State of the Nation address
This article is based on a message first given by Eddie Arthur at Above Bar Church, Southampton, on Sunday 27th June 2004. It may be reproduced in print or on other web sites, subject to the copyright notice below. It is based on Isaiah chapter 1 verses 1-31
Introduction to Isaiah
The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (verse 1)
This first verse is actually an introduction to the whole book, rather than an integral part of the chapter itself. So before we get into the passage, let's take a look at the book as a whole.
Isaiah is not only one of the longest books in the Old Testament, it is also one of the most important, bridging, as it does, an important period in Israel's history. So let's answer three questions to get an overview of the book.
Who wrote it?
The simple answer is that the book was written by a man called Isaiah, who was married to a prophetess (chapter 8 verse 1) and had at least two children. Tradition says that he died by being sawn apart in a hollow log. Isaiah seems to have been from a noble family: certainly he was very involved in court life and served as an advisor to the king of Judah.
However, if you get into any serious study of the book you will sooner or later come across people suggesting that the authorship of the book is not clear. There are a number of theories which suggest that the book of Isaiah actually has two or more authors. To be honest, most of these theories rely on detailed studies of Hebrew grammar which I am not capable of understanding, much less explaining to you. This is the sort of argument which can generate a lot of heat and very little light, so we are not going to spend any time on it - the majority of commentators that I respect follow the line that there was only one author of the book of Isaiah - Isaiah himself - and this is the line I am going to take.
Perhaps of more interest than how many Isaiahs there are, is the question of why his name has such a strange spelling. 'aiah' is a very strange way to end word, never mind a name. Actually, Isaiah's name breaks into two segments Isa and -iah. Isa means salvation and -iah (Yah) is a shortened form of Jahweh or Jehovah the name of God. So Isaiah means God is salvation. Whenever you see a -iah ending in a Hebrew name, be it a prophet or whoever, it refers to God.
When did he write it?
Isaiah's ministry probably extended from about 745-680 BC. It is hard to date anything that far back exactly. What is more important than the actual dates is the historical setting.
Solomon was the third king of the Kingdom of Israel. His son, Rehoboam was such a bad king that he split the country in two in about 913 BC. The Northern Kingdom was called Israel and the much smaller Southern kingdom was called Judah (which tended to stay closer to God).
About two hundred years later, Isaiah is writing from Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. The Assyrian empire is rising, and during Isaiah's time the Northern Kingdom is completely engulfed by the Assyrians. Of course, this sends shockwaves through the people of Judah, who see that they might suffer the same fate.
Why did he write it?
The central message of Isaiah is one of salvation. There is political upheaval throughout the area, and the kingdom of Judah has to all intents and purposes forgotten its worship of the Lord - but the Lord has not forgotten his people. But before salvation must come a message of judgment.
Introduction to the passage
Isaiah chapter 1 reads as a legal indictment. God is calling earth and heaven as witnesses to listen as he reads out his accusations against his people. This is a serious legal document because God is both the judge and the chief witness for the defense.
Looking at the passage, it was probably preached by Isaiah at a feast day or a celebration. There are a few things in the passage which echo the Jewish feast of tabernacles, so perhaps Isaiah first delivered it then. Whichever feast it was, people were probably hoping for a few uplifting words before they got on with the serious business of feasting - of course that is not what they got!
There are four sections to the rest of the chapter.
- Verses 2-9 - Message of judgment: don't fool yourself
- Verses 10-17 - Hypocrisy of false worship: you can't fool God.
- Verses 18-20 - Words of restoration: you'd be a fool to refuse.
- Verses 21-31 - God's lament over his people: you fools.
To some extent, the last section sums up the rest, so I am going to use it as an introduction. Here is the New Living Translation, which helps to bring out its meaning clearly.
See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute. Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers. Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine. Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them take bribes and refuse to defend the orphans and the widows.
Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, says, 'I will pour out my fury on you, my enemies! I will turn against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities. Afterward I will give you good judges and wise counselors like the ones you used to have. Then Jerusalem will again be called the Home of Justice and the Faithful City.'
Because the Lord is just and righteous, the repentant people of Jerusalem will be redeemed. But all sinners will be completely destroyed, for they refuse to come to the Lord.
Shame will cover you when you think of the times you offered sacrifices to idols in your groves of sacred oaks. You will blush when you think of all the sins you committed in your sacred gardens. You will wither away like an oak or garden without water. The strongest among you will disappear like burning straw. Your evil deeds are the spark that will set the straw on fire, and no one will be able to put it out. (Isaiah chapter 1 verses 21-31)
Don't fool yourself: the message of judgment - verses 2-9
These are hard words! Through Isaiah, God calls out a terrible indictment on the people of Judah. He starts off by showing how much the people owe to him, which in turn shows how dreadful their rebellion against God is.
I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows his master,
the donkey his owner's manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand. (verses 2-3)
These are God's own people. They should know him and acknowledge him. Even those giants of animal intellect, donkeys and oxen recognize their owner and what he provides them, but the people of Judah seem incapable of realizing what God has done for them. The message is clear.
Ah, sinful nation,
a people loaded with guilt,
a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord ;
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him. (verse 4)
But it is not only stupidity at work here. There is also a moral principle. Turning your back on God is not just daft, but it is morally wrong. It is sinful, and when there is sin there is also guilt.
Why should you be beaten anymore?
Why do you persist in rebellion?
Your whole head is injured,
your whole heart afflicted.
From the sole of your foot to the top of your head
there is no soundness-
only wounds and welts
and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged
or soothed with oil. (verses 5-6)
And where there is guilt, there is punishment. God says very clearly through Isaiah that the people of Judah are suffering because they have rebelled against God. And that they have a choice - the suffering comes because of disobedience, and does not have to continue.
Your country is desolate,
your cities burned with fire;
your fields are being stripped by foreigners
right before you,
laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.
The Daughter of Zion is left
like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut in a field of melons,
like a city under siege. (verses 7-8)
Not only that, but the suffering does not just touch individuals. It extends to the whole nation. Sin, rebellion against God, is never a personal thing - it always affects other people. There is an important principle here: never try to fool yourself that it does not matter what you do, you are not hurting anyone else - if you step out of God's line - other people will be hurt - make no mistake about it.
Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us some survivors,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah. (verses 9)
Are you feeling depressed yet? If not, you have not been following! But there is hope. We are hardly into the tunnel yet, but there is a gleam at the end of it. God did not destroy the nation of Judah as they deserved, he left some survivors - unlike the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which God destroyed completely because of their evil. When God announces judgment, he also announces mercy. Hang on to that thought, because there is more hard stuff to come.
You cannot fool God: the hypocrisy of false worship - verses 10-17
We said at the outset that this prophecy was probably delivered at a religious feast All through their history, the Jews were a very religious and devout people. But in this section we see that God is seriously unimpressed by their pretence of religiosity.
Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the law of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
'The multitude of your sacrifices-
what are they to me?' says the Lord.
'I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. (verses 10-11)
In the last section we saw that God had not treated Judah in the same way that he had treated Sodom and Gomorrah - but here he refers to the people as though they were the people of those two cities - in other words - they are in trouble.
They make a show of religion - they offer the right sacrifices, but God is not interested because they are not coming from hearts and lives that are sincere.
When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts? (verse 12)
It is as thought God sees their show of religion as being an unwelcome invasion. Like a load of strangers camping in his garden without asking permission.
Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations-
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them. (verses 12-14)
Their worship and adoration was supposed to bring pleasure to God, but because their hearts and lives are not pleasing to God, their worship and sacrifices have become a burden to him.
When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood; (verse 15)
In fact their actions are so unpleasing to God that he will turn his back on them.
wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,
learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow. (verses 16-17)
But once again, there is a message of hope. Things do not have to be this way. The people of Judah can change their way of living and God will once more be prepared to listen to them.
You would be a fool to refuse: words of restoration: verses 18-20
'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 as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land;
but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.'
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (verses 18-20)
Things could not be much more clear. The people of Judah have a choice. Forgiveness and prosperity or continuing as they are and judgment
Sometimes people make a caricature of God as he is portrayed in the Old Testament as being vengeful and full of hate. Perhaps as we have gone through this chapter you have found the stuff we have been studying fairly difficult, and you have not been impressed with what God is showing about himself. I would like to make a couple of comments about this:
Firstly, we underestimate how awful sin and rebellion against God really is. Look back at verse 2. God had blessed the people of Judah over hundreds of years. Their whole history showed how good God was. God was their creator and he gave them privileges above and beyond the rest of humanity - but they turned their backs on him - dumber than donkeys!
Secondly, we need to remember that alongside the message of judgment comes the offer of forgiveness. The sort of offer of forgiveness which is carried in verse eighteen is echoed throughout the Old Testament:
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103 verse 12
There is one other thing to note as we consider the Old Testament picture of God. This message of judgment for wrongdoing coupled with an offer of forgiveness is not just an Old Testament message. It is also found throughout the New Testament. Jesus spoke far more about hell than he did about heaven. Perhaps the best summary of this is found in Romans chapter six where Paul writes:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans chapter 6 verse 23
As we go through Isaiah we'll find that this is a repeated pattern. The issues which are raised in Isaiah are carried on and developed further in the New Testament - there is one story running through the Bible. But these issues are not just for the Bible alone: they have direct relevance to our lives as individuals in 2004.
I would like to close with a few simple questions. Each of us will have different answers to the questions. Some of us will be able to answer them in quiet confidence, and others of us will find them uncomfortable - but all of us need to face up to questions like these:
- Am I dumber than a donkey - or do I recognize God for what he has done for me?
- What does God think when he sees me coming into Church to worship?
- Where do I stand in relation to a message of judgment for wrongdoing and an offer of forgiveness?
Copyright notice
You may use this article in print or on a web site, subject to the following limitations:
- The article is reproduced in its entirety, without variation.
- There is a link back to this site.
- There is a copyright notice crediting Focus Radio for this article, and including these conditions.