Isaiah Court Is In Session ~ Part 1 Chapter 1:1-17 O ne of the interesting truths when we consider scripture is that some Christian and Jewish scholars want to rewrite what scripture teaches. In both cases it is because the clear teaching of scripture offends their views of how life should be and how God should, or shouldn t, act. We will see this frequently as we walk through Isaiah. But for a start consider the following: The eminent 19 th century Old Testament scholar, Joseph Addison Alexander, in his Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah, published in Princeton in 1847, expounded that the Israel of the Old Testament was merely the temporal embodiment of the Church. Consequently Isaiah was not addressing himself to historical Israel or Judah, but to the Christian Church of the future! Alexander even rebuked those who dared interpret prophecy in its obvious sense, with these words: If this be a correct view of the structure of these prophecies, nothing can be more erroneous or unfriendly to correct interpretation, than the idea which appears to form the basis of some expositions, that the primary object of the Prophet s view is Israel as a race or nation, and that its spiritual or ecclesiastical relations are entirely adventitious and subordinate. The natural result of this erroneous supposition is a constant disposition to give everything a national or local sense. This is especially the case with respect to the names so frequently occurring, Zion, Jerusalem and Judah, all of which, according to this view of the matter, must be understood as meaning nothing more than the hill, the city, and the land, which they originally designate. This error has even been pushed by some to irrational extreme making Israel as a race the object of the promises after their entire separation from the church and their reduction, for the time being, to the same position with the sons of Ishmael and of Esau. 1 What is sad is, the inaccurate understanding of scripture and lack of sound interpretation makes the works of people like Alexander and Calvin next to useless in the study of the Old Testament prophets. This is a problem of interpreting scripture to fit one s preconceptions, instead of letting scripture drive that understanding. And the problem isn t limited to Christian scholars. Jewish scholars have the same struggle. Consider Rabi Rosenberg s rationalization Isaiah s message. In a section titled Piety of the People, he notes: Superficial reading of the Book of Isaiah, as well as other prophetic books, may give the impression that the Jews who lived in Isaiah s time were a nation of evildoers, oppressors of the poor, even murderers, a nation akin to Sodom and Gomorrah. If we delve deeper into the Scriptures, however, we find that this is indeed far from the truth. In the initial chapter of this Book, the prophet castigates the people very severely. Yet, he mentions that they brought sacrifices, they performed the three mandatory pilgrimages annually, and that they prayed at length with outspread palms. They assembled on Sabbaths and New Moons to hear the words of Torah. Yet, God was dissatisfied with their deeds. Since they did not protect the rights of the widows and the orphans, it was considered as though they had shed their blood. If they were totally evil, how could they be castigated for insincerity in their devotions? The obvious answer is that the prophet was addressing different groups. The nation, as a whole, were righteous, observant Jews. There was, however, room for improvement. Therefore, the prophet casti- 1 Buksbazen, Victor, The Prophet Isaiah, In Two Volumes, The Spearhead Press, Collingswood, NJ, 1971, p. 97.
gates them for their lack of sincerity. There were, however, some, a small segment of the population, who were indeed evildoers, heavy with iniquity. 2 Is this really Isaiah s point or is this a rationalization of someone who isn t ready to see just how far the nation, as a whole, had fallen from God s call? But, more on this as we move into the chapter. I Introduction Verse 1 II Hear Ye, Hear Ye Verses 2-4 III Reading of the Charges Verses 5-17 IV Offer of Mercy Verses 18-19 V Warning of Judgment Verses 20-31 VI Conclusion This morning we are going to begin our study of Isaiah. The only difference between this study and previous ones is that I will approach the outlining a bit differently. For example, this morning I have given you an outline of the entire chapter 1, but will consider the chapter over two weeks. As such, while I will try to give applications within consideration of each week s study, the application for the chapter as a whole will be given when a chapter is completed. (This assumes the chapter break is appropriate which sometimes isn t the case.) Chapter 1, serving as an introduction to the work as a whole, is a court room scene. In it, God brings His charges and evidence for His judgment on Judah and Jerusalem. Verse 1: The work opens with a statement of introduction. First, we are told that what we are about to read is a vision, and that it was Isaiah s. The word for vision is taken from the root haza meaning to see and refers to spiritual perception. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). While there is some debate, this verse should probably be understood as an introduction to the entire work, all 66 chapters. The book s primary theme is God s actions towards Judah and Jerusalem. Keep in mind this is Isaiah s home. But the work is not limited to just the southern kingdom. Its scope is much broader and finally encompasses the entire world with its focus on the Messiah in both His first and second coming. Finally, we ve already noted the historical context of the work in the previous sessions, so let s move on within the text. Verses 2-4: Apparently Rabbi Rosenberg and some of the Jewish scholars don t want to hear God calling the court to order. They, just as the Jews of Isaiah s day, don t want to believe the charges brought by God who is acting as both judge and prosecutor. 2 Rosenberg, Rabbi A., Isaiah, Volume 1, The Judaica Press, Inc., New York, NY, 1992, p. xv. ) 24 (
God is going to bring charges against Judah. And the heavens and earth are called to be witnesses to the truth. Just as the heavens and earth were witnesses to God s giving His covenant, now they are to be witnesses to the people s failure to keep it. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to testify against them. Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth (Deuteronomy 30:19, 31:28, 32:1). The charges are made publicly so that there are witnesses down through the ages, even to today. We are to witness the charges so we will not be guilty of the same sins. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come (1 Corinthians 10:11). God makes His complaint directly and by simile. He calls the people His children. But they are rebellious ones. (Which by the way shows even the best parent can have rebellious children without being a failure as a parent.) Here the children are the ones who have failed. They thought they could go their own way, but it isn t they way of their Father and so they stand condemned under the Law. If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard. Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Even the domestic animals know who their masters are. But Israel doesn t have the wisdom of oxen or donkeys. Once again the blindness of sin is demonstrated. And so what is the charge? The people have rebelled against God. They have turned their back on Him. The problem isn t the absence of religiosity, it is the absence of a spirit of humility and obedience. There are four charges in contrast with what the people were intended to be. Vine 3 enumerates them this way. They are : (a) sinful nation you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6). (b) a people laden with iniquity for you are a people holy to the LORD your God (Deuteronomy 14:2). 3 Vine, W. E., Isaiah, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1971, p. 12. ) 25 (
(c) a seed of evil doers But you, O Israel,, you descendants of Abraham my friend through Isaac to Jacob (Isaiah 41:8; Genesis 21:12; Isaiah 45:19). (d) children that deal corruptly You are the children of the LORD your God (Deuteronomy 14:1). God describes the church in similar terms. While we are not Israel, we are to live in the way God intended Israel to live. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). As believers, and as the church, we need to understand we too can fall into the trap of rebellion. We have to be aware of the dangers that Israel chose: apostasy. There are three kinds of apostasy seen here. (The following is adapted from Vine. 4 ) 1. Apostasy of the Heart: Israel had forsaken the Lord and the covenant relationship they had with him. 2. Apostasy of Words: They had despised, mocked and blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, 3. Apostasy of Action: They were estranged and had gone backward. They had chosen their own direction rather than God s. All of this points to the three steps leading to the downfall of any nation. Dr. McGee identifies them this way: There is religious apostasy, then moral awfulness, and finally political anarchy. Many people don t pay any attention to the cycle until the stage of political anarchy is reached, and then they cry out that the government should be changed and a new system adopted. Well, the problem is not in the government. The problem in Jerusalem was not in the palace, but the problem was within the temple. The trouble begins when there is spiritual apostasy. 5 And so we see the contrast between the holy nature of God and the corrupt, fallen, sinful nature of man. Israel, instead of progressing towards spiritual maturity had actually been regressing. Praise the Lord that one day their progress will begin again and they will be restored, but in the meantime Verses 5-6: God is going to do what He isn t required to: provide evidence in support of His charges. 4 Ibid. 5 McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 3, Isaiah, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN 1982, p. 190-101. ) 26 (
The problem is when there is damage in the body, where it not treated it corrupts the entire body. Rosenberg s claim was the nation as a whole was pietistic, but as we know from elsewhere in scripture, and from elsewhere in this book, the faithful and obedient were actually the remnant, not the majority. Using similes, the nation is described in terms of disease and corruption, one that has consumed the entire body. We are reminded of how leprosy is used as a picture of everincreasing corruption in the body, just as sin starts small and eventually corrupts the entire being, unless there is repentance. The disease goes from the head, reason, to the heart, emotions, to the foot, service. The LORD will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head (Deuteronomy 28:35). And by describing their condition as disease, there is also the understanding that healing only comes with turning back to God. Verses 7-9: The land reflects the result of the people s sin and God s judgment. The desolation of the land of Judah is the result of foreign invasion: e.g., by Aram, the northern kingdom of Israel, Edom and Philistia (2Ch 28:5-18); later (701 B.C.), by King Sennacherib and the Assyrian army (36:1-2); still later (605-586), by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Neo-Babylonian army. 6 The point is, if God didn t choose to intervene, than the sin of Israel would lead it to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. And it is easy to understand why scholars wouldn t appreciate the nation being compared to these two infamous cities. Yes, there is a remnant, the city of Jerusalem, but if the people don t repent, even that city is in danger of falling. Verses 10-15: In fact, to add insult to injury, God now addresses the nation as Sodom and Gomorrah. It is falling under His hand of judgment. And all those acts of obedience the people would like to point to as demonstrations of their piety are worthless. Rabbi Rosenberg wants these acts to show the merit of the Jew. As a consequence Isaiah must be referring to two groups. One is pietistic and keeps the law, though not always adequately. Obviously these weren t evil. But there is a second group, those who are rebellious. He can t live with the fact God condemns the people as a whole. Buksbazen summarizes God s warning this way: We would be in error if we assumed that all the religious people of Isaiah s time were hypocrites, or that their prayers were insincere. Their problem went much deeper than that. They had come to believe, just as many other pious people in every generation have, that being religious and observant could replace a holy and humble walk with God, or a righteous and compassionate relationship to their fellow-men, especially to the poor and needy. 7 6 NIV Study Bible Notes, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1999. 7 Buksbazen, Victor, The Prophet Isaiah, In Two Volumes, The Spearhead Press, Collingswood, NJ, 1971, p. 195. ) 27 (
This is the danger from people today as well, even within the church. We all know those who believe their religiosity will save them. But just as God isn t impressed with the observant behavior of the Jew, He isn t impressed with the piousness of the contemporary practice of the spiritualistic individual of today. Salvation only comes with a recognition of one s incapability of meeting God s standards and the necessity of depending on Him through the work of His Son to find salvation. So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you have been saved. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God: (Romans 11:5-6; Ephesians 2:4-5, 8). Even the prayers of God s people, delivered in unrighteousness are rejected. Hands lifted up in an attitude of prayer are covered in blood, the blood of sin and unrighteousness. Their very display of piety with blood-stained hands, was itself blasphemy. By their pious activities, they were unconsciously seeking to reduce Jehovah to the level of the deities of their pagan neighbors, who were as immoral and unconcerned about righteousness as their devotees. All these gods expected of their worshipers were bloody sacrifices and homage. Not so the God of Israel. He who would approach Him must do so only with clean hands and a pure heart. 8 Verses 16-17: The charges have been made and the evidence has been presented. So what are the people to do? They are to repent, symbolized by the call to wash the blood off their hands. This is a typical illustration of what scripture means by repentance. Repentance isn t feeling bad about actions, it is turning 180 degrees and doing what is right instead of what is wrong. In this case, the demonstration of repentance would be to seek social justice instead of continuing their acts of injustice. This sounds much like the contemporary court, with one difference. God is willing to settle out of court, with a directed verdict. But, He requires full repentance and humility. If they are saved, it is because God is gracious, not because they are deserving. God is the one who empowers us to repentance, as we will see next time. He is the one who offers mercy and He is the one who cleanses. The warning for the church is just as in Israel s day, piety, or at least pietistic behavior is of no worth. Religiosity and doing good will saves no one. Works don t save; they are the product of salvation. No one will earn their way into God s grace, for God s grace is a gift. The message we have for the lost is, Your ways are hopeless. But God s Gospel is one of home and salvation, provided through sacrifice, not yours but Christ s. And so God offers an out-of -court settlement. This is what we will take up next week. 8 Ibid. ) 28 (
Isaiah Court Is In Session ~ Part 1 Chapter 1:1-17 I Introduction Verse 1 II Hear Ye, Hear Ye Verses 2-4 III Reading of the Charges Verses 5-17 IV Offer of Mercy Verses 18-19 V Warning of Judgment Verses 20-31 VI Conclusion I Introduction: (2 Peter 1:21) II Hear Ye, Hear Ye: (Deuteronomy 30:19, 31:28, 32:1; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Deuteronomy 21:18-21; 1 Peter 2:9)
(a) nation: (Exodus 19:6) (b) a people laden with ( Deuteronomy 14:2) (c) a of ( Isaiah 41:8; Genesis 21:12; Isaiah 45:19) (d) that deal ( Deuteronomy 14:1) 1. Apostasy of the 2. Apostasy of the 3. Apostasy of the III Reading of the Charges: (Deuteronomy 28:35; see 2 Chronicles 28:5-18, 36:1-2; Romans 11:5-6; Ephesians 2:4-5, 8; Personal Application: Let us examine our worship, or works to see if they are gifts to God are unintentionally, intended to make us feel good about ourselves. Prayer for the Week: Lord, may our worship be worthy of You, desiring to please You, not impress others. In Jesus name, amen.