No one likes to be the bearer of bad news. I’m sure police officers don’t fight each other to see who gets to tell someone that their loved one passed away. Nurses probably don’t volunteer to call people and tell them that their test results were bad. We would all much rather be the Publisher’s Clearinghouse guy, who gets to surprise people with those giant, cardboard checks.
Sometimes its easy for Christians to feel like we’re always raining on someone’s parade. After all, the message of the Gospel calls us to proclaim that all is not right with the world; and what’s more, we must also tell individuals that all is not right with their soul. Now we also get to proclaim the good news of God’s love and forgiveness, but the realism of the Gospel demands that people understand why they need to be forgiven in the first place.
As we seek to proclaim the Gospel, it can also be discouraging if we don’t see people respond to it positively. This isn’t surprising, because everything becomes discouraging if you feel like you’re not seeing the desired results.
So when we might be discouraged about our role as messengers for the king, how can we press on in faithfulness? What is the bedrock that can serve as a lasting foundation for faithful obedience to God?
When the going gets tough, remember what got you going in the first place!
Would you turn with me please to Isaiah 6? In the first five chapters of this book, we have received a basic summary of the message that Isaiah preached throughout his entire ministry. He certainly had the privilege of proclaiming some amazing prophecies about the future, and that message of hope will be prominent in certain parts of this book. But by and large, Isaiah had to repeatedly warn his own people that they were not doing right. Very often, Isaiah had to be the bearer of bad news. So how did he keep going?
In chapter 6, Isaiah describes for us how his ministry got started in the first place. He tells of seeing a majestic vision of the Lord and the commission that he received from the lips of God. His vision can remind us of the gracious cleansing that we have received from God, and the great calling that accompanied it.
1. God’s gracious cleansing (vv. 1-7)
First of all, Isaiah tells us in v. 1 that his vision took place “in the year that King Uzziah died.” According to 2 Chronicles 26, Uzziah had two very distinct periods within his reign. He was king for 52 years—one of the longest reigns among the kings of Judah—and for many years at the first part of his reign, he was faithful to serve God. As a result, God blessed the kingdom greatly.
Unfortunately, all of this success went to Uzziah’s head, and one day he decided that he was going to go inside the Temple in Jerusalem to burn incense to God. That doesn’t sound like such a big deal until we realize that Uzziah wasn’t allowed to do this. According to God’s law, only the priests were allowed to go into the Temple building itself—everyone else could only come into the courtyard around the building. Not even the king was allowed past the courtyard, but Uzziah decided to do things his way, and as a result, God struck him with leprosy, which was a terrible skin disease. Lepers were not allowed to live among the rest of the people for fear that the disease would spread, so Uzziah spent the rest of his life living in solitude. He still retained the title of king, but his son Jotham actually led the nation.
Uzziah’s life was a living example—as clear as day—that God blesses obedience, and punishes disobedience. The people of Judah should have seen that lesson in the life of their own king, but by and large they failed to do so, so God wanted to prepare and commission Isaiah to send a message to them.
Let’s look at a few of the details of what Isaiah saw [READ vv. 1-2]. These seraphim are angels who are mentioned only here in the Bible. It is significant that even though the seraphim, as angels, are sinless beings who dwell in the presence of God, they still demonstrate tremendous humility by covering themselves. We should probably picture them with large wings, so that as they cover their face and feet, their wings are actually covering the entire front of their body.
We can see that they were engaged in worshipping God [READ v. 3]. These angels seem to have had a special fixation on the holiness of God. Holiness is the only trait or attribute of God that is emphasized in this way in the Bible. In Hebrew, repetition like this was used to emphasize an extreme example of something. We do something very similar in English. For example, if you said, “Pastor Tim’s sermon went on and on and on,” you’re saying that my sermon was extremely long.
Well, these angels were saying that God is extremely holy. Holiness is the foundational trait that lies behind everything that God is. Holiness is the idea that something is different—it is in a class all by itself. Thus, God is holy in His existence because He is the only uncreated being that exists. He is holy in the way He expresses love because His love is not tainted with selfishness the way that human love often is. He is holy with respect to sin because He is sinless and thus morally perfect.
Thus, to say that God is holy is about the most concise description of God that you can give, and yet that simple statement speaks volumes. Isaiah was deeply shaken by the stark moral difference that existed between him and the Lord [READ vv. 4-5]. In the previous chapter, Isaiah’s message included several statements of woe against the people for their sinful appetites and attitudes. But Isaiah’s ministry began with him saying, “Woe is me!” We cannot preach a message to others about turning from sin until we have acknowledged our own sin to God, and we must acknowledge that we are sinful at the core of our being. Isaiah states that he is a man of unclean lips, meaning that he had sinned through things that he had said. Jesus clarifies for us in Matthew 12 that our words flow out of our hearts, so sinful words simply reveal a sinful heart.
Isaiah also states that he dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips. We just learned that God is holy, that He is in a class by Himself, but Isaiah is saying, “I’m just like everyone else around me. I am not holy!” Are we not the same? God has angels as His companions, who cry out about how unique and incomparable He is, but we have other sinners as our companions, and we are right at home with them.
Isaiah’s response is the fitting and appropriate response to his own sinfulness in light of God’s holiness. Within his own capacities, he is hopeless, and he can expect nothing but doom. His only hope is for God to extend grace and mercy, which is precisely what we find in vv. 6-7 [READ vv. 6-7]. Notice that the visible symbol of God’s forgiveness is placed precisely at Isaiah’s point of need. He had said, “I am a man of unclean lips,” so the angel applied the symbol of forgiveness to his lips.
Isaiah was now cleansed from his sins by a merciful and gracious act of God. After he was confronted with the holiness of God, his response of confession was followed by an act of cleansing. He was now prepared to make another response, this time to…
2. God’s great calling (vv. 8-13)
In v. 8, God draws Isaiah into service through a simple question [READ v. 8]. Isaiah’s willingness is a great example for everyone who desires to serve the Lord. When we read about a command from God in the Bible, the only fitting response is willing obedience. Isaiah may have gotten a knot in his stomach, however, after he heard what he was supposed to say [READ vv. 9-10]. Now, this statement sounds very strange. Did God truly not want the people to repent? I think we can safely say that God certainly did want them to repent. In Ezekiel 33:11, God says, “As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”
So if God wants people to repent, then why do we read a statement like this in v. 10? Well, what we are seeing is an example of a theme that runs throughout Scripture, namely, that God sometimes allows people to feel the full consequences of their sins in order to bring them to repentance. This is similar to what we do as parents when we allow our children to make a bad decision. Sometimes, we warn our children about a bad decision, and we warn them and warn them, but we hit that point where its obvious that they’re not going to listen to us. And so we let them go ahead and make a bad decision in the hopes that they will learn the hard way, since they have chosen not to learn the best way by listening to us.
On several occasions in Scripture, God allowed people to feel the full effects of their rejection of Him. One example of this comes from Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. When God began to send plagues against Egypt to convince Pharaoh to free the Jewish people from slavery, the story says after the first few plagues that Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the people go. However, with the latter plagues, the story says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart to keep him from letting the people go. It’s like God was saying, “Okay, Pharaoh. It’s obvious what your choice is going to be. Now, you will have to see this through to the end. I’m going to give you the full taste of your consequences so you can see the error of your ways.”
We see the same reality played out in Romans 1. In that chapter, the apostle Paul says that nature itself teaches us about God, but rather than worship God, mankind has chosen to worship what God has created—like idols and animals and the moon and ultimately, ourselves. So as result, it says three times in that chapter that God has given mankind over to our sinful passions. He has allowed mankind to go ahead and pursue our sinful desires so we can feel the full brunt of our foolishness and thus come to our senses.
I believe that is precisely what God was referring to in Isaiah 6:9-10. The people had already rejected the message of several prophets before Isaiah, so Isaiah’s ministry would have a touch of irony to it—as God was reaching out through him, the very act of reaching out would only drive the people further away. God’s Word would inoculate the people to God’s grace. Isaiah’s ministry would be like a vaccine that would make the people resistant to the very message that he was preaching.
Isaiah goes on to ask a very understandable question in v. 11—“How long, O Lord?” The Lord goes on to tell him that the people would in fact have to face the full brunt of His discipline [READ vv. 11-13]. Verse 13 feels like a bit of a riddle, but it seems to be sounding a note of hope in the midst of judgment. It seems to be speaking of a remnant of people who would remain who would be holy—people who would be followers of God. This note of hope would leave Isaiah with some encouragement that the nation would grow once again.
Isaiah had a difficult task ahead of him, and I’m sure there were moments of discouragement and frustration. But Isaiah had this spectacular encounter with God to look back on; remembering this experience could keep Isaiah pressing on to faithfully proclaim God’s Word even if he saw little response.
So how about you and me? What can keep us going when we’re tired of battling our own sinful hearts; when we’re fed up with being ridiculed by others because of the message that we proclaim? We may have never had a visible encounter with God, but we have experience the same blessings that Isaiah received in his vision.
First, we have been the recipients of God’s gracious cleansing. He has removed from our shoulders the weight of sin that threatened to drag us down to hell. Jesus paid our incalculable debt of sin to set us free from the wrath of God that we rightfully deserved.
Have we forgotten about our debt? Have we forgotten just how hopeless our situation was? Have we forgotten the heart-cry that Isaiah uttered for us all—“woe is me!”? Doesn’t it give you a little bounce in your step when you think about the reality of your salvation? When you remember how God’s grace met you at the precise point of your need and cast all your sins into the depths of the sea? When the going gets tough, remember what got you going in the first place!
Second, we have all received God’s great calling as well. We don’t need an audible voice to tell us what to do today because we have God’s Word written down in the Bible. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says that we are ambassadors for Christ. He has returned to heaven for the time being, and He has asked us to watch after the place while He is gone. We are His representatives in this world to tell our fellow sinners that God has offered us terms of peace, that God longs to be reconciled with them if they will just confess their rebellion and accept the payment that Jesus made for them through His death and resurrection. Each and every one of us has this calling from God to keep us going during the times of frustration and fear. When the going gets tough, remember what got you going in the first place!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Discount Your Many Blessings?--Isaiah Series
How does it make you feel when you see someone squander an opportunity that you would love to have? I get frustrated at times when I see a professional athlete squander his or her talent. I played a lot of sports growing up, and I dreamed of going pro in all of them at one time or another, but it became clear in high school that pro sports were not in my future. So when I read headlines about an athlete that has been suspended for drug use, or someone who just hasn’t put in the effort to reach their potential, I get just a little bit frustrated because of those childhood dreams that still have a small place in my heart.
How about you? What sort of opportunities have you longed for in your life? Maybe you have always wanted to be in a certain profession, like acting. Perhaps you have dreamed of owning a ranch somewhere in the Rockies, or house on some secluded island. Maybe you’ve just found yourself thinking, “If I had the money, I would…”—you can fill in the blank. So how does it make you feel when someone squanders that opportunity that you have desired?
Now, let’s put ourselves on the other side of that question for a moment. How do you think God feels when we squander the opportunities He gives us by making sinful choices; when we look at all the blessings He has given us, and we shrug our shoulders and say, “I’d rather have this thing that you hate?”
According to 2 Peter 1:3, “[God’s] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that the Scriptures can make us “equipped for every good work.” God has clearly given us everything we need to thrive in His mission for us as His ambassadors in this world. So how do you think God feels when we squander all of this by embracing sin instead?
Fortunately for us, we have the opportunity today to learn from those who had a calling from God in the past, and we can gain wisdom from God’s interaction with them. As we look at Isaiah 5 this morning, we should learn that:
We must not squander God’s blessings by indulging sinful appetites and attitudes.
1. The people’s poor return on God’s blessings (5:1-7)
In the first part of this chapter, we find a well-crafted metaphor that is used to make a well-deserved indictment against the people of Judah. Follow with me as I read [READ vv. 1-2]. The significance of the word “wild” is that these grapes were not what the landowner was expecting, and they were in fact worthless for his intended purposes. The fruit bore no indication that it had been cultivated at all.
[READ vv. 3-7]. The metaphor is ultimately wielded to pierce through to the heart of the matter—the men of Judah had not produced the righteous fruit that God desired from them. God had given them every blessing and opportunity that they needed to carry out His commands, but they had offered Him instead a poor imitation of true obedience.
There is a word play in v. 7 that I think is important for me to point out. The Hebrew says that God looked for mishpat but discovered mispah; He looked for tsedaqah but discovered tseaqah. These two pairs of words sound so similar, but their meaning is drastically different.
I think this word play is meant to emphasize that the people had offered God something that looked so similar to the real thing, but the substance was very different. Remember—these people were a religious people. They hadn’t thrown off every semblance of worshipping God. In chapter 1 we learned that they were very faithful in performing the required sacrifices and feasts, but the problem was that they did not offer God sincere worship and obedience. Sure—as Isaiah’s song said—they produced grapes, but they were wild grapes, worthless grapes, because they did not come from God’s cultivation of their hearts.
Thus, God stated that He was about to remove His protection from the nation. This statement found its fulfillment a short time later when the Babylonian Empire conquered the kingdom of Judah and took the people out of their land to re-settle them elsewhere.
So what kind of fruit had grown in the people’s lives? How had they evoked such stern displeasure from God? Isaiah gives an instructive description of their sins in the rest of the chapter.
2. The sinful appetites of the people (5:8-17)
a. An appetite for possessions (property and homes; vv. 8- 10)
Isaiah begins v. 8 by saying, “woe.” This word expresses the same thought as the sidewalk preacher who carries a sign that reads “The End is Near!” [READ vv. 8]. Now what was Isaiah condemning in this verse? He may have had in mind some wealthy persons who were exploiting the poor and taking their land, but even if there was no exploitation taking place in these land deals, the persons involved were not handling the land the way that God desired.
Under the Law of Moses, all of the land in Israel belonged to God, and the people were basically taking care of it for Him. By His command, land was not to be permanently sold—it could be sold temporarily, but every 50 years it was to go back into the possession of the family whose ancestors had originally settled there. The idea was that each family would have the chance to provide for themselves from their own land.
Thus, the nation wasn’t supposed to have land barons or real estate moguls, but some of the people at least were clearly disregarding God’s desire for the land by accumulating large estates for themselves. But we see in vv. 9-10 that God was planning to foreclose by means of a famine [READ vv. 9-10]. The Holman Christian Standard Bible updates these measurements for us. It reads, “A ten-acre vineyard will yield only six gallons, and 10 bushels of seed will yield only one bushel.” Thus, the people would not prosper from their property because of their disregard of God’s desires.
The people were presently getting some return from their vineyards, however, because they had…
b. An appetite for drunken partying (vv. 11-17)
[READ vv. 11-12] Sadly, as the people were chasing a good time, they missed the signs of the times that would have revealed God’s displeasure over their lifestyles. Now, we could spend an entire sermon talking about drunkenness, but let me simply say this—I don’t believe the Bible gives us a complete prohibition against drinking alcohol, but virtually all we read about it in Scripture is that it can consume us and lead us into foolish, sinful choices. Let us all make sure that we take that warning to heart.
Unfortunately, the people did not take God’s warnings to heart, and thus we read in v. 13 [READ v. 13]. Notice the irony here—Isaiah had just pronounced doom on the people for drinking too much, and their consequence would be to suffer from thirst. [READ v. 14]. There is even more irony here. The people were driven by an insatiable appetite for alcohol, and as a consequence, they will be given to satisfy the appetite of the grave. This message is a sobering one, indeed, and Isaiah gives a fitting summary of God’s actions in vv. 15-17 [READ vv. 15-17]. With this coming act of judgment in which God would allow His people to be conquered and taken into exile, a clear distinction would be seen between God and mankind. As the people are laid low, God will be lifted up, and in this act of justice His holiness will be on full display. If we are tempted to think that God is overreacting to sin, here is our reminder that wrath is simply the fitting and deserved reaction of God’s holiness when it encounters sin.
When the Lord looked at the people of Judah, He saw not only that they had sinful appetites, but that they also had sinful attitudes.
3. The sinful attitudes of the people (vv. 18-30)
a. An attitude of disbelief toward God’s warnings (vv. 18-19)
Let’s read v. 18 [READ v. 18]. Here the people are pictured as being tied to their sins, and not just tied to them, but almost unknowingly subservient to them. The people are like servants who pull around the sin which has mastered them everywhere they go. Yet they are still disbelieving toward God’s warnings of judgment through the prophets [READ v. 19].
How many times have you and I said in our lives, “It will never happen to me?” We do that in our daily routine all the time. Perhaps we ride around in the car with no seatbelt on, because even though we’ve seen other people in life-threatening accidents, we still just don’t think it will ever happen to us!
We often respond the same way toward our sins. We have all seen people deal with the life-altering consequences of sin, yet we keep ourselves bound to it and say, “It will never happen to me!” Ecclesiastes 8:11 says, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.” When we think we are getting away with sin, we become emboldened to wallow in it all the more. But we must never mistake God’s patience for inaction. We will always face consequences for our sins, whether they come today or when we stand before Jesus to hear His assessment of our lives. Let us never ignore His warnings about sin!
b. An attitude of arrogance toward God’s standards (vv. 20-21)
Ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, mankind has struggled with the temptation to think that we know better than God. It really comes down to the pride that is described in v. 21—we are wise in our own eyes. We consider ourselves to be capable of setting the standards for what is right and what is wrong, and if we encounter a moral standard in the Bible that doesn’t conform to our opinions, we explain it away with some kind of interpretive slight-of-hand.
Now it is very easy for us to sit here and condemn various groups in our society who are guilty of this sinful attitude, but we must understand that we are guilty of this attitude every time we choose to sin. Every time we choose to sin, we convince ourselves somehow that our behavior was right and acceptable, and if God’s Word says otherwise, we convince ourselves that we were in special circumstances, or we qualify His command with 1,000 man-made rules that allow us to get ourselves off the hook.
Sure, we can point to many people in our world who are guilty of this attitude—but sometimes, we are among them!
c. An attitude of indifference toward God’s desires (vv. 22-23)
[READ vv. 22-23] Isaiah has spoken about drunkenness already, but now he focuses on those who are in a position of authority in the nation. He seems to be talking about judges here, and we can see that these judges had aced the bar exam, but unfortunately it was the wrong kind of bar! They were devoting themselves to their sinful appetites rather than the pursuit of justice that God desired from them.
We read back in v. 7 that God was looking for justice from His people. The authorities, however, were setting a very poor example for the people, and their example was probably encouraging even greater injustice. If people know that they’re not going to receive justice from their authorities, they may be much more inclined to carry out their own brand of so-called “justice.”
Now you and I may not have an official responsibility to carry out justice in our nation, but we all have a moral and personal responsibility to treat others in a just and fair manner in our relationships with them. It isn’t only judges who have to think about justice; many of our dealings with each other will never be played out in a courtroom. God is looking for justice from you and I as well, and we don’t want to give Him a cheap imitation.
For these appetites and attitudes that the people had embraced without repentance, God was going to do exactly what He had told them in Deuteronomy—He was going to allow their enemies to defeat them and carry them into exile [READ vv. 24-30].
So, my friends, I ask you again—how do you think God feels when we squander the blessings and opportunities that He has given us? As Israel was God’s vineyard in the days of Isaiah, so we are like God’s vineyard today. He has loving cared for us and has given us everything that we need to bear the fruit of godly character in our lives. But will we allow the weeds of sinful appetites and attitudes to keep us from bearing that fruit? I pray that we will learn from those who have gone before us, and thus choose to follow a different path.
How about you? What sort of opportunities have you longed for in your life? Maybe you have always wanted to be in a certain profession, like acting. Perhaps you have dreamed of owning a ranch somewhere in the Rockies, or house on some secluded island. Maybe you’ve just found yourself thinking, “If I had the money, I would…”—you can fill in the blank. So how does it make you feel when someone squanders that opportunity that you have desired?
Now, let’s put ourselves on the other side of that question for a moment. How do you think God feels when we squander the opportunities He gives us by making sinful choices; when we look at all the blessings He has given us, and we shrug our shoulders and say, “I’d rather have this thing that you hate?”
According to 2 Peter 1:3, “[God’s] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that the Scriptures can make us “equipped for every good work.” God has clearly given us everything we need to thrive in His mission for us as His ambassadors in this world. So how do you think God feels when we squander all of this by embracing sin instead?
Fortunately for us, we have the opportunity today to learn from those who had a calling from God in the past, and we can gain wisdom from God’s interaction with them. As we look at Isaiah 5 this morning, we should learn that:
We must not squander God’s blessings by indulging sinful appetites and attitudes.
1. The people’s poor return on God’s blessings (5:1-7)
In the first part of this chapter, we find a well-crafted metaphor that is used to make a well-deserved indictment against the people of Judah. Follow with me as I read [READ vv. 1-2]. The significance of the word “wild” is that these grapes were not what the landowner was expecting, and they were in fact worthless for his intended purposes. The fruit bore no indication that it had been cultivated at all.
[READ vv. 3-7]. The metaphor is ultimately wielded to pierce through to the heart of the matter—the men of Judah had not produced the righteous fruit that God desired from them. God had given them every blessing and opportunity that they needed to carry out His commands, but they had offered Him instead a poor imitation of true obedience.
There is a word play in v. 7 that I think is important for me to point out. The Hebrew says that God looked for mishpat but discovered mispah; He looked for tsedaqah but discovered tseaqah. These two pairs of words sound so similar, but their meaning is drastically different.
I think this word play is meant to emphasize that the people had offered God something that looked so similar to the real thing, but the substance was very different. Remember—these people were a religious people. They hadn’t thrown off every semblance of worshipping God. In chapter 1 we learned that they were very faithful in performing the required sacrifices and feasts, but the problem was that they did not offer God sincere worship and obedience. Sure—as Isaiah’s song said—they produced grapes, but they were wild grapes, worthless grapes, because they did not come from God’s cultivation of their hearts.
Thus, God stated that He was about to remove His protection from the nation. This statement found its fulfillment a short time later when the Babylonian Empire conquered the kingdom of Judah and took the people out of their land to re-settle them elsewhere.
So what kind of fruit had grown in the people’s lives? How had they evoked such stern displeasure from God? Isaiah gives an instructive description of their sins in the rest of the chapter.
2. The sinful appetites of the people (5:8-17)
a. An appetite for possessions (property and homes; vv. 8- 10)
Isaiah begins v. 8 by saying, “woe.” This word expresses the same thought as the sidewalk preacher who carries a sign that reads “The End is Near!” [READ vv. 8]. Now what was Isaiah condemning in this verse? He may have had in mind some wealthy persons who were exploiting the poor and taking their land, but even if there was no exploitation taking place in these land deals, the persons involved were not handling the land the way that God desired.
Under the Law of Moses, all of the land in Israel belonged to God, and the people were basically taking care of it for Him. By His command, land was not to be permanently sold—it could be sold temporarily, but every 50 years it was to go back into the possession of the family whose ancestors had originally settled there. The idea was that each family would have the chance to provide for themselves from their own land.
Thus, the nation wasn’t supposed to have land barons or real estate moguls, but some of the people at least were clearly disregarding God’s desire for the land by accumulating large estates for themselves. But we see in vv. 9-10 that God was planning to foreclose by means of a famine [READ vv. 9-10]. The Holman Christian Standard Bible updates these measurements for us. It reads, “A ten-acre vineyard will yield only six gallons, and 10 bushels of seed will yield only one bushel.” Thus, the people would not prosper from their property because of their disregard of God’s desires.
The people were presently getting some return from their vineyards, however, because they had…
b. An appetite for drunken partying (vv. 11-17)
[READ vv. 11-12] Sadly, as the people were chasing a good time, they missed the signs of the times that would have revealed God’s displeasure over their lifestyles. Now, we could spend an entire sermon talking about drunkenness, but let me simply say this—I don’t believe the Bible gives us a complete prohibition against drinking alcohol, but virtually all we read about it in Scripture is that it can consume us and lead us into foolish, sinful choices. Let us all make sure that we take that warning to heart.
Unfortunately, the people did not take God’s warnings to heart, and thus we read in v. 13 [READ v. 13]. Notice the irony here—Isaiah had just pronounced doom on the people for drinking too much, and their consequence would be to suffer from thirst. [READ v. 14]. There is even more irony here. The people were driven by an insatiable appetite for alcohol, and as a consequence, they will be given to satisfy the appetite of the grave. This message is a sobering one, indeed, and Isaiah gives a fitting summary of God’s actions in vv. 15-17 [READ vv. 15-17]. With this coming act of judgment in which God would allow His people to be conquered and taken into exile, a clear distinction would be seen between God and mankind. As the people are laid low, God will be lifted up, and in this act of justice His holiness will be on full display. If we are tempted to think that God is overreacting to sin, here is our reminder that wrath is simply the fitting and deserved reaction of God’s holiness when it encounters sin.
When the Lord looked at the people of Judah, He saw not only that they had sinful appetites, but that they also had sinful attitudes.
3. The sinful attitudes of the people (vv. 18-30)
a. An attitude of disbelief toward God’s warnings (vv. 18-19)
Let’s read v. 18 [READ v. 18]. Here the people are pictured as being tied to their sins, and not just tied to them, but almost unknowingly subservient to them. The people are like servants who pull around the sin which has mastered them everywhere they go. Yet they are still disbelieving toward God’s warnings of judgment through the prophets [READ v. 19].
How many times have you and I said in our lives, “It will never happen to me?” We do that in our daily routine all the time. Perhaps we ride around in the car with no seatbelt on, because even though we’ve seen other people in life-threatening accidents, we still just don’t think it will ever happen to us!
We often respond the same way toward our sins. We have all seen people deal with the life-altering consequences of sin, yet we keep ourselves bound to it and say, “It will never happen to me!” Ecclesiastes 8:11 says, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.” When we think we are getting away with sin, we become emboldened to wallow in it all the more. But we must never mistake God’s patience for inaction. We will always face consequences for our sins, whether they come today or when we stand before Jesus to hear His assessment of our lives. Let us never ignore His warnings about sin!
b. An attitude of arrogance toward God’s standards (vv. 20-21)
Ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, mankind has struggled with the temptation to think that we know better than God. It really comes down to the pride that is described in v. 21—we are wise in our own eyes. We consider ourselves to be capable of setting the standards for what is right and what is wrong, and if we encounter a moral standard in the Bible that doesn’t conform to our opinions, we explain it away with some kind of interpretive slight-of-hand.
Now it is very easy for us to sit here and condemn various groups in our society who are guilty of this sinful attitude, but we must understand that we are guilty of this attitude every time we choose to sin. Every time we choose to sin, we convince ourselves somehow that our behavior was right and acceptable, and if God’s Word says otherwise, we convince ourselves that we were in special circumstances, or we qualify His command with 1,000 man-made rules that allow us to get ourselves off the hook.
Sure, we can point to many people in our world who are guilty of this attitude—but sometimes, we are among them!
c. An attitude of indifference toward God’s desires (vv. 22-23)
[READ vv. 22-23] Isaiah has spoken about drunkenness already, but now he focuses on those who are in a position of authority in the nation. He seems to be talking about judges here, and we can see that these judges had aced the bar exam, but unfortunately it was the wrong kind of bar! They were devoting themselves to their sinful appetites rather than the pursuit of justice that God desired from them.
We read back in v. 7 that God was looking for justice from His people. The authorities, however, were setting a very poor example for the people, and their example was probably encouraging even greater injustice. If people know that they’re not going to receive justice from their authorities, they may be much more inclined to carry out their own brand of so-called “justice.”
Now you and I may not have an official responsibility to carry out justice in our nation, but we all have a moral and personal responsibility to treat others in a just and fair manner in our relationships with them. It isn’t only judges who have to think about justice; many of our dealings with each other will never be played out in a courtroom. God is looking for justice from you and I as well, and we don’t want to give Him a cheap imitation.
For these appetites and attitudes that the people had embraced without repentance, God was going to do exactly what He had told them in Deuteronomy—He was going to allow their enemies to defeat them and carry them into exile [READ vv. 24-30].
So, my friends, I ask you again—how do you think God feels when we squander the blessings and opportunities that He has given us? As Israel was God’s vineyard in the days of Isaiah, so we are like God’s vineyard today. He has loving cared for us and has given us everything that we need to bear the fruit of godly character in our lives. But will we allow the weeds of sinful appetites and attitudes to keep us from bearing that fruit? I pray that we will learn from those who have gone before us, and thus choose to follow a different path.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Following With Your Eyes Wide Open--Isaiah Series
The issue of leadership is front and center in the news right now. The presidential election is in full swing, which has turned our attention for a long time now toward candidates who are vying to be the next leader of our nation. The President of the United States has a tremendous amount of power and influence—not just in our country, but around the world. He can set a course for the better or for the worse that will leave an impact on the world for years to come.
This is also the time of year when football coaches are getting hired or fired. Every team that decides to make a coaching change hopes that they could be just one good hire away from the Super Bowl or the BCS Championship game. Between the coach’s salary and the impact that he can have on ticket sales, millions of dollars are on the line.
The impact of leadership can hardly be calculated. Human leaders can wield a tremendous amount of power, but we must never be fooled into thinking that human leaders of any kind are a solid foundation on which to place our ultimate measure of trust. Like the foolish man in Jesus’ parable who built his house on sand, we are also on shaky ground if we give our highest esteem and honor to human leaders. I believe the simple message that we will learn from Isaiah today is:
Don’t wear blinders as you follow human leaders!
I suspect that most of you know what blinders are. They are a covering that people place around the eyes of horses to keep them looking in only one direction. They give the horse a very limited perspective. That can be very helpful for controlling a horse, but we don’t want to take that approach for ourselves when we consider our human leaders.
As we study Isaiah again this morning, we will see the influence that ungodly leaders had among the people of Judah. We will see just how thorough their influence was, and we will read about the Lord’s response to it.
1. The establishment of evil through the leaders (2:22-3:15)
In Isaiah 2:22, we find a straightforward command, with the rationale for this command given in what comes after it. You may know that the chapters and verses that we have in our Bible today were not part of the original text when it was written. Chapter and verse numbers were added in the Middle Ages to help people find their way around the Bible. Every so often, I find a place where I think the chapters were divided poorly, and I think this is just such an example here. Even though v. 22 is in chapter 2, it really seems to belong with the text of chapter 3.
Let’s look at this command [READ 2:22]. The mention of nostrils and breath points our thoughts back to Genesis 2 when God formed Adam’s physical body from the dirt, and Genesis 2:7 says that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” So behind the command of this verse is the reminder that human beings are completely helpless and powerless apart from God. We are as lifeless as a mound of dirt apart from Him. So why should we have an undue regard for or an elevated trust in human beings?
The Jewish people had struggled with the temptation to place all of their trust in humans ever since they forced the prophet Samuel to place a king over them. They told Samuel that they wanted a king like all the other nations, someone who would fight their battles for them—even though God had said that He would be the one to fight for them.
So Isaiah’s command was very appropriate and very timely as well, since we see that God was about to remove their leaders from them. Look at vv. 1-3 [READ vv. 1-3]. This list is very thorough. It mentions those who were qualified to lead, those who had experience as leaders, and those who weren’t qualified but were still relied upon by the people. In exchange for the leaders on this list, the people were going to receive weak leaders and ultimately slide into a state of anarchy [READ 3:4-5].
Let me make two points about these verses. First, notice that this state of anarchy was the result of God’s discipline and punishment upon the people. There may be moments where we feel like dealing with our leaders is an act of punishment, but we must never forget that human government is an institution that has been ordained by God. Now, leaders are just as sinful as the rest of us, so governments can become a curse to their own people, but the alternative of living under no government is not a better option. People have often fantasized about a society in which no one has authority over anyone else, but the Bible presents authority structures in society, the home, and the church as good things. Even the members of the Trinity have embraced an authority structure for themselves, with God the Son being submissive to God the Father, and the Holy Spirit being submissive to the other two members. As James Madison wrote, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”1 But since we are not, we should be thankful for God’s institution of government.
Second, please notice that the state of anarchy would feature young people being insolent or insulting toward older people. The Bible always presents disrespect from the young toward the old as a serious sin. It was punishable by death under the Law of Moses; it is the height of foolishness in the book of Proverbs; it is associated with murder and hatred of God in Romans 1. Youthful rebellion is never presented as a “phase” that young people go through or a normal part of the process of growing up. Parents, we must view rebellion as a deadly cancer in our child’s soul, and young people, you must view it the same way. You may think its just part of growing up, but you’re not growing—you are spiritually dying when you embrace rebellion.
As we continue through the passage, we see that God’s actions against the leaders will create a desperate search for leadership, but no one will desire to answer the call [READ vv. 6-7]. Think about what a reversal of the norm this is! People usually trip over each other to chase after positions of leadership. Right now, people are raising and spending millions of dollars to become the next President of the United States, but God would humble the nation so much through the exile that was about to come that no one would desire to take leadership!
Isaiah then reminds us again that all of this was coming because the people had not only embraced sin—they had made a bold display of it [READ vv. 8-9]. We see that the people had lost any sense of shame over their sins. A nation finds itself in a precarious situation when its people no longer have any shame over sin. When sin is not only accepted, but celebrated; when we are no longer embarrassed to have our sins on public display; when we sanction sin as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle, days of disgrace for that nation are not far behind. As Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
Many Christians in the United States are wondering if our nation is in this position today, and if we are, is there any hope left for God’s children? What are we to do? Give into despair and run for the hills? Not at all! Just look at the next verse [READ v. 10]. In the midst of those dark days, when judgment was looming on the horizon, God had a message of hope for the righteous. Don’t think for a moment that God fails to take notice of those who obey Him in the midst of a godless society. In 2 Peter 2, Peter mentions Noah’s deliverance from the flood and Lot’s deliverance from Sodom and Gomorrah, and then in v. 9 he says, “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” Just like in Egypt where the whole land was covered in darkness except for the area in which the Jews lived, God knows how to take care of His people. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any hardships or difficulties, but it does mean that there will always be reward for serving God. So why do we go against the grain? Why don’t we just go with the flow of a sinful society? Because it shall be well with the righteous!
We cannot say the same, however, for those who disobey God. Look at v. 11 [READ v. 11]. The prophet then mourns for his people and the leaders who lead them into such a terrible spot [READ v. 12]. This verse is not meant as any sort of insult to women any more than it would be meant to insult infants. It simply stresses that the leadership situation in Judah did not reflect God’s desire. The Old Testament Law called for men to be the leaders. God was pleased to use women to lead at strategic times—like Deborah in the book of Judges, or Esther in the book that bears her name. But this was not the basic structure that God had called for.
And so we find these sobering words in vv. 13-15 [READ vv. 13-15].
Judah’s leaders had used the people, abused them, and had ultimately led them down a sinful path. We see just how thoroughly the corruption of sin had spread when we see the exhibition of evil in the women of the nation.
2. The exhibition of evil seen in the women (3:16-4:1)
Let’s read vv. 16-17 [READ vv. 16-17]. The picture of the women in v. 16 is a picture of women who are all decked out in accessories to put themselves on display. In their pride, they are thinking only of themselves and are trying to draw attention to themselves.
Now, the Lord is not singling out the women here in order to degrade women. In fact, I think the reality is just the opposite. In any nation or society, the women are generally the last holdouts for morality; they are generally the last ones to embrace ungodliness. I think this is because of the maternal instinct. The maternal instinct works against temptations like selfishness and pride. It draws a woman toward family life, which supports and reinforces morality. So women normally remain on the moral high ground far longer than anyone else; thus, I believe that in this passage the Lord is saying that even the women—the last line of defense for morality—even they have embraced sinful ways.
John Adams, our nation’s second president, once wrote, “From all that I had read of history of government, of human life, and manners, I have drawn this conclusion, that the manners of women are the most infallible barometer, to ascertain the degree of morality and virtue in a nation. All that I have since read and all the observation I have made in different nations have confirmed me in this opinion.”2 If this is true, then we see that the nation of Judah had fallen far indeed. So the Lord declares what He will do to the women in the next section [READ 3:18-4:1].
The nation of Judah was in need of a deep cleansing, and in the rest of chapter 4, we see that the Lord had just that in mind.
3. The erasing of evil through the Lord (4:2-6)
[READ v. 2]. Let’s make sure we understand what this verse is saying. It speaks of the branch of the Lord. A branch is something that grows out of the trunk of a tree and is one with it. It carries the life of the root and bears its fruit. When we get to chapter 11, it becomes very obvious that this phrase is referring to a person—a leader who will rule over the nation.
This verse also refers to this person as the “fruit of the land.” Since this phrase is parallel to “the branch of the Lord,” it seems to be talking about the same person, rather than serving as a literal reference to produce or vegetation. So this future leader is described as a branch of the Lord and a product of the land. This seems to tell us that this leader will have both a divine and human origin—which is exactly what we find in Jesus, who will ultimately fulfill this prophecy.
The rest of the chapter describes what the situation will be in Jerusalem [READ vv. 3-6]. Verses 5-6 describe symbols of the Lord’s presence with the people, which will be fulfilled when Jesus reigns in the city. He will provide comfort and protection for the people. So even though Judah had some dark days ahead in its immediate future, their ultimate destiny remained one of glory.
So this whole section from chapter 2 to chapter 4 ends just as it had begun—with a prophecy about a glorious day that is coming for Jerusalem and for the entire world during the kingdom of the Messiah. Until then, we must remember that God takes note of those who obey Him. Let’s quickly review the lessons that we should take with us today.
First, God has ordained appropriate structures of authority in our world to be a blessing for us, not a curse. God has established human government to provide a restraint against lawlessness and anarchy. If human government becomes a curse, the problem is not in the fact that there is a government—the problem is with the people who occupy those government positions.
God has also called young people to submit to the authorities in their lives, most notably their parents. Youthful rebellion in the Bible is always portrayed as a dangerous, foolish, and sinful way of life. Young people, it is God’s desire for you to submit to your parents, and it is honestly in your best interest as well.
Second, God takes note of those who obey Him, even in the midst of an ungodly society. Even if everyone around forsakes the Lord, your obedience does not go unnoticed. The Lord is able to give you a fitting reward for your obedience even as He deals with the wickedness around you.
Third, we should also remember the important role that women play in our society. In general, women are a moral preservative among us, and in many cases we need to follow their moral example. We should also see to it that we protect feminine virtues and a biblical picture of womanhood, so that our moral foundation will retain its last remaining pillar of strength.
Notes:
1. James Madison, The Federalist Papers, no. 51.
2. From Dr. James Dobson, Bringing Up Girls (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2010), 37.
This is also the time of year when football coaches are getting hired or fired. Every team that decides to make a coaching change hopes that they could be just one good hire away from the Super Bowl or the BCS Championship game. Between the coach’s salary and the impact that he can have on ticket sales, millions of dollars are on the line.
The impact of leadership can hardly be calculated. Human leaders can wield a tremendous amount of power, but we must never be fooled into thinking that human leaders of any kind are a solid foundation on which to place our ultimate measure of trust. Like the foolish man in Jesus’ parable who built his house on sand, we are also on shaky ground if we give our highest esteem and honor to human leaders. I believe the simple message that we will learn from Isaiah today is:
Don’t wear blinders as you follow human leaders!
I suspect that most of you know what blinders are. They are a covering that people place around the eyes of horses to keep them looking in only one direction. They give the horse a very limited perspective. That can be very helpful for controlling a horse, but we don’t want to take that approach for ourselves when we consider our human leaders.
As we study Isaiah again this morning, we will see the influence that ungodly leaders had among the people of Judah. We will see just how thorough their influence was, and we will read about the Lord’s response to it.
1. The establishment of evil through the leaders (2:22-3:15)
In Isaiah 2:22, we find a straightforward command, with the rationale for this command given in what comes after it. You may know that the chapters and verses that we have in our Bible today were not part of the original text when it was written. Chapter and verse numbers were added in the Middle Ages to help people find their way around the Bible. Every so often, I find a place where I think the chapters were divided poorly, and I think this is just such an example here. Even though v. 22 is in chapter 2, it really seems to belong with the text of chapter 3.
Let’s look at this command [READ 2:22]. The mention of nostrils and breath points our thoughts back to Genesis 2 when God formed Adam’s physical body from the dirt, and Genesis 2:7 says that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” So behind the command of this verse is the reminder that human beings are completely helpless and powerless apart from God. We are as lifeless as a mound of dirt apart from Him. So why should we have an undue regard for or an elevated trust in human beings?
The Jewish people had struggled with the temptation to place all of their trust in humans ever since they forced the prophet Samuel to place a king over them. They told Samuel that they wanted a king like all the other nations, someone who would fight their battles for them—even though God had said that He would be the one to fight for them.
So Isaiah’s command was very appropriate and very timely as well, since we see that God was about to remove their leaders from them. Look at vv. 1-3 [READ vv. 1-3]. This list is very thorough. It mentions those who were qualified to lead, those who had experience as leaders, and those who weren’t qualified but were still relied upon by the people. In exchange for the leaders on this list, the people were going to receive weak leaders and ultimately slide into a state of anarchy [READ 3:4-5].
Let me make two points about these verses. First, notice that this state of anarchy was the result of God’s discipline and punishment upon the people. There may be moments where we feel like dealing with our leaders is an act of punishment, but we must never forget that human government is an institution that has been ordained by God. Now, leaders are just as sinful as the rest of us, so governments can become a curse to their own people, but the alternative of living under no government is not a better option. People have often fantasized about a society in which no one has authority over anyone else, but the Bible presents authority structures in society, the home, and the church as good things. Even the members of the Trinity have embraced an authority structure for themselves, with God the Son being submissive to God the Father, and the Holy Spirit being submissive to the other two members. As James Madison wrote, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”1 But since we are not, we should be thankful for God’s institution of government.
Second, please notice that the state of anarchy would feature young people being insolent or insulting toward older people. The Bible always presents disrespect from the young toward the old as a serious sin. It was punishable by death under the Law of Moses; it is the height of foolishness in the book of Proverbs; it is associated with murder and hatred of God in Romans 1. Youthful rebellion is never presented as a “phase” that young people go through or a normal part of the process of growing up. Parents, we must view rebellion as a deadly cancer in our child’s soul, and young people, you must view it the same way. You may think its just part of growing up, but you’re not growing—you are spiritually dying when you embrace rebellion.
As we continue through the passage, we see that God’s actions against the leaders will create a desperate search for leadership, but no one will desire to answer the call [READ vv. 6-7]. Think about what a reversal of the norm this is! People usually trip over each other to chase after positions of leadership. Right now, people are raising and spending millions of dollars to become the next President of the United States, but God would humble the nation so much through the exile that was about to come that no one would desire to take leadership!
Isaiah then reminds us again that all of this was coming because the people had not only embraced sin—they had made a bold display of it [READ vv. 8-9]. We see that the people had lost any sense of shame over their sins. A nation finds itself in a precarious situation when its people no longer have any shame over sin. When sin is not only accepted, but celebrated; when we are no longer embarrassed to have our sins on public display; when we sanction sin as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle, days of disgrace for that nation are not far behind. As Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
Many Christians in the United States are wondering if our nation is in this position today, and if we are, is there any hope left for God’s children? What are we to do? Give into despair and run for the hills? Not at all! Just look at the next verse [READ v. 10]. In the midst of those dark days, when judgment was looming on the horizon, God had a message of hope for the righteous. Don’t think for a moment that God fails to take notice of those who obey Him in the midst of a godless society. In 2 Peter 2, Peter mentions Noah’s deliverance from the flood and Lot’s deliverance from Sodom and Gomorrah, and then in v. 9 he says, “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” Just like in Egypt where the whole land was covered in darkness except for the area in which the Jews lived, God knows how to take care of His people. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any hardships or difficulties, but it does mean that there will always be reward for serving God. So why do we go against the grain? Why don’t we just go with the flow of a sinful society? Because it shall be well with the righteous!
We cannot say the same, however, for those who disobey God. Look at v. 11 [READ v. 11]. The prophet then mourns for his people and the leaders who lead them into such a terrible spot [READ v. 12]. This verse is not meant as any sort of insult to women any more than it would be meant to insult infants. It simply stresses that the leadership situation in Judah did not reflect God’s desire. The Old Testament Law called for men to be the leaders. God was pleased to use women to lead at strategic times—like Deborah in the book of Judges, or Esther in the book that bears her name. But this was not the basic structure that God had called for.
And so we find these sobering words in vv. 13-15 [READ vv. 13-15].
Judah’s leaders had used the people, abused them, and had ultimately led them down a sinful path. We see just how thoroughly the corruption of sin had spread when we see the exhibition of evil in the women of the nation.
2. The exhibition of evil seen in the women (3:16-4:1)
Let’s read vv. 16-17 [READ vv. 16-17]. The picture of the women in v. 16 is a picture of women who are all decked out in accessories to put themselves on display. In their pride, they are thinking only of themselves and are trying to draw attention to themselves.
Now, the Lord is not singling out the women here in order to degrade women. In fact, I think the reality is just the opposite. In any nation or society, the women are generally the last holdouts for morality; they are generally the last ones to embrace ungodliness. I think this is because of the maternal instinct. The maternal instinct works against temptations like selfishness and pride. It draws a woman toward family life, which supports and reinforces morality. So women normally remain on the moral high ground far longer than anyone else; thus, I believe that in this passage the Lord is saying that even the women—the last line of defense for morality—even they have embraced sinful ways.
John Adams, our nation’s second president, once wrote, “From all that I had read of history of government, of human life, and manners, I have drawn this conclusion, that the manners of women are the most infallible barometer, to ascertain the degree of morality and virtue in a nation. All that I have since read and all the observation I have made in different nations have confirmed me in this opinion.”2 If this is true, then we see that the nation of Judah had fallen far indeed. So the Lord declares what He will do to the women in the next section [READ 3:18-4:1].
The nation of Judah was in need of a deep cleansing, and in the rest of chapter 4, we see that the Lord had just that in mind.
3. The erasing of evil through the Lord (4:2-6)
[READ v. 2]. Let’s make sure we understand what this verse is saying. It speaks of the branch of the Lord. A branch is something that grows out of the trunk of a tree and is one with it. It carries the life of the root and bears its fruit. When we get to chapter 11, it becomes very obvious that this phrase is referring to a person—a leader who will rule over the nation.
This verse also refers to this person as the “fruit of the land.” Since this phrase is parallel to “the branch of the Lord,” it seems to be talking about the same person, rather than serving as a literal reference to produce or vegetation. So this future leader is described as a branch of the Lord and a product of the land. This seems to tell us that this leader will have both a divine and human origin—which is exactly what we find in Jesus, who will ultimately fulfill this prophecy.
The rest of the chapter describes what the situation will be in Jerusalem [READ vv. 3-6]. Verses 5-6 describe symbols of the Lord’s presence with the people, which will be fulfilled when Jesus reigns in the city. He will provide comfort and protection for the people. So even though Judah had some dark days ahead in its immediate future, their ultimate destiny remained one of glory.
So this whole section from chapter 2 to chapter 4 ends just as it had begun—with a prophecy about a glorious day that is coming for Jerusalem and for the entire world during the kingdom of the Messiah. Until then, we must remember that God takes note of those who obey Him. Let’s quickly review the lessons that we should take with us today.
First, God has ordained appropriate structures of authority in our world to be a blessing for us, not a curse. God has established human government to provide a restraint against lawlessness and anarchy. If human government becomes a curse, the problem is not in the fact that there is a government—the problem is with the people who occupy those government positions.
God has also called young people to submit to the authorities in their lives, most notably their parents. Youthful rebellion in the Bible is always portrayed as a dangerous, foolish, and sinful way of life. Young people, it is God’s desire for you to submit to your parents, and it is honestly in your best interest as well.
Second, God takes note of those who obey Him, even in the midst of an ungodly society. Even if everyone around forsakes the Lord, your obedience does not go unnoticed. The Lord is able to give you a fitting reward for your obedience even as He deals with the wickedness around you.
Third, we should also remember the important role that women play in our society. In general, women are a moral preservative among us, and in many cases we need to follow their moral example. We should also see to it that we protect feminine virtues and a biblical picture of womanhood, so that our moral foundation will retain its last remaining pillar of strength.
Notes:
1. James Madison, The Federalist Papers, no. 51.
2. From Dr. James Dobson, Bringing Up Girls (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2010), 37.
Monday, January 9, 2012
He Who Laughs Last--Isaiah 2:1-21
Everyone likes to be on the side of a winner. When our favorite sports teams win, we can gain some bragging rights over our friends who might cheer for other teams, and we can spend the rest of our lives re-living “the glory days,” when our team had a great run of success.
In politics, everyone wants the candidate that they voted for to win because its much more likely that you will see laws enacted that you agree with. If you are a close friend or strong supporter of a winning candidate, there could be personal benefits for you as well, such as an appointment to a job or special access to the White House or the Governor’s Mansion.
In times of war, people must choose very carefully which side they will join. Their choice very well could mean the difference between life and death. No one wants to end up on the losing side of a war and find themselves at the mercy of the victors.
When it comes to the grand sweep of human history, the Bible tells us that God will win in the end. He will emerge victorious over all His enemies and will usher in a kingdom of peace and righteousness in this world before doing away with this world to create a new heaven and new earth.
In our present time, God sometimes allows His enemies to have power and success for reasons that I doubt we fully understand. Sometimes God allows an Adolf Hitler or a Joseph Stalin to come to power, but there is coming a day when God alone will be exalted, and the beauty of His ways will be in full bloom throughout the world.
The Bible contains many prophecies about the future, and it always gives us this information so that we will change the way that we are living today. God has not told us about the future just to satisfy our curiosity—He has told us these things so that we can be prepared for them. During our days in school, our teachers give us advance warning about tests so that we can be prepared for them; that is the same reason that God tells us about the future.
In Isaiah 2, we encounter some thrilling and terrifying prophecies about the future. The Lord’s intent was to call His people to repent of their sins in light of the coming days. So in this chapter we see:
We should trust God and walk in His ways because He alone will be exalted in the last days.
1. The days of God’s exaltation (2:1-5)
In Isaiah 2, we are immediately greeted by a thrilling prophecy about the days of God’s exaltation in this world. Let’s read vv. 1-4 [READ vv. 1-4]. Now a passage like this forces us to decide what we believe about the Bible, because this passage is clearly offered to us as a prediction about the future. So each one of us must decide—do I believe that this book is simply the product of humans, who cannot predict the future, or do I believe that these words were written by men under the direction of God, who decided to give us a glimpse of His plan for days yet to come? Which is it—is this book merely human, or does it bear the fingerprints of God?
I hope you agree with me that the Bible bears the fingerprints of God, and if that’s the case, we read here that there is an unparalleled time of peace and righteousness in store for our world. The centerpiece of this prophecy is that the Lord Himself will be reigning in Jerusalem. Since we have the New Testament to give us some more details, we know that this prophecy will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to the earth. He will usher in a time of peace when men from all nations will come to Him to learn the proper way of life.
Notice how thorough this peace will be—not only will people do away with the weapons of war, but people will no longer learn the art of war. There will no longer be any military academies; no longer will there be secretive camps that train people in the art of terrorism. The elusive goal of world peace that so many people have longed for will finally be realized—not through any genius of humanity, but through obedience to the ways of the Lord.
Notice, then, the appeal that Isaiah makes to the people of Judah in light of this prophecy [READ v. 5]. There is an echo here of v. 3, when the people of the nations say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…that we may walk in his paths.” So in v. 5, Isaiah is kind of using this prophecy to egg his people on towards obedience to God’s commands. It’s like he’s saying, “Look—here’s how its going to be someday. People are going to come from all over the world to seek our God and to learn from him, and then they’ll go back and destroy their weapons and there will be peace and it will be great! But just think—we can do that now! We have God’s Word right now, and we can live it out and experience some of that peace.”
You know, friends, we find ourselves in a very similar situation. We have God’s Word right here in the Bible, and we can read it and learn about how God wants us to live. We may not have this worldwide peace that will exist during Jesus’ kingdom on earth, but we can have greater peace in our homes if we will walk in God’s ways. We can maintain peace in our church, and we can be a force for peace in our community.
So we can have an appetizer of this glorious future in our lives today if we will obey the Lord. But as we see in the next few verses, Isaiah was looking not only at the future, but also at the sad, present-day reality for his people. We can simply call that time…
2. The days of Judah’s unfaithfulness (2:6-9)
The people of Isaiah’s time needed to repent not just in light of the future, but in light of their present situation as well. In vv. 6-8, Isaiah laments over three examples of misplaced trust that had caused the Lord to bring severe discipline on His people.
a. The people were looking to foreign nations for insight
Let’s read v. 6 [READ v. 6]. Now in light of what we just read in vv. 1-5, there is a lot of irony in this verse. Isaiah had just spoken of a day in which the nations would look to Jerusalem for insight, but at that time the people were sinfully looking to other nations for insight. They were adopting the pagan practices of other nations—like fortune-telling—perhaps in an effort to understand why they were facing such adversity. They had the answers from their own prophets if they would just listen to them, but instead, the people were turning to other sources in an effort to find understanding.
b. The people were amassing money and military might
We can easily become tempted to place our ultimate hope in these two things, and the people of Judah had apparently walked right into this trap. Look at v. 7 [READ v. 7]. Now in Deuteronomy 17, God had specifically stated that the kings of Israel were not supposed to acquire excessive silver and gold or an excessive number of horses. Both of those objects would be a tempting place for the kings and their people to place their ultimate trust, which would lead them away from trusting God.
During most of Isaiah’s ministry, the people of Judah were living under constant threat of attack and invasion from other nations. Apparently, they thought they could either finance their way out of danger, or just fight their way out of it. As Isaiah says, they were filling their land with these things rather than filling their hearts with the word of the Lord.
c. The people were worshipping worthless idols
Look at v. 8 [READ v. 8]. There is an interesting word play involving this Hebrew word for “idols.” The common Hebrew word for God is elohim, and the word used here for “idols” is elilim, which literally means “worthless things.” So the people had turned from elohim to worship elilim; they had forsaken the living God to embrace worthless idols that they had made themselves!
So Isaiah summarizes the situation in v. 9 when he says, “So man is humbled, and each one is brought low.” The idea is that the people had lowered themselves to such depths; they had plunged themselves into the chasm of rebellion. So Isaiah says, “do not forgive them.” That Hebrew phrase could be literally translated, “do not lift them up.” Basically, Isaiah is saying, “Lord, if they want to wallow in the depths of sin, don’t pick them up! Let them get a full taste of their foolishness.”
The people were indeed being foolish, and it was imperative that they repent and place their full trust in God, not just in light of their present situation, but also in light of the day of God’s judgment that is described in the rest of the chapter.
3. The day of God’s judgment (2:10-21)
Let’s read through v. 21 to get the full effect of this passage, and I’ll only pause to make some brief comments [READ vv. 10-21]. The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded in Revelation 6—why don’t you turn there with me if you would? In this chapter, the apostle John is describing a vision that he was given of the future where he sees the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven opening a scroll which had been sealed with seven seals. As the Lord opens each seal, God’s wrath is progressively poured out upon the world through various judgments. Here is what we read in vv. 12-17 [READ vv. 12-17].
Friends, I would be guilty of ministry malpractice if I did not sound the warning as Isaiah did and tell you that there is coming a day when everything in which men place their pride will be counted as nothing in light of the terrible wrath of God and the glorious display of his majesty. In light of this coming day, we should walk in the Lord’s ways and keep ourselves from placing our pride in the things of men. Let’s review the criticisms that Isaiah had for his people and apply them to our own lives.
First, he had criticized them for seeking insight and guidance through pagan practices. We read in v. 6 that the land was filled with fortune-tellers. When we think of such things today, we probably think of Tarot cards, psychics, and horoscopes. I certainly hope that none of us pay any attention to such things, but we must also be on guard for the far more subtle ways that the so-called “insights” of men can influence our thinking, such as through books, movies, magazines, music, advertising, and the Internet.
Let me ask you a question, friends—how do you know your opinions are truly biblical? The only way to ensure that they are is to saturate our minds with the Word. If we are not regularly reading the Bible day in and day out, then it is very likely many of our opinions are simply unbiblical. With the flood of false ideas that Satan pours out at us, a mere trickle of God’s Word in our lives will not do. We must ensure that we are looking to God’s Word for insight into our lives, not filling our minds with the so-called “wisdom” of humanity.
Second, Isaiah had challenged his people for heaping up money and military strength as walls of security. In modern America we have both, so we could be tempted to place our hopes for security in these things as well. Now unless we have a loved one in the military, you and I probably don’t spend much time thinking about our armed forces. I’m sure that’s at least partially due to the fact that we’ve been able to take our military strength for granted for so long. But the path of history is littered with extinct and long-forgotten empires who were once the military powerhouses of their day. We in America must simply make sure that we take refuge in God rather than guns. To paraphrase a quote from Abraham Lincoln, our concern should not be whether God is on our side, but whether we are on His side.
For most of us, money presents a much stronger temptation as a place to put our greatest trust. Though our military might may not come to mind very often, our money probably crosses our minds several times a day. It can be so very tempting to think that if we can just get our hands on enough money, then we will always have the security in life that we need. And why shouldn’t we as Americans think this way? After all, our bank accounts are insured by the federal government, and we all know how financially stable the federal government is! So we have nothing to worry about—our money will always be here for us, right? Yeah right!
Finally, Isaiah criticized his people for worshipping idols. We may think that we couldn’t possibly be guilty of idolatry because I’m sure that none of us have ever bowed down to a little statuette of an animal or a human. But remember—acts of worship can take many different forms. To worship something means to assign it a high value or worth, and we can do that through the amount of time we devote to something or by looking to something for the blessings that only God can provide. We may not have statues that we’ve carved with our hands, but our hearts may be a gallery of objects that we’ve placed ahead of the Lord.
A day is coming in which God will humble everything in which we may be tempted to place our ultimate trust. So when the story of this world is all said and done, don’t you want your heart to be on the side of the winner?
In politics, everyone wants the candidate that they voted for to win because its much more likely that you will see laws enacted that you agree with. If you are a close friend or strong supporter of a winning candidate, there could be personal benefits for you as well, such as an appointment to a job or special access to the White House or the Governor’s Mansion.
In times of war, people must choose very carefully which side they will join. Their choice very well could mean the difference between life and death. No one wants to end up on the losing side of a war and find themselves at the mercy of the victors.
When it comes to the grand sweep of human history, the Bible tells us that God will win in the end. He will emerge victorious over all His enemies and will usher in a kingdom of peace and righteousness in this world before doing away with this world to create a new heaven and new earth.
In our present time, God sometimes allows His enemies to have power and success for reasons that I doubt we fully understand. Sometimes God allows an Adolf Hitler or a Joseph Stalin to come to power, but there is coming a day when God alone will be exalted, and the beauty of His ways will be in full bloom throughout the world.
The Bible contains many prophecies about the future, and it always gives us this information so that we will change the way that we are living today. God has not told us about the future just to satisfy our curiosity—He has told us these things so that we can be prepared for them. During our days in school, our teachers give us advance warning about tests so that we can be prepared for them; that is the same reason that God tells us about the future.
In Isaiah 2, we encounter some thrilling and terrifying prophecies about the future. The Lord’s intent was to call His people to repent of their sins in light of the coming days. So in this chapter we see:
We should trust God and walk in His ways because He alone will be exalted in the last days.
1. The days of God’s exaltation (2:1-5)
In Isaiah 2, we are immediately greeted by a thrilling prophecy about the days of God’s exaltation in this world. Let’s read vv. 1-4 [READ vv. 1-4]. Now a passage like this forces us to decide what we believe about the Bible, because this passage is clearly offered to us as a prediction about the future. So each one of us must decide—do I believe that this book is simply the product of humans, who cannot predict the future, or do I believe that these words were written by men under the direction of God, who decided to give us a glimpse of His plan for days yet to come? Which is it—is this book merely human, or does it bear the fingerprints of God?
I hope you agree with me that the Bible bears the fingerprints of God, and if that’s the case, we read here that there is an unparalleled time of peace and righteousness in store for our world. The centerpiece of this prophecy is that the Lord Himself will be reigning in Jerusalem. Since we have the New Testament to give us some more details, we know that this prophecy will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to the earth. He will usher in a time of peace when men from all nations will come to Him to learn the proper way of life.
Notice how thorough this peace will be—not only will people do away with the weapons of war, but people will no longer learn the art of war. There will no longer be any military academies; no longer will there be secretive camps that train people in the art of terrorism. The elusive goal of world peace that so many people have longed for will finally be realized—not through any genius of humanity, but through obedience to the ways of the Lord.
Notice, then, the appeal that Isaiah makes to the people of Judah in light of this prophecy [READ v. 5]. There is an echo here of v. 3, when the people of the nations say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…that we may walk in his paths.” So in v. 5, Isaiah is kind of using this prophecy to egg his people on towards obedience to God’s commands. It’s like he’s saying, “Look—here’s how its going to be someday. People are going to come from all over the world to seek our God and to learn from him, and then they’ll go back and destroy their weapons and there will be peace and it will be great! But just think—we can do that now! We have God’s Word right now, and we can live it out and experience some of that peace.”
You know, friends, we find ourselves in a very similar situation. We have God’s Word right here in the Bible, and we can read it and learn about how God wants us to live. We may not have this worldwide peace that will exist during Jesus’ kingdom on earth, but we can have greater peace in our homes if we will walk in God’s ways. We can maintain peace in our church, and we can be a force for peace in our community.
So we can have an appetizer of this glorious future in our lives today if we will obey the Lord. But as we see in the next few verses, Isaiah was looking not only at the future, but also at the sad, present-day reality for his people. We can simply call that time…
2. The days of Judah’s unfaithfulness (2:6-9)
The people of Isaiah’s time needed to repent not just in light of the future, but in light of their present situation as well. In vv. 6-8, Isaiah laments over three examples of misplaced trust that had caused the Lord to bring severe discipline on His people.
a. The people were looking to foreign nations for insight
Let’s read v. 6 [READ v. 6]. Now in light of what we just read in vv. 1-5, there is a lot of irony in this verse. Isaiah had just spoken of a day in which the nations would look to Jerusalem for insight, but at that time the people were sinfully looking to other nations for insight. They were adopting the pagan practices of other nations—like fortune-telling—perhaps in an effort to understand why they were facing such adversity. They had the answers from their own prophets if they would just listen to them, but instead, the people were turning to other sources in an effort to find understanding.
b. The people were amassing money and military might
We can easily become tempted to place our ultimate hope in these two things, and the people of Judah had apparently walked right into this trap. Look at v. 7 [READ v. 7]. Now in Deuteronomy 17, God had specifically stated that the kings of Israel were not supposed to acquire excessive silver and gold or an excessive number of horses. Both of those objects would be a tempting place for the kings and their people to place their ultimate trust, which would lead them away from trusting God.
During most of Isaiah’s ministry, the people of Judah were living under constant threat of attack and invasion from other nations. Apparently, they thought they could either finance their way out of danger, or just fight their way out of it. As Isaiah says, they were filling their land with these things rather than filling their hearts with the word of the Lord.
c. The people were worshipping worthless idols
Look at v. 8 [READ v. 8]. There is an interesting word play involving this Hebrew word for “idols.” The common Hebrew word for God is elohim, and the word used here for “idols” is elilim, which literally means “worthless things.” So the people had turned from elohim to worship elilim; they had forsaken the living God to embrace worthless idols that they had made themselves!
So Isaiah summarizes the situation in v. 9 when he says, “So man is humbled, and each one is brought low.” The idea is that the people had lowered themselves to such depths; they had plunged themselves into the chasm of rebellion. So Isaiah says, “do not forgive them.” That Hebrew phrase could be literally translated, “do not lift them up.” Basically, Isaiah is saying, “Lord, if they want to wallow in the depths of sin, don’t pick them up! Let them get a full taste of their foolishness.”
The people were indeed being foolish, and it was imperative that they repent and place their full trust in God, not just in light of their present situation, but also in light of the day of God’s judgment that is described in the rest of the chapter.
3. The day of God’s judgment (2:10-21)
Let’s read through v. 21 to get the full effect of this passage, and I’ll only pause to make some brief comments [READ vv. 10-21]. The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded in Revelation 6—why don’t you turn there with me if you would? In this chapter, the apostle John is describing a vision that he was given of the future where he sees the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven opening a scroll which had been sealed with seven seals. As the Lord opens each seal, God’s wrath is progressively poured out upon the world through various judgments. Here is what we read in vv. 12-17 [READ vv. 12-17].
Friends, I would be guilty of ministry malpractice if I did not sound the warning as Isaiah did and tell you that there is coming a day when everything in which men place their pride will be counted as nothing in light of the terrible wrath of God and the glorious display of his majesty. In light of this coming day, we should walk in the Lord’s ways and keep ourselves from placing our pride in the things of men. Let’s review the criticisms that Isaiah had for his people and apply them to our own lives.
First, he had criticized them for seeking insight and guidance through pagan practices. We read in v. 6 that the land was filled with fortune-tellers. When we think of such things today, we probably think of Tarot cards, psychics, and horoscopes. I certainly hope that none of us pay any attention to such things, but we must also be on guard for the far more subtle ways that the so-called “insights” of men can influence our thinking, such as through books, movies, magazines, music, advertising, and the Internet.
Let me ask you a question, friends—how do you know your opinions are truly biblical? The only way to ensure that they are is to saturate our minds with the Word. If we are not regularly reading the Bible day in and day out, then it is very likely many of our opinions are simply unbiblical. With the flood of false ideas that Satan pours out at us, a mere trickle of God’s Word in our lives will not do. We must ensure that we are looking to God’s Word for insight into our lives, not filling our minds with the so-called “wisdom” of humanity.
Second, Isaiah had challenged his people for heaping up money and military strength as walls of security. In modern America we have both, so we could be tempted to place our hopes for security in these things as well. Now unless we have a loved one in the military, you and I probably don’t spend much time thinking about our armed forces. I’m sure that’s at least partially due to the fact that we’ve been able to take our military strength for granted for so long. But the path of history is littered with extinct and long-forgotten empires who were once the military powerhouses of their day. We in America must simply make sure that we take refuge in God rather than guns. To paraphrase a quote from Abraham Lincoln, our concern should not be whether God is on our side, but whether we are on His side.
For most of us, money presents a much stronger temptation as a place to put our greatest trust. Though our military might may not come to mind very often, our money probably crosses our minds several times a day. It can be so very tempting to think that if we can just get our hands on enough money, then we will always have the security in life that we need. And why shouldn’t we as Americans think this way? After all, our bank accounts are insured by the federal government, and we all know how financially stable the federal government is! So we have nothing to worry about—our money will always be here for us, right? Yeah right!
Finally, Isaiah criticized his people for worshipping idols. We may think that we couldn’t possibly be guilty of idolatry because I’m sure that none of us have ever bowed down to a little statuette of an animal or a human. But remember—acts of worship can take many different forms. To worship something means to assign it a high value or worth, and we can do that through the amount of time we devote to something or by looking to something for the blessings that only God can provide. We may not have statues that we’ve carved with our hands, but our hearts may be a gallery of objects that we’ve placed ahead of the Lord.
A day is coming in which God will humble everything in which we may be tempted to place our ultimate trust. So when the story of this world is all said and done, don’t you want your heart to be on the side of the winner?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Obedience is the Very Best Way--Isaiah Series
When can a good thing become a bad thing? I suspect most of us discovered one answer to this question when we stepped on the scale for the first time after Christmas. Somehow, all of those “goodies” that we ate became bad news! It reminds us of the saying, “Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.”
But how about in our relationship with God? When can a good thing become a bad thing, particularly in the way that we worship God? There are many good things that we can do to worship God, and we’ve done several of them already this morning. But when could these good things become bad?
There’s a song for children which simply reminds us that “obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.” Obedience to His commands is what God truly wants from us. He simply wants us to respond to His commands in faith and do what He says. As the song said, this is the very best path that we can take.
So in our relationship with God, when can a good thing become a bad thing? A good thing becomes a bad thing when it’s a substitute for the best thing. In the context of what I’ve mentioned so far, we could say that acts of worship become pointless and deceiving when they are substitutes for obedience.
Would you turn with me to Isaiah 1? We are going to begin a series in the book of Isaiah this morning that will take us all the way through this majestic portion of Scripture. This series will definitely be a marathon rather than a sprint, but don’t worry—we will take some breaks along the way to catch our breath and make sure we remain refreshed to finish the race. I think we will find that looking at Isaiah is a bit like gazing at a majestic waterfall. There will be moments that take our breath away as we look at prophecies about the Lord Jesus that were made seven centuries before His birth, and there will be moments of nearly unsettling awe as we consider the sheer force and power of the holiness of God confronting a wayward people through the words of the prophet.
In chapters 1-5, we receive a sort of summary of the entire book which introduces us to the distinct contours of Isaiah’s message throughout his ministry. As we jump into the flow of history in chapter one, we find Isaiah living during a time in which the people of Israel, who were supposed to be “one nation under God,” had been divided into two nations because of the sinfulness of Israel’s kings. And so, there was one nation in the northern part of the Promised Land that was called the nation of Israel, and at this time this nation was being conquered and resettled by the Assyrian Empire because of their sinfulness.
The second nation was in the southern part of the Promised Land and it was known as the nation of Judah. Isaiah lived in the nation of Judah, and God sent him to warn the people of Judah that they, too, would be conquered if they did not repent of their sins. Let’s see what the Lord had to say through His prophet.
1. The problem—The people have rebelled against the Lord (1:1-4)
Let’s read vv. 1-3 [READ vv. 1-3]. This is quite an indictment that the Lord gives here. Even animals know the hand that feeds them. If you feed a stray cat just once, it will come around again looking for food. But the Lord says that Israel had forgotten just who it is that provides for them and takes care of them.
Let’s continue with v. 4 [READ v. 4]. Now it may sound like the people had completely stopped worshipping the Lord, but the reality was far worse in some ways. As we will see shortly, they were still going through the outward motions of worshipping God, but they had divorced their acts of worship from heart-felt obedience to God’s commands. So the people were living in a state of self-deception—their hearts were far, far away from God, but their hands thought they were still worshipping Him just like they always had.
2. The Lord’s response—He has disciplined the people through invaders (1:5-8)
Let’s look at vv. 5-6 [READ vv. 5-6]. Basically, God is saying, “I’ve beaten you from head to toe! Why do you keep rebelling?” Verses 7-8 describe what the Lord had allowed to happen [READ v. 7]. This verse probably refers to a time during the reign of King Ahaz when the northern nation of Israel actually attacked the southern nation of Judah in what basically amounted to a civil war of Jews versus Jews. 2 Kings 16 says that the king of Israel came all the way to Jerusalem, though he could not defeat it.
The status of Jerusalem is referred to in v. 8, where the city is called “the daughter of Zion.” Zion is the name of the plateau on which Jerusalem is built. [READ v. 8]. The “booth” and “lodge” refer to flimsy, temporary structures that the people would build if they were camping outside. So the mighty city that was the pride of Judah had been left like a flimsy tent by the attacks of invaders.
3. The Lord’s mercy—He has not wiped them out completely (1:9)
Let’s read v. 9 [READ v. 9]. Sodom and Gomorrah were completely wiped off the map in the book of Genesis because of their wickedness, and Isaiah states that Judah would have been just like them if the Lord had not shown them mercy.
We will read more about the Lord’s mercy in just a moment through an offer of forgiveness, but first, look how the people respond to their discipline.
4. The attempted remedy—The people multiply their sacrifices (1:10-15)
Verses 10-15 describe the people’s attempt to do what they thought God desired [READ vv. 10-15]. Verse 13 captures the heart of the problem succinctly when God says, “I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.” The people were being very faithful to go through the motions of the sacrifices and feasts that were commanded in the Law of Moses, but their lives were overflowing with unrepentant sin.
In our day and age, we would say that they were faithfully attending church every week; they were singing the hymns at the top of their lungs; they were placing money in the offering plate; perhaps they were even teaching a Sunday School class. But their lives revealed a lack of devotion to God that manifested itself through the way that they lived.
So, to borrow a cliché, these people would talk the talk but they wouldn’t walk the walk when it came to following God’s commands for their daily behavior. This trap is one that is so easy to fall into, and we must examine our own lives to make sure that we haven’t become ensnared in it. When God considers your behavior, you can’t drown out hatred with hymns, or pride with prayer. You can’t cover up sexual sin with service, and you can’t pay off thievery with a tithe.
God deserves our worship and He desires it, but He desires pure worship that flows from a heart that is ready to do His will. This was the challenge that He issued to the people when He spoke of the true remedy.
5. The true remedy—Repentance and forgiveness (1:16-20)
Here is God’s challenge to the people [READ vv. 16-17]. God was challenging the people to repent, which means to change your perspective about what you’re doing. They needed to realize the futility—and above all, the sinfulness—of how they were living and then forsake that lifestyle for one that mirrored the values and the commands of God. Notice that God focused specifically on the way that they were treating each other, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable members of their society.
Here was the true remedy to the discipline that they had endured—bringing their lives into conformity with God’s commands. And in response to their repentance, God promised forgiveness [READ v. 18]. I’m always nervous when I eat spaghetti with a white shirt on, because I almost always seem to splash little drops of that red marinara sauce on my shirt, and red stains are the most difficult to get out of anything. But God says that when it comes to your sins, though they are like a red stain upon you, He will make you as white as snow! I don’t care what you have done—the cleansing power of God’s grace can wash your sins away. Whatever sin you may have that you think is beyond forgiveness—you can leave it behind today if you will only repent.
What a gracious and merciful offer from God! Though the people had forsaken Him—though we have forsaken Him—still He offers forgiveness. But God reminded the people in vv. 19-20 that their response to His offer had two very different outcomes riding on it [READ vv. 19-20]. This is a stern warning, but God wasn’t telling the people of Judah anything that He hadn’t already told them. In Deuteronomy 28, God had told the people very clearly that they would receive blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience, and God was simply highlighting the same message.
Now in the rest of the chapter, we get a sense of how the moral life of the nation had gotten so bad.
6. The source of the problem—Ungodly leadership (1:21-23)
Let’s read vv. 21-23 [READ vv. 21-23]. Now the people of Judah were certainly responsible for their own choices, but we see from these verses that in their disobedience, they were simply following the example of their leaders. This is very clear when we read about King Ahaz in particular in 2 Kings 16.
Now in Judah at that time, kings and their representatives were not supposed to be religiously neutral figures the way that some people think our political leaders are supposed to be today. They were supposed to give both political and moral or spiritual leadership to the people. But the problems that the kings and princes of Judah introduced remind us of how important it is to assess the influence of our leaders by the standards of God’s Word.
In our country today, we have the tremendous privilege and unique opportunity to select who our political leaders will be. A passage like this reminds us of how important it is to choose political leaders who will embody and emulate a godly character. As children of God, this should be our primary concern—not simply who the most polished debater happens to be. And we certainly should not give first place to a pragmatic standard like electability! No one has electability unless God wills it, so our concern should be to support a candidate who embodies godly character.
We must also be discerning about those from whom we would accept spiritual leadership. There once was a day in which people received spiritual leadership almost exclusively from the elders of their local church, but today, you can listen to one preacher while you get ready for church on Sunday, listen to another one on the way to church, listen to the sermon in your church service, and then listen to another preacher on the way home. Virtually anyone can get on the airwaves if they simply have enough money to pay for the airtime—even a proven false prophet who makes incorrect predictions about the end of the world!
We must use the word of God to test those who would seek to give us spiritual leadership. Leaders in both the political realm and the spiritual realm have such tremendous influence, so if we’re going to play “follow the leader,” we better make sure there’s a godly person at the head of the line!
7. The Lord’s remedy—Purity through purging (1:24-31)
In the remainder of the chapter, God declares that He will not allow these leaders to retain their positions forever [READ vv. 24-26]. The “beginning” that God refers to is probably a reference to when Jerusalem was founded as the capital city by King David. David was a tremendous example of godliness at that point, so Jerusalem was established in a time of godliness and righteousness. Let’s read God’s final warning in vv. 27-31 [READ vv. 27-31].
It has been said that human beings have an endless capacity for self-justification. That phrase simply means that we can convince ourselves that no one has any reason to find fault with us. I think this can be particularly true for Christians, because we can do so many things that just look so good! We can go on forever telling ourselves that all is well in our lives because we go to church, give a tithe, and stand up and sit down at the right times.
But remember—a good thing becomes a bad thing when it’s a substitute for the best thing. The best thing we can do in our relationship with God is simply obey His commands. That involves coming to church and praying and singing songs of praise, but it goes so far beyond those things to touch every moment of our lives and every decision that we make. Let’s make sure we haven’t wandered from the best thing into a bad thing!
But how about in our relationship with God? When can a good thing become a bad thing, particularly in the way that we worship God? There are many good things that we can do to worship God, and we’ve done several of them already this morning. But when could these good things become bad?
There’s a song for children which simply reminds us that “obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.” Obedience to His commands is what God truly wants from us. He simply wants us to respond to His commands in faith and do what He says. As the song said, this is the very best path that we can take.
So in our relationship with God, when can a good thing become a bad thing? A good thing becomes a bad thing when it’s a substitute for the best thing. In the context of what I’ve mentioned so far, we could say that acts of worship become pointless and deceiving when they are substitutes for obedience.
Would you turn with me to Isaiah 1? We are going to begin a series in the book of Isaiah this morning that will take us all the way through this majestic portion of Scripture. This series will definitely be a marathon rather than a sprint, but don’t worry—we will take some breaks along the way to catch our breath and make sure we remain refreshed to finish the race. I think we will find that looking at Isaiah is a bit like gazing at a majestic waterfall. There will be moments that take our breath away as we look at prophecies about the Lord Jesus that were made seven centuries before His birth, and there will be moments of nearly unsettling awe as we consider the sheer force and power of the holiness of God confronting a wayward people through the words of the prophet.
In chapters 1-5, we receive a sort of summary of the entire book which introduces us to the distinct contours of Isaiah’s message throughout his ministry. As we jump into the flow of history in chapter one, we find Isaiah living during a time in which the people of Israel, who were supposed to be “one nation under God,” had been divided into two nations because of the sinfulness of Israel’s kings. And so, there was one nation in the northern part of the Promised Land that was called the nation of Israel, and at this time this nation was being conquered and resettled by the Assyrian Empire because of their sinfulness.
The second nation was in the southern part of the Promised Land and it was known as the nation of Judah. Isaiah lived in the nation of Judah, and God sent him to warn the people of Judah that they, too, would be conquered if they did not repent of their sins. Let’s see what the Lord had to say through His prophet.
1. The problem—The people have rebelled against the Lord (1:1-4)
Let’s read vv. 1-3 [READ vv. 1-3]. This is quite an indictment that the Lord gives here. Even animals know the hand that feeds them. If you feed a stray cat just once, it will come around again looking for food. But the Lord says that Israel had forgotten just who it is that provides for them and takes care of them.
Let’s continue with v. 4 [READ v. 4]. Now it may sound like the people had completely stopped worshipping the Lord, but the reality was far worse in some ways. As we will see shortly, they were still going through the outward motions of worshipping God, but they had divorced their acts of worship from heart-felt obedience to God’s commands. So the people were living in a state of self-deception—their hearts were far, far away from God, but their hands thought they were still worshipping Him just like they always had.
2. The Lord’s response—He has disciplined the people through invaders (1:5-8)
Let’s look at vv. 5-6 [READ vv. 5-6]. Basically, God is saying, “I’ve beaten you from head to toe! Why do you keep rebelling?” Verses 7-8 describe what the Lord had allowed to happen [READ v. 7]. This verse probably refers to a time during the reign of King Ahaz when the northern nation of Israel actually attacked the southern nation of Judah in what basically amounted to a civil war of Jews versus Jews. 2 Kings 16 says that the king of Israel came all the way to Jerusalem, though he could not defeat it.
The status of Jerusalem is referred to in v. 8, where the city is called “the daughter of Zion.” Zion is the name of the plateau on which Jerusalem is built. [READ v. 8]. The “booth” and “lodge” refer to flimsy, temporary structures that the people would build if they were camping outside. So the mighty city that was the pride of Judah had been left like a flimsy tent by the attacks of invaders.
3. The Lord’s mercy—He has not wiped them out completely (1:9)
Let’s read v. 9 [READ v. 9]. Sodom and Gomorrah were completely wiped off the map in the book of Genesis because of their wickedness, and Isaiah states that Judah would have been just like them if the Lord had not shown them mercy.
We will read more about the Lord’s mercy in just a moment through an offer of forgiveness, but first, look how the people respond to their discipline.
4. The attempted remedy—The people multiply their sacrifices (1:10-15)
Verses 10-15 describe the people’s attempt to do what they thought God desired [READ vv. 10-15]. Verse 13 captures the heart of the problem succinctly when God says, “I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.” The people were being very faithful to go through the motions of the sacrifices and feasts that were commanded in the Law of Moses, but their lives were overflowing with unrepentant sin.
In our day and age, we would say that they were faithfully attending church every week; they were singing the hymns at the top of their lungs; they were placing money in the offering plate; perhaps they were even teaching a Sunday School class. But their lives revealed a lack of devotion to God that manifested itself through the way that they lived.
So, to borrow a cliché, these people would talk the talk but they wouldn’t walk the walk when it came to following God’s commands for their daily behavior. This trap is one that is so easy to fall into, and we must examine our own lives to make sure that we haven’t become ensnared in it. When God considers your behavior, you can’t drown out hatred with hymns, or pride with prayer. You can’t cover up sexual sin with service, and you can’t pay off thievery with a tithe.
God deserves our worship and He desires it, but He desires pure worship that flows from a heart that is ready to do His will. This was the challenge that He issued to the people when He spoke of the true remedy.
5. The true remedy—Repentance and forgiveness (1:16-20)
Here is God’s challenge to the people [READ vv. 16-17]. God was challenging the people to repent, which means to change your perspective about what you’re doing. They needed to realize the futility—and above all, the sinfulness—of how they were living and then forsake that lifestyle for one that mirrored the values and the commands of God. Notice that God focused specifically on the way that they were treating each other, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable members of their society.
Here was the true remedy to the discipline that they had endured—bringing their lives into conformity with God’s commands. And in response to their repentance, God promised forgiveness [READ v. 18]. I’m always nervous when I eat spaghetti with a white shirt on, because I almost always seem to splash little drops of that red marinara sauce on my shirt, and red stains are the most difficult to get out of anything. But God says that when it comes to your sins, though they are like a red stain upon you, He will make you as white as snow! I don’t care what you have done—the cleansing power of God’s grace can wash your sins away. Whatever sin you may have that you think is beyond forgiveness—you can leave it behind today if you will only repent.
What a gracious and merciful offer from God! Though the people had forsaken Him—though we have forsaken Him—still He offers forgiveness. But God reminded the people in vv. 19-20 that their response to His offer had two very different outcomes riding on it [READ vv. 19-20]. This is a stern warning, but God wasn’t telling the people of Judah anything that He hadn’t already told them. In Deuteronomy 28, God had told the people very clearly that they would receive blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience, and God was simply highlighting the same message.
Now in the rest of the chapter, we get a sense of how the moral life of the nation had gotten so bad.
6. The source of the problem—Ungodly leadership (1:21-23)
Let’s read vv. 21-23 [READ vv. 21-23]. Now the people of Judah were certainly responsible for their own choices, but we see from these verses that in their disobedience, they were simply following the example of their leaders. This is very clear when we read about King Ahaz in particular in 2 Kings 16.
Now in Judah at that time, kings and their representatives were not supposed to be religiously neutral figures the way that some people think our political leaders are supposed to be today. They were supposed to give both political and moral or spiritual leadership to the people. But the problems that the kings and princes of Judah introduced remind us of how important it is to assess the influence of our leaders by the standards of God’s Word.
In our country today, we have the tremendous privilege and unique opportunity to select who our political leaders will be. A passage like this reminds us of how important it is to choose political leaders who will embody and emulate a godly character. As children of God, this should be our primary concern—not simply who the most polished debater happens to be. And we certainly should not give first place to a pragmatic standard like electability! No one has electability unless God wills it, so our concern should be to support a candidate who embodies godly character.
We must also be discerning about those from whom we would accept spiritual leadership. There once was a day in which people received spiritual leadership almost exclusively from the elders of their local church, but today, you can listen to one preacher while you get ready for church on Sunday, listen to another one on the way to church, listen to the sermon in your church service, and then listen to another preacher on the way home. Virtually anyone can get on the airwaves if they simply have enough money to pay for the airtime—even a proven false prophet who makes incorrect predictions about the end of the world!
We must use the word of God to test those who would seek to give us spiritual leadership. Leaders in both the political realm and the spiritual realm have such tremendous influence, so if we’re going to play “follow the leader,” we better make sure there’s a godly person at the head of the line!
7. The Lord’s remedy—Purity through purging (1:24-31)
In the remainder of the chapter, God declares that He will not allow these leaders to retain their positions forever [READ vv. 24-26]. The “beginning” that God refers to is probably a reference to when Jerusalem was founded as the capital city by King David. David was a tremendous example of godliness at that point, so Jerusalem was established in a time of godliness and righteousness. Let’s read God’s final warning in vv. 27-31 [READ vv. 27-31].
It has been said that human beings have an endless capacity for self-justification. That phrase simply means that we can convince ourselves that no one has any reason to find fault with us. I think this can be particularly true for Christians, because we can do so many things that just look so good! We can go on forever telling ourselves that all is well in our lives because we go to church, give a tithe, and stand up and sit down at the right times.
But remember—a good thing becomes a bad thing when it’s a substitute for the best thing. The best thing we can do in our relationship with God is simply obey His commands. That involves coming to church and praying and singing songs of praise, but it goes so far beyond those things to touch every moment of our lives and every decision that we make. Let’s make sure we haven’t wandered from the best thing into a bad thing!
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