Sermon Tone Analysis
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| *Isaiah Bible Study \\ Isaiah 1:1-31 \\ The Case Against Israel and Judah* |
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\\ | */Isaiah 1:1-20 (NASB95) \\ /*1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
\\ 2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.
\\ 3 “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.”
\\ 4 Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him. \\ 5 Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion?
The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint.
\\ 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.
\\ 7 Your land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire, Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
\\ 8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
\\ 9 Unless the Lord of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.
\\ 10 Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah.
\\ 11 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
\\ 12 “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
\\ 13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
\\ 14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.
\\ 15 “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.
\\ 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil, \\ 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.
\\ 18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
\\ 19 “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; \\ 20 “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
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*Questions*
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1) What type of situation do these verses remind you of?
What overall metaphor do these images invoke and how can this metaphor help us understand what is going on?
2) How is Israel described by God here?
What are they compared to and why?
3) What is the result of Israel’s rebellion against God?
How has it left them?
What is the result to their lands?
Why is this in the present tense when these statements were clearly not true when they were made?
4) What is the significance of the watchman’s hut metaphor?
What does it say about Israel’s spiritual condition?
5) What is the significance of the reference to Sodom and Gomorrah?
What does the blood on the people’s hands represent?
6) How can Israel be saved?
What will happen if they do not repent?
7) How do these passages apply to us today, or do they not apply to us today?
*Personal Commentary*
Isaiah 1:1-31 (NASB95) \\ 1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
This verse introduces Isaiah.
This verse also identifies the general time frame around which Isaiah prophesied.
Depending on how you count it, Isaiah could have served as a prophet anywhere between 47 and 64 years.
2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.
Verses 2-20 are the charges that God is bringing against the nation of Israel and Judah as a whole.
In verse 2, God acknowledges Israel and Judah as His own sons.
However He also states that they have rebelled against Him.
3 “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.”
In verse 3 Israel and Judah are compared to an ox and a donkey.
In the time of Isaiah, both animals were considered the stupidest of all domestic animals, yet even these stupid animals recognized their own master and where their food came from.
Israel by contrast did not recognize these things
4 Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him. \\ 5 Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion?
The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint.
God again reiterates that Israel is in rebellion against Him and as such sickened and weakened by it.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.
Because of Israel’s rebellion they are sick and beaten, yet they do not acknowledge this, and so cannot receive proper medical attention.
7 Your land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire, Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
God takes the metaphor of Israel’s physical wounds and extends it to their land as a whole.
Their land is desolated, their cities burned, their fields occupied and their produce devoured by strangers.
This had not happened as of the time that Isaiah made this prophesy, but it is stated in the present tense to emphasize how assuredly these events would happen if something was not done about it.
Unfortunately, Israel and eventually Judah did nothing about their situation so this prophetic vision did ultimately come true.
8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
The people of Israel are described as watch shelters which while it made a person comfortable; it did nothing to protect them from real danger.
This was a metaphor for Israel’s spiritual condition at this time.
It was comfortable, but had no real value beyond that.
\\ 9 Unless the Lord of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.
It is only because of God’s mercy that there would be anyone left in Israel after He was done with their judgment.
Otherwise, they would have been utterly destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah.
God takes the reference to Sodom and Gomorrah and attributes the people of Israel being just like these cities and so should be instructed accordingly.
11 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
\\ 12 “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
\\ 13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
\\ 14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.
God takes the pretense of worship that Israel engages in and rejects it completely.
It is not that God did not establish the sacrificial system of Israel, He did, it is just that because the sacrifices, festivals, and assemblies were done without sincerity God did not want anything to do with them.
All these things were not done out of sincerity of heart, but rather were done more as a duty so that they can do what they wanted and still be forgiven for them.
God said, no, it does not work that way.
You either be sincere about what how you worship Me or I will have nothing to do with either your worship or you.
15 “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.
Blood was a symbol of filth and all manner of uncleanness in the Bible.
To say that Israel’s hands were covered in blood when they outstretched them in pray was to say that their pray was nothing but filth and uncleanness in God’s eyes.
This is a very strong condemnation of Israel and how God perceived them.
16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil,
Once Israel washed themselves of their filth and uncleanness, then God would listen to them.
Until then, they are to be removed from God’s sight as He cannot tolerate sin.
17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.
One of the proofs of Israel’s changed heart would be how they treated other people.
Instead of seeking injustice they would seek justice.
Instead of approving the works of ruthless men they would reprove them.
Instead of mistreating orphans, they would defend them.
Instead of taking advantage of widows, they would plead for them.
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