Isaiah Introduces the Problem - 1:2-9

The initial problem is introduced in Isaiah 1:2-9.

Isaiah 1:2-9

I.                    vs. 2

a.       Isaiah wastes little time in calling judgment down upon the descendants of Israel. 

b.      The heavens and are earth are called as witnesses in the trial that is about the commence (cf. Deut. 4:26; 32:1).

c.       The Lord

                                                              i.      Substituted with adonai here – a term of power and authority. Although not unique to God. The unique relation of God to all of creation is made clear in these verses.

                                                            ii.      The unspoken name of the LORD

                                                          iii.      God is treated with a reverential awe often absent in our contemporary worship

d.      Israel is the firstborn son of God (cf. Ex. 4:22)

                                                              i.      In Deuteronomy 21:18-21 it is outlined how to deal with a rebellious son

                                                            ii.      The punishment is death by stoning

                                                          iii.      Exodus 20:12 (cf. Deuteronomy 5:16) would have also been in the back of the mind of the person who heard this passage.

                                                          iv.      If Israel is the firstborn, what of those today who are disobedient but still called the children of God?

1.      Has God’s nature changed that our disobedience is no longer a problem? Obviously not, and even though we are under the grace of Jesus, God must still with rebellion among his church.

2.      Do we take our relationship of obedience seriously within the church?

II.                 Vs. 3

a.       The ox and donkey are lowly service animals and yet they know their masters. This idea of possession may sound strange to our contemporary ears, but it is rooted in the biblical imagery (cf. Ex. 19:5). The people of God are to be his possession.

b.      God is jealous in a holy, righteous and not vindictive sense. There is no mention of usury or abuse here. The Lord is pointing out, through his prophet, that even service animals know their lives are not their own. The people of God, in an even greater sense, must show the same marker in their lives.

c.       John 1:10-11 elaborates on this idea while also providing the beginning of the context for the Word as servant. The often-asked question is worth mentioning again, ‘If Jesus were to return today, how many of those who claim to follow Him would welcome Him?’

                                                              i.      My response wants to be that I would know and receive Him, but scripture seems to be calling me to repentance.

                                                            ii.      One of themes of scriptures is the continual disobedience of people. We even see this in the development of the church whether through the book of Acts or Paul’s letter, or the book of Revelation. If the early church could not get it right, why do we think we are doing so well today?

III.              Vs. 4

a.       The people who are called to be holy are weighed down with the load of sin.

                                                              i.      Cf. Psalm 38:4 – sin is too heavy to carry on our own

                                                            ii.      Cf. Hosea 1:10 – my people will no longer be called my people

                                                          iii.      Praise the Lord for Jesus who came to lift our burden!

b.      Brood of evildoers – when Jesus confronts the Pharisees, he explicitly and implicitly recalls Isaiah and the other prophets (Matt. 3:7)

                                                              i.      In the same way, he confronts the religious who are more concerned with tradition than bringing people to God

                                                            ii.      Sinful religious tradition breeds- community is not a de facto solution to the problem of religiosity

c.       God does not abandon His people, it is the people who abandon him (cf. Deut. 4:31, 31:20; Num. 14:11; Prov. 5:12)

IV.              Vs. 5

a.       The marks of sin are visible to all of us.

b.      This passage, as usual sounds harsh to the modern ear (cf. Prov. 38:3)

                                                              i.      Do we take sin seriously enough?

                                                            ii.      Sin is all around us and we feel the effects. Is it any surprise that sin messes things up in a visible and scarring way?

c.       And yet we each keep choosing to sin…

d.      Although some people push back on the idea of collective sin, it is hard to escape the judgment coming upon the people in a passage such as this (cf. Prov. 1:31; Jer. 2:19; Hos. 8:11).

                                                              i.      What is my part in collective sin?

                                                            ii.      Do I pray for the redemption of those who do not know Christ?

                                                          iii.      Do I share Christ with those who are lost?

                                                          iv.      “Personal freedom has become an absolute good in the modern world, regardless of the obviously tragic results when it is pushed to its extreme.” John N. Oswalt, NIV Application Commentary, 74.

V.                Vs. 6

a.       The imagery continues. There is no part of our lives which sin does not infect. Our relationships, money, politics, empathy, and the way we raise our children all reflect the reality of sin.

b.      Cf. Ps. 38:3 – we also hear the beginning of the echoes of the Suffering Servant. Jesus took on all of our iniquity so that we may be free from sin. He bore sin visibly, although he had never sinned.

                                                              i.      The visible expression of the cruel torture of the cross was an outward expression of the inward reality of death and separation.

                                                            ii.      Those who are renewed in the waters of baptism and take on the Holy Spirit will one day receive a new body, free from the marks of sin. Our relationships and society will also show freedom from the marks of sin.

VI.              Vs. 7

a.       The desolation of a land consumed by war.

                                                              i.      What should we say about rural and urban areas that have been abandoned today?

1.      Consumerism and avarice are one of the most visible effects on our world today. Rampant search after profits and the next best things scars the earth and our cities.

2.      Do Christians reflect the renewal of all things?

b.      When Israel wrote this passage, Judah was still recovering from the ravages of the Syrians (cf. 2 Chron. 24:24) and Israel (2 Chron. 25:13, 23).

1.      Amos 4:6-11 describes the wrath of the Lord poured out on the land. These were people who could have acted righteously and still did not do so.

2.      When things get bad, what does the church look like today? Do we turn on those we should be caring for or do we maintain our religious piety without compassion?

VII.           Vs. 8-9

a.       Daughter of Zion – the irony is not left out on the prophet. Referring to Jerusalem in this way calls back to virgin beauty. And yet, the images he gives are of desolation and emptiness. (compare Zech. 2:10)

b.      The shelter, shack, and besieged city are all parallelisms designed to show how the lone city of Jerusalem has been isolated. There is desolation all around and it is palpable.

c.       In stark contrast to the loneliness of Jerusalem, the Lord is referred to as the Lord of Hosts (cf. 1 Sam. 17:45; Ps. 59:5, 147:4, 148:2).

                                                              i.      God stands in contrast to the idols who are parochial, regional at best.

                                                            ii.      God is Lord of the heavens (2 Kings 17:16 compare to 1 Chron. 16:26).

d.      A remnant/survivors (cf. 10:21-22)

e.       Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their sins, mainly of mistreatment of guests (cf. Gen. 19:24-25)

f.        Implicitly, Isaiah is turning around the narrative of the fertility gods of the region who were linguistically and externally similar to the Lord

                                                              i.      The worship of false gods has brought barrenness rather than fertility to the people of God

                                                            ii.      The worship of the stars rather than the Lord of the Heavens (i.e. God) has brought about destruction rather than plenty

 Final Thoughts:

1.      What ideas am I worshipping that are similar to God, but just an idol?

2.      How does God show His faithfulness when I am unfaithful? How does God show His faithfulness when people are unfaithful as a group?

3.      What sin do I need to repent of in my own life?

4.      How can I encourage worship of God and not idols?