and foreigners are taking over the place that was supposed to be theirs.
And he uses emotional language here in poetic language I believe to illustrate for us what’s going on.
In verse 8, He says the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a field.
In other words, she’s left by herself.
She’s been abandoned.
There’s no one around to protect her.
Because of their wickedness, the whole nation that was supposed to be God’s own possession is left, completely opened to all sorts of evil and harm.
This is their condition.
Now, thankfully, not all was lost.
In verse 9, he speaks of God’s mercy.
9 If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors (KJV remnant), we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.
Only a remnant survives.
That word remnant means small portion.
In other words, there were only a few in Israel left who are true believers and are true worshipers of God.
And the point is It was by the grace and mercy of God that there was even a remnant.
Without God’s mercy they would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah.
In other words, they would have been utterly destroyed. None left.
But God has been gracious and merciful.
But the reason why they’re in the state that they are in is because their rebellion.
I think one of the things that this teaches us is that Religious upbringing or heritage does not guarantee faithfulness.
In fact, I think it’s harder to reach those who have been entrenched in religion because they fail to see their own need for the gospel.
They failed to realize how they have rebelled because they dress themselves up in religious activity.
I think that is what has happened in the nation of Israel here.
They’re in rebellion, but they’re still doing all the worship stuff.
They’re living in sin, but they’re still going to church.
They’re keeping the festivals. They’re listening to the word.
They’re keeping the finer points of the law when it comes to offering sacrifices and taking their offerings to the priest, but their lifestyles every other day of the week are full of idolatry.
We have seen over and over and over again that God rejects empty worship like that.
He desires a heart submitted to him.
And so look what he says in verse 10 and following.
Isaiah 1:10-11
10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
What he says there in verse 10 is really important.
He calls out the rulers and the leaders.
And he speaks to them as if they are ruling Sodom and Gomorrah.
That’s the second time he’s mentioned them.
What happened in Sodom and Gomorrah?
Remember, that was where Abraham’s nephew Lot had chosen to take his family.
But this place was so evil and wicked that God was going to destroy it.
This is where Abraham bargains with God to try and save his nephew.
He goes he bargains with God all the way from 50 → 45 → 40 → 30 → 20 → 10
Abraham sounds like an auctioneer in that passage, but he’s just going the wrong direction.
If I find this many righteous, will you save this place?
And interestingly, enough, God agrees.
But what’s the problem?
The problem is there isn’t even 10 righteous people there
In fact, out of grace and mercy, God has to go yank Lot out so that he isn’t destroyed as well because he had joined in on all the sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.
And so back in Isaiah 1:10 here.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
What is he doing?
He is comparing Judah to these wicked cities that they would’ve known the story about.
All these people would’ve known what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah.
And so when he brings up those two places, they would have understood exactly what he meant.
That they were wicked and in danger at that point in time of God, bringing Swift and harsh judgment upon them.
He is saying this is who you are.
You are evil and wicked, and you stand right now, having the wrath of God pointed squarely at you.
And here is the bigger issue…
The bigger issue is They don’t see this because they are so religious.
They do a lot. But it’s not about doing.
It’s your heart toward the Lord.
So God burst their proverbial bubble.
11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
Essentially what God says here is your worship means nothing to me.
God says—
I have had enough of your sacrifices.
I’ve had enough of your burnt offerings.
I’ve had enough of your incense.
I’ve had enough festivals.
I’ve had enough assemblies.
Now bear in mind God had commanded all of those things.
They were to keep the law of God.
But those things were to flow out of a heart that was changed in a heart that desired to please God.
The problem is, the people had turned these things upside down to assume that because they were doing these things they were pleasing unto God.
And the problem was All that stuff continued while their hearts remained unchanged.
Let me see if I can illustrate this—
Imagine with me for a moment a wife that was unfaithful to her husband.
For the sake of illustration, let’s assume that it was a known thing. The husband knew about the infidelity.
Every night, rather than laying beside her husband, she was off with another man and he knew it.
Imagine now the wedding anniversary of this couple comes and the wife prepares this wonderful dinner for her husband.
She buys her husband an extravagant gift and she plans to give it to him.
How do you think that husband would respond?
I can tell you how he would respond.
He doesn’t want the gift.
He doesn’t want that dinner.
In fact, I feel that would make him sick.
Acting as if all was well and doing all these things while you’re being unfaithful to him
That is precisely what the nation of Israel was doing with their sacrifices and their offerings and the religious exercises.
They were living in unfaithfulness to God and, yet at the same time ,going through the motions of worship, bringing him gifts celebrating him as if everything was just fine.
God minces no words here.
He says, I’m tired of it.
He has no desire for anything that they offer.
And so he tells them to stop it.
Look at verse 12 and following.
12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
To put it very simple God says, don’t come to me anymore.
Don’t come into my courts.
Don’t bring me any more offerings.
Quit observing your religious days as if you mean anything by them.
Quit feasting in my name.
God says I’m tired of it.
What’s interesting here is the thing they thought was pleasing unto God was actually doing the very opposite.
Because their hearts were wrong, they could not worship God rightly.
He even says in verse 15 Their prayers are unheard (v. 15)
Why? “Your hands are full of blood.”
I want us to see tonight.
External worship cannot cover persistent sin.
God is never impressed with religious performance when the one performing is sinful.
And here is the reality. People are really good at faking me and other.
But God is never faked out.
He knows.
And so,What does God want? And what does God desire to do for these people?
Read with me beginning in verse 16.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
III. God Calls Them to Genuine Repentance (vv. 16–20)
A. Turn from evil (vv. 16-17)
Camp- Boys- spraying on Axe.
Wash yourselves.
This is the call to repent.
They can’t just go through the motions of religion.
He wants their heart broken to the point where they stop doing what they’re doing.
He desires that their heart be broken over their sin, and then return to faithfulness to him.
And so in verse 16 and 17 he delivers 9 imperatives:
Wash yourselves
Make yourselves clean
Remove evil
Cease to do evil
Learn to do good
Seek justice
Correct oppression
Bring justice to the fatherless
Plead the widow’s cause
No more religious exercises.
Turn from your sin. Do what is good.
Repentance is both turning from sin and pursuing righteousness.
And God through the prophet here is calling them to this—
Look what he says in verse 18.
18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
One of the greatest gospel invitations in the Old Testament.
Forgiveness is entirely God’s gracious work.
And this is what can be.
God through the prophet is saying if you will repent and turn. This can be dealt with.
This is a plea at the beginning of verse 18 to a rebellious people.
Let us reason together.
Repentance begins by learning a new way of thinking from God. Scarlet and crimson represent sin as being of the deepest dye, the stain of which cannot be removed except by the grace of God. He offered cleansing from all their sins (1 John 1:7,9).
This is an OT equivalent of
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
He is telling them. Repent. Confess. Turn to me and be cleansed.
And these are the two paths.
If you look at verse 19-20, there are two responses and two ways it can end.
Look what it says—
19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Two possible futures:
If willing and obedient:
eat the good of the land
If rebellious:
devoured by the sword
“The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
These are their options. Repent. Turn. Believe and be blessed.
Or continue in rebellion and recieve the promised wrath of God.
These verse capture the heart of the book of Isaiah
Isaiah as a whole preaches several messages.
We are more sinful than we realize.
Religious activity cannot remove guilt.
God desires transformed hearts rather than empty ritual.
Yet God Himself provides cleansing for scarlet sins.
I think verse 18 here is the high point of this text.
And it finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whose blood cleanses sinners completely. The crimson stain of our guilt is removed not by our works but through His atoning death and victorious resurrection.
Those who repent and trust in Christ are made white as snow.
