Isaiah 1-2
-Devotion by Jerry Wierwille (NY)
The book of Isaiah begins with an uncomfortable proclamation. There is no lead up or easing into the message of the prophet as Isaiah immediately confronts the spiritual malady of Yahweh’s people. Israel was still religious; they were gathering for worship, bringing sacrifices, observing festivals, and praying. Yet, through Isaiah, Yahweh clearly sees something that is deeply wrong with it all. The outward devotion that Israel was exhibiting did not match the way they were living.
The opening verses indicate how Yahweh views Israel as children whom He had raised and cared for, but who had rebelled against Him (1:2). Using a pointed metaphor for comparison, Yahweh declares just how dull His people have become: “The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s feeding trough; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (1:3). Even animals recognize the one who provides for them, yet Yahweh’s people had forgotten the One who had protected and sustained them.
This can be an important warning for us as well. It is possible to seek Yahweh’s blessings while slowly losing awareness of the One who gives them. It is possible to become too complacent with worship, prayer, Scripture, and church life that our hearts gradually drift away from seeking Yahweh.
Isaiah goes on to describe the nation of Israel as being spiritually sick from head to toe (1:5-6). The picture is not of a people with one small problem that needs to be corrected. Their rebellion is a disease that has ransacked their whole body and affected everything, and their wounds have gone untreated, and the consequences of their sin are evident and visible all around them.
But even in spite of the people’s problem and continued sinfulness, they were coming before Yahweh by observing religious festivals, prayers, and offering sacrifices. Normally, we would consider these good things, but Yahweh says, “’What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?’ says Yahweh. ‘I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed animals. I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or of male goats’” (1:11) and later declares that He will hide His eyes from them when they pray (1:15).
The problem was not the worship itself. Yahweh had commanded these practices in the law of the covenant. The problem was the contradiction between their worship and their lives. They honored God in religious ceremonies while tolerating injustice, violence, and wrongdoing in everyday life. Their hands that they lifted in prayer were described as being “covered with blood” (1:15).
The issue arises from the fact that God refuses to separate our relationship with Him from the way we treat other people. And so, He tells them what genuine repentance should look like: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Eliminate the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. 17Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Bring justice to the fatherless. Plead for the widow” (1:16-17).
The repentance that Yahweh requires of Israel consists both of stopping certain things, but also doing certain things. They must stop doing what is evil, but they must also learn to do what is good. Turning from sin is only half the requirement that Yahweh is looking for. He is not asking for people to simply avoid practicing certain behaviors, but rather to become the kind of people who actively pursue what He desires. And so, for Isaiah’s audience, that particularly includes protecting people who are vulnerable and seeking justice for those who cannot easily defend themselves.
Then, in the middle of such severe warnings, comes one of my favorite invitations in Isaiah: ““Come now and let’s reason together,” says Yahweh. “Though your sins are red as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be as wool” (1:18). Yahweh exposes their sin not because He delights in condemning them, but because He wants them to return to Him. The colors scarlet and crimson are both vivid tones of red that communicate something unmistakably stained and impossible to hide. Yet Yahweh says that even such sin (i.e., stains) can be cleansed/cleaned.
This hope in a second chance is at the heart of the chapter. Yahweh does not ask sinful people to pretend that everything is fine, and nothing is wrong. Instead, He invites them to acknowledge what is wrong and come to Him for cleansing and healing.
The chapter ends by contrasting rebellion with redemption. Those who continually reject God will eventually experience the consequences of that decision (1:24-26), while Zion will be redeemed through justice and righteousness (1:27). Yahweh’s desire is not for Israel to improve their outwardly religious behavior. That was not the problem. At the heart of the matter is His desire to restore His people so that their hearts and lives reflect their worship.
There is an important lesson here for us as well. We should never measure our spiritual health or maturity simply by tallying up how often we attend church, sing praises, pray, read Scripture, or participate in various religious activities. Truly, those things matter greatly, but Yahweh looks on the heart and is more concerned with the kind of people we are becoming. Our worship on Sunday and our behavior on Monday should tell the same story.
So, let’s ask Yahweh our God to show us where our outward devotion may not match our everyday lives. We should not merely stop doing what is wrong but be actively seeking to “learn to do what is good.” And when Yahweh reveals sin in us, we should not run away in shame but accept responsibility and receive His grace to draw near to Him, trusting that the God who exposes our sin is also the God who can make scarlet stains become white as snow.
Reflection Questions
- Is your worship pleasing to God? Do your Sunday and Monday tell the same story? Does how you live your life match up well with your worship? Prayerfully ponder what issues and inconsistencies might need to be realized and addressed? (And, perhaps your worship is in need of some therapy as well.)
- Consider how you treat others. What does God want you to stop doing? What does God want you to start doing? Ask Him.
- Do you realize the serious problem of sin (a scarlet/crimson stain)? Are you willing and obedient – or do you refuse and rebel? What is the result for each? (Isaiah 1:18-20) What does it take to turn the scarlet/crimson stain white as snow? What is God’s desire?
Prayer
Dear Yahweh – You made me, You know me, You nourish me and provide for me. I am Your child. Show me, Lord God, where I am not pleasing to You, where I am sick and stained. Please give me Your wisdom, direction and energy in how to best love & worship You, while at the same time loving and caring for others well. I want to be known by You as Your willing and obedient child.
Seek Grow Love 