January 27, 2022
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Isaiah? Here’s today’s reading:
Isaiah 1 (NIV)
1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
A Rebellious Nation
2 Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
Meaningless worship and sacrifices! A Very telling statement to be aware of for us today!
Maybe the first thing to recognize here, is the extended time frame and circumstances that Isaiah prophesies in. Assuming he begins towards the end of Uzziah’s reign, he gives God’s message to the people of Judah for 60 some odd years. Three out of four of the kings listed here are righteous, but Ahaz is noted in scripture for how evil he was. In 2 Chronicles, it is mentioned during Jotham’s reign that he has righteous but the people still followed evil practices. And so Isaiah begins with a dire assessment of Judah’s spiritual condition. They are apart from God. They have forsaken relationship with God and heartfelt conviction about Him as they are following some of the practices that He would encourage. How careful we need to be not to lose God in the midst of doing external things that He likes. Yeah, your practice might be right, but your hearts are far from me. It is so important to keep relationship with God at the core of all we do with and for Him. They were also doing evil, sinful things and justifying them by the good things they were doing…a sure sign of a heart that is not with God. And God just lays it out and says you are breaking my heart and your meaningless worship sickens me.
But God says that so they can sit and reason together. What a beautiful picture of a God that wants to engage with us in conversation and make things right. He does so by forgiving our sin and then setting us on the right path. Which begs the questions, are we open to God honestly assessing our lives? Are we ready to hear the hard stuff as well as the comforting stuff? Are we willing to accept His forgiveness and come to Him on His terms and then follow in His ways? It’s an essential part of what our relationship with God should be like as we seek to grow in Him, avail ourselves of His power and influence and then live the lives He wants us to live. Keep being who He wants us to be and then let the chips fall where they may in people’s reactions and the circumstances of life. Because God can handle those things too….
Isaiah 1
While it is hard to face our our sin I love that God like a good father to talk about it and set us back on the right path.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
The awesome redemption that comes only through God and the death of Christ to wash away our sins.
Israel is ritually worshiping God, but their lives are full of evil deeds.
I think of many churches that have weekly worship rituals, but then approve of sin. So many have accepted activity that is contradictory to God’s word or even promoted it.
God clearly tells them what He wants:
“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:”
He will forgive and wash away their sin if they put away their evil.
Isaiah 2
The Lord reveals to the Israel that he sees their sin and he is against their evil practices. After he explains the specific wrongful acts that they are doing, he explains what they need to do to turn back to him. We can hope in God knowing that when we sin he will not turn his back on us, and he will help us get back on the righteous path. God is merciful, not wanting anyone to go astray. That is a picture of a loving God.
Isaiah 1