By Eugene Garner

ISAIAH - CHAPTER 1

JEHOVAH'S DEALINGS WITH JUDAH AND
JERUSALEM, (Isa. 1:1-6:13)

AN INTRODUCTORY VISION

   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. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
    Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

    1. The prophet Isaiah first identifies himself, (vs. 1).
    2. His message relates what has come to him in a series of visions, during the reign of four successive kings in Judah. "Without a vision the people perish"; but, the people of Judah need not perish if they will heed the word of this true man of God, (Prov. 29:18; Amos 8:11-12).
    3. Specifically, the vision is for the benefit of Judah and Jerusalem - the southern kingdom, and "city of the Great King", (Psa. 48:2; Matt. 5:35).     4. The heavens and earth are called to attention at the grief of their Creator Who speaks through the prophet Isaiah, (comp. Deut. 32:1; Mic. 1:2).
      a. He has nourished and brought up children who, through violence and self-will, have rebelled against Him so as to destroy the fellowship they once enjoyed, (30:1, 65:2).
      b. Lower creatures, regarded by most as "dumb animals", know their masters - the source of their sustenance; but, Israel does not know or consider, (5:12-13; 44:18; Jer. 8:7).
      c. Highly honored, and richly blessed, by a divine call to special intimacy with Jehovah; the nation exalted to a position of covenant-fellowship with Him, at Mt. Sinai, seems totally void of any spiritual discernment, (Deut. 14:2; Ex. 19:3-6; comp. I Cor. 1:9).
    5. Called to be a "holy nation" and "peculiar people", Israel has been a sinning nation - a proud people bent under the weight of their own iniquities! (5:18; Jer. 10:14).
      a. Descendants of evil-doers, they have acted corruptly, (comp. 14:20; 31:2; Psa. 37:28; Neh. 1:7; Dan. 9:5).
      b. Forsaking the Lord, they have shown contempt for "the Holy One of Israel" in such a way as to provoke His anger, (vs. 28, 5:24-25).
      c. Thus, they have so alienated themselves that fellowship have been broken between them and their God.
    6. Further discipline seems futile - since they have only rebelled against it and deliberately insisted on rejecting the truth. The fruit of corrective discipline is determined, for good or evil - NOT by the hand that administers it, but by the heart-attitude of its recipient, (vs. 5-6; 31:6).
      a. The depravity of their rebellious hearts has corrupted their whole beings, (vs.5).
      b. From head to foot there is a lack of moral soundness in the nation, (vs. 6; Ezek. 34:4-6, 16; comp. Psa. 38:3).
      c. The prophet views them as weak and diseased - with rotten sores and bleeding wounds to which no healing balm has been applied, because none has been sought.
    7. Detestable moral disobedience has brought devouring judgment, (vs. 7-9; 6:11; Lev. 26:33; Jer. 44:5-6).
      a. Their cities have been burned; their fields plundered by the enemy.
      b. Devastation and desolation have come upon them at the hands of aliens.
      c. So complete is the devastation that Jerusalem is likened unto: a temporary shack - erected for use during harvest, but now deserted and silent; a besieged city which, though left standing, is desolate.
      d. But for a small remnant, graciously spared by the Lord of hosts (10:20-22; 37:4, 31-32; 46:3), its overthrow would have been as complete as that of Sodom and Gomorrah, (Rom. 9:29; Jer. 49:18; 50:40).

   Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

    1. Addressing her rulers as "Sodom", and her people as "Gomorrah", the prophet pleads with the nation to "Hear the word of the Lord" and "Listen to the teaching of our God"! (vs. 10)
      a. This suggests that their wickedness is very great, (3:9; Ezek. 16:46-51).
      b. It implies that the judgment awaiting them will be very severe, (Amos 4:11).
      c. How vitally important, therefore, that they "Hear (give heed to) the word of the Lord"! (8:20; 28:14-15).
    2. How can one expect to profit from a flurry of pious religious activity, if his heart is not in it? (Jer. 6:19-20).
      a. The Lord is "fed up" with their burnt offerings, without obedience, (vs. 11; Amos 5:21-24).
      b. And He takes no pleasure in the multitude of their blood sacrifices so long as the attitude of their hearts is not right toward Him, (Mal. 1:10; Mic. 6:6-8).
    3. Who has deceived them into believing they can profit by such defilement of His courts with their unholy feet? (Jer. 7:9-10, 21-26).
    4. They must not appear before Him again with such vanity, (vs. 13; 66:3-4).
      a. Their burning of incense is abominable to Him; their celebration of the monthly and yearly feasts are such a wearying grief that He cannot continue to endure, (vs. 14).
      b. He will, henceforth, close his eyes and stop His ears when their blood-stained hands are lifted toward Him in prayer! (vs. 15; Deut. 31:16-18; Mic. 3:4; Jer. 14:12; Isa. 59:1-2).

   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: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

    1. The change required in them must be a radical one.
      a. There must be a cleansing from their defilement (Psa. 26:6; cf. Ex. 30:19); God's own people still need such cleansing when they have turned aside from the way of holiness, (II Cor. 7:1; I Jn. 1:9).
      b. They must repudiate, abandon and turn from such wickedness as has become a stench in God's nostrils, (Jer. 25:4-5; Isa. 55:7).
      c. Learning the way of righteousness, they must see that justice and equity become the ruling principles of their national life (Jer. 22:3-5; Zeph. 2:3). When this happens: ruthlessness will be restrained, orphans will be defended, and the cause of the widow will not be without an advocate, (58:3-8).
    2. What follows (in vs. 18-20) is NOT an invitation to negotiate; it is a summons to judgment! (41:1; 43:26-28; Mic. 6:2).
      a. If Israel, the covenant nation, is willing to meet the conditions already held down by their Lord; then, He will be merciful and show kindness toward them - offering forgiveness and cleansing, (44:22; 43:25; Psa. 51:7; I Jn. 1:7; Heb. 9:22).
      b. If they obey, with willing heart, they shall "eat the good of the land", (Deut. 30:15-16; Isa. 30:23-24; 55:2-3; 58:13-14).
      c. But, if they despise His offer of goodness and mercy and continue in their rebellion (in disobedience of unbelief); then, they will be devoured by the sword, (3:25-26; 65:12).
      d. They are duly informed of the only alternatives open to them - obedience and blessing, or rebellion and ruin!

   How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
   And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

    1. Here is a lamentation in which Jerusalem, the once-faithful city, is likened to a prostitute; by her idolatry she has departed from and corrupted God's ways, (vs. 21a; 57:3-9; Jer. 2:20).
      a. At one time justice reigned within her gates and righteousness made its dwelling within her walls; now she is a habitation of murderers! (59:7).
      b. Corruption and disintegration are everywhere in evidence. Her silver is impure, unrefined and full of dross (Ezek. 22:18); her once-sterling character shamefully compromised. Her wine is diluted with water - the "Joy of the Lord" having faded in the breach of fellowship with her divine husband.
      c. Her rebel-hearted princes are the associates of thieves-loving bribes and chasing after reward, (3:14-15; Mic. 7:3; cf. Ex. 23:6-8).
    2. Thus, judgment is perverted: the orphan is defenseless, and a deaf ear is turned to the widow's plea - a situation concerning which the righteous Lord cannot remain silent, (10:1-2; Jer. 5:28-29; Zech. 7:9-12).
    3. In setting forth His purpose of redemption, the rightful King of Israel identifies Himself by three divine titles, (vs. 24).
      a. He is the "Lord" of all creation.
      b. He is "LORD (Jehovah) of Hosts" - whose will and command the heavenly creatures eagerly await.
      c. And He is "the Mighty One of Israel" - by whose power the covenant-nation may prevail, (Gen. 49:24; Psa. 132:1-5; cf. Isa. 49:26; 60:16).
    4. He to whom vengeance belongs (Rom. 12:19) will relieve Himself of His adversaries and deal justly with His enemies.
    5. By means of justice and judgment the Lord will purge, refine and purify His people, (Ezek. 22:19-22; Mal. 3:2-3). The concept of a "remnant" of Israel - cleansed through fiery trials and brought into harmony with God's holy purpose - is a constantly-recurring theme in Isaiah, (4:2-4; 10:20-22; 37:30-32, etc.).
      a. Her judges and counselors will be restored to function according to the righteous principles that were to be inherent in their offices from the beginning, (60:17-18; 32:1).
      b. Restored to the divine pattern, Jerusalem will be known as a stronghold of righteousness - "the Faithful City", (33:5; 60:14; 62:1-2; Zech. 8:3).
      c. So, Zion will be justly ransomed, and a repentant remnant-which is permitted to return, according to righteous principles, (35:9-10; 62:12).
    6. When the Lord is roused to anger, rebel transgressors and sinners will fall together; those who forsake Him, for idols, will be consumed by His fiery indignation, (24:20: Psa. 9:5; 2 Thess. 1:8-9; Isa. 66:15-16).
      a. When they stand before Him they will be ashamed of the "oaks" under which they have practiced their idolatries, (57:5).
      b. And, under His searching gaze, they will blush in remembrance of the shameless sensualities practiced in their choice gardens, (65:3; 66:17).
    7. When the fire of divine judgment is unleashed, they will be as a withered oak and a parched garden, (64:6-7).
      a. The sinner and his sin will be consumed together by the wrath of divine indignation, (5:24; 33:11-14; Heb. 12:29).
      b. Nor will there be anyone to deliver them from the consequences of their folly! (Matt. 3:12; Mk. 9:43).