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Scripture Reading: Isa. 1:1-4, 10-15, 21-23; 3:8-9, 14-16, 18-23; 5:1-4, 7-8, 11-12, 18-20, 22-23, 24
The first section of the book of Isaiah (chs. 1—12) covers the salvation of Jehovah to His beloved people and the nations. In this message we will consider Jehovah the Father's complaint against His children Israel, paying attention to Isaiah's account of what God said concerning them.
Isaiah 1:1 speaks of the vision which Isaiah saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Before the time of Isaiah's ministry, the children of Israel had been divided into two nations — the northern nation of Israel and the southern nation of Judah. At first, Isaiah does not give us an account of the failure of Israel but of Judah. The reason is that Judah bears more responsibility than Israel does. Therefore, God came to Isaiah with a vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In 1:2a Jehovah the Father called the heavens and the earth to hear His complaint against His children Israel. It was not an insignificant thing for Jehovah to do this.
Jehovah had brought up Israel and raised them; yet they rebelled against Him (1:2b). God did so many good things for them, but they still acted toward Him in the way of rebellion.
At this point, I would like to help you understand the difference between God's chastisement and His judgment. These two matters involve two classes of people — Israel and the Gentiles, the nations. Both are related to God because they were created by Him. Israel is God's elect, His chosen people, and the nations are those who were apparently given up by God. Actually, God has not given up the nations, for among them there are many who have been chosen by Him. In the Old Testament Israel was God's chosen people, but most of the chosen ones in the New Testament are from the Gentiles. Hence, although God gave up the nations temporarily, He would not do this for the long run, because He has chosen many from the Gentiles to be believers and to constitute the Body of Christ, which is much more crucial to God than Israel is.
Both Israel and the nations, the Gentiles, are dealt with by God, but in different ways. God's dealing with Israel, His beloved people, is always in love. For this reason, I consider this dealing not as judgment but as chastisement. God's dealing with Israel is like a father's dealing with his children to correct them, to improve them, and to bring them onto the right track. This is chastisement.
In the book of Isaiah, God's love toward Israel is exercised in a threefold way, as a Father (1:2-3; 63:16; 64:8), as a nursing Mother (66:13), and as a Husband (54:5). God was Israel's Father, Mother, and Husband. Since God dealt with His beloved Israel in a loving way, His dealing with them was not a matter of judgment but of chastisement.
God's dealing with the nations, however, is a matter of judgment. This judgment is not based on God's love; it is based on God's righteousness, on His justice.
When God comes to deal with people, He deals with them according to what He is. The Bible reveals that God is holy and righteous. He is the Holy One and the Righteous One. As the Holy One, He deals with His people, and as the Righteous One, He deals with the nations.
God deals with His elect in love that they may be holy. Because the children of Israel were called by God and separated unto God, they must be holy, as God is holy. God's chastisement of Israel was for holiness (Heb. 12:10). Since they had become common, worldly, and completely unlike God in His holy nature, He came in to chastise them. His chastisement of Israel was that they might learn the lessons of holiness and be holy.
God's dealing with the nations is different from His dealing with Israel. Whereas God chastises Israel according to His holiness, He judges the nations according to His righteousness. God judges the nations because they are not just and righteous. Therefore, based upon what God is in His righteousness, He comes in to judge the nations.
As we read the book of Isaiah, we need to keep in mind that God's dealing with people is in two aspects — the aspect of His holiness and the aspect of His righteousness. Holiness is God's requirement for His chosen people, and righteousness is God's requirement for the nations. God wants His people to be holy, and He wants the nations to be righteous. Based upon His holiness and righteousness, God deals respectively with these two classes of people. He chastises Israel in love for holiness, and He judges the nations for righteousness.
Having made this distinction between God's chastisement and His judgment, let us now go on to consider the details of Jehovah the Father's complaint against His children Israel.
According to Isaiah 1:3, Israel does not know Jehovah, not even as the ox knows his owner, and the donkey, his master's manger. If Israel does not know their Master as a person, they should at least know His manger as a place of eating. Even such an animal as a donkey knows this. Israel, however, had become a people who did not know God at all, and He complained about this.
In chapters one, three, and five, Isaiah speaks concerning Israel's iniquities and corruptions.
Israel was a sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity and not heavy with holiness. They were also the seed of evildoers and were children acting corruptly (1:4a).
They had forsaken Jehovah, having despised their Holy One (1:4b). They had been called to be holy, yet they despised the Holy One, who had called them to holiness. They also became estranged and went backward. This means that they left God.
Isaiah 1:10 speaks of "rulers of Sodom" and "people of Gomorrah." This indicates that their rulers were like those of Sodom and their people like those of Gomorrah.
Jehovah did not delight in their sacrifices and offerings, and their incense was an abomination to Him (1:11-13a). Because they rejected God to the uttermost, the incense they burned to Him was an abomination to Him. He would not accept their sacrifices and offerings and would not be pleased with their incense. Moreover, His soul hated their Sabbaths and feasts (vv. 13b-14a). Their way of observing these was an offense to Him, and He was weary of bearing them (v. 14b). The people had exhausted His forbearance. Thus, He would hide His eyes from them and would not hear their multiplied prayers. Furthermore, their hands were full of blood (v. 15).
In 1:21-23 we see that the city of Jerusalem had become a harlot. Justice and righteousness were absent, but she was full of murderers. Her silver had become dross, and her wine diluted with water. Her rulers were rebellious and were companions of thieves, all loving bribes and chasing after rewards, and not defending the orphan nor caring for the widow's plea. This reveals that Israel had become evil in every way.
Jerusalem stumbled and Judah fell because their speech and actions were against Jehovah, to rebel against the eyes of His glory. The countenance of their faces witnessed against them, and they declared their sin like Sodom, not hiding it (3:8-9).
The elders and rulers of Jehovah's people consumed the vineyard, and the spoil of the poor was in their houses. They crushed Jehovah's people and ground the faces of the poor (3:14-15).
The daughters of Zion, the young girls, were haughty, uplifting themselves. They walked around with outstretched necks and lusting eyes, adorning themselves with luxurious and costly items (3:16, 18-23). They had no thought of God but were interested only in indulging their lust.
Jehovah had made Israel a vineyard and had done everything that was needed for it. He looked for it to produce grapes, but it produced only wild grapes. He expected justice but beheld bloodshed. He expected righteousness but heard an outcry of distress. The distressed people cried out, and God heard them. Some of the people joined house to house and laid field to field, leaving no place for others and dwelling alone in the midst of the land (5:1-4, 7-8).
Some of the people of Israel rose early in the morning that they might run after liquor and lingered into the evening that wine might inflame them. They amused themselves with lyre, lute, tambourine, flute, and wine in their banquets, not considering what had been done by Jehovah nor regarding the work of His hands (5:11-12). We should consider ourselves in the light of this word. How do we behave ourselves in the morning and in the evening?
Some among the people of Israel drew iniquity with ropes of vanity and sin as with cart ropes (5:18). They went so far as to ridicule Jehovah by saying, "He should hurry up;/He should hasten His work,/So that we may see it;/And the counsel of the Holy One of Israel/Should draw near and happen,/So that we may know it!" (v. 19). These evil, insulting words indicate that these people did not have any fear of God. They did not even believe in God; they had become atheists.
Some of the people of Israel called good evil, and evil good (5:20). They made darkness light, and light darkness. They also made bitterness sweetness, and sweetness bitterness. They turned everything upside down.
Some of the people became heroes in drinking wine and men of valor in mixing liquor (5:22). They acquitted the criminal as a result of a bribe but refused righteousness to the righteous (5:23). They rejected the instruction of Jehovah of hosts and despised the speaking of the Holy One of Israel (5:24b). They had become a people who forgot God and gave Him up. They did not care for God's word; neither did they care for morality or ethics, calling good evil, and evil good. According to Isaiah's description, their situation was terrible.
We need to be quiet and consider our own situation, not only our situation before we were saved but also our situation today. Although we are seeking the Lord, sometimes certain evil things rise up in our daily life. This is why we need to watch and pray (Matt. 26:41). If we pray without being watchful, our prayer will not be pleasing to the Lord. When we are careless in our daily life and are wrong with the Lord, with others, and even with ourselves, our prayers are displeasing to the Lord.
In chapter six Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord in glory. Seraphim were calling out, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hosts" (v. 3a). This indicates that God's concern is for His holiness. He wants His called people to be holy even as He is holy. When Isaiah saw this vision, he realized that he was still sinful, that he had unclean lips and dwelt in the midst of a people of unclean lips (v. 5).
Isaiah's experience helps us to understand our situation today. No matter how much we have been sanctified, renewed, transformed, and even conformed to the glorious image of Christ, we must remember that we are still in the flesh and in the old creation, that we still have the sinful nature within us, and that we are still living on earth, which is unclean to the uttermost. Thus, daily we need to confess our sins, defects, failures, shortcomings, wrongdoings, and mistakes. Often we are wrong not only with God but also with others, including the saints and the members of our family. We may also be wrong with ourselves, for example by being angry in such a way that we damage our body, which is the Lord's holy temple. The more we are enlightened by the Lord, the more we will realize our situation, confess our sins, and ask the Lord to forgive us. If we want to have the real experience of Christ, we need to know our sinfulness.
In the Old Testament, whenever God's people wanted to offer something to the Lord, they were required to add to that offering a sin offering or a trespass offering. The principle is the same with us as believers today. If we offer a burnt offering or a peace offering to the Lord, we must also offer a sin offering and a trespass offering as an indication that we remember that we are still sinful. As long as we are still living on earth in the old creation, we need to realize that we are sinful and confess our sins. If we do this, God will have a way to favor us and to grace us. Otherwise, He will complain concerning us as He did concerning Israel at Isaiah's time.
