Isaiah 1:1
I. (Chapters 1-39) Condemnation
A. (Chapters 1-12) Prophecies against Israel and Judah
1. \\#1:1-31\\ God’s Case Against Judah - This chapter contains
Isaiah’s first recorded vision and God’s first recorded message to
Israel through Isaiah. In it, God declares Israel grievously sick
from sin.
a. \\#Isa 1:1\\ Introduction
b. \\#Isa 1:2-9\\ God calls upon creation to bear witness
c. \\#Isa 1:10-15\\ God speaks to the rulers of Jerusalem
d. \\#Isa 1:16-20\\ God speaks to all that will hear
e. \\#Isa 1:21-23\\ God bemoans Judah’s condition.
f. \\#Isa 1:24-31\\ God prophecies concerning Israel
I. \\#Isa 1:1-31\\ God’s Case Against Judah
A. \\#Isa 1:1\\ Introduction
1. "Isaiah the son of Amoz" - Isaiah is introduced. Not much is declared
about the man, only his immediate linage.
2. "concerning Judah and Jerusalem" - Isaiah was primarily called to
minister to the southern kingdom, Judah, and will direct many of his
messages to that land \\#Isa 1:8, 27; 2:8, 4:5, 5:3, 7:13\\. Even so,
Isaiah’s messages are not limited to Judah. He has plenty to say
to the northern kingdom, Israel, as well as other nations across
the globe.
3. "Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah" - Isaiah
ministered through several administrations. Three of the four kings
were good, namely Uzziah, Jotham, and Hezekiah. Hezekiah was one of
Judah’s most righteous kings. Ahaz was an evil king.
B. \\#Isa 1:2-9\\ God calls upon creation to bear witness.
1. \\#Isa 1:2-4\\ Of Judah’s sinfulness.
a. \\#1:2\\ "they have rebelled against me" - The inhabitants of
Israel are called children who have rebelled.
b. \\#Isa 1:3\\ "The ox knoweth his owner… but Israel doeth not know"
God compares Judah unfavorably to dumb animals who know to
whom they belong because Israel does not.
c. \\#Isa 1:4\\ "A sinful nation" - Judah is an exceedingly wicked
people.
(1) Among the different descriptions, God says they have gone
BACKWARD.
(2) There are several references like this in the Scripture.
\\#Pr 14:14, Jer 2:19, 3:6-14, Hosea 4:16\\
(3) These references give us the concept of being "backslidden."
It is a term used to describe a Christian not going forward with
the Lord.
2. \\#Isa 1:5-9\\ Of Judah’s sickness
a. \\#Isa 1:5-6\\ Sin has consequences and the nation was suffering
because of their sins.
(1) \\#1:5\\ Judah was STRICKEN with sickness.
(2) \\#1:5\\ "the whole head is sick" - Their HEAD was SICK
having NO SOUNDNESS in it \\#Isa 1:6\\. The idea is that sin
had left them unable to think correctly.
(3) "they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither
mollified" - Sin had left them full of wounds to which they
had not given due care.
b. \\#Isa 1:7\\ "Your country is desolate" - Leaving the symbolic
language, God described that the land was desolate. It had been
devastated in large part by outside nations which came and went at
will.
c. \\#Isa 1:8\\ Zion was the diamond of Jerusalem.
(1) "Zion" - Mount Zion is one of the mountains that Jerusalem is
built upon. It was often called the City of David, indicating
the place of the king or leadership. It is likely that the
word may refer to a distinct district within the city of
Jerusalem.
(2) Throughout the book, ZION seems to pertain to the government
of the nation. It is God’s method of relating to Judah’s
civil leadership.
(3) "Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard" - The beautiful,
royal district of the city was now nothing more than a
humbled cottage. This implies that the leadership of
Judah had only a meager international role, far removed from
the days of previous glory.
d. \\#Isa 1:9\\ "We should have been like Sodom" - The only difference
in Jerusalem and the perished cities of Sodom and Gomorrah is that
God, so far, had left a few Jews alive.
C. \\#Isa 1:10-15\\ God speaks to the rulers of Jerusalem.
1. \\#Isa 1:10\\ "ye rulers of Sodom" - God refers to the rulers in
Jerusalem this way because they were as wicked as Sodom’s rulers. He
calls its citizens the PEOPLE OF GOMORRAH for the same reason.
2. \\#Isa 1:11-15\\ Why do you keep offering your sacrifices?
a. It is clear from this passage that sacrifices were not the means of
securing salvation for the Old Testament saints, although many in
that day, as well as today, believe it was. Sacrifices were part of
the Jews obligation within their covenant with God. Offering the
sacrifices, along with obedience to the Law, was what God required
of the Jews. It is painfully obvious that the Jews were not right
with God; but here, God declares that they had continued offering
their sacrifices, proving that sacrifices alone could not atone for
sin.
b. \\#Isa 1:13\\ Bring me no more vain oblations" - If sacrifices
alone could earn salvation, then these Jews were saved for God is
acknowledging their offerings. Not only so, but if sacrifices
were the means of securing forgiveness and salvation, offering
them becomes even more important when they are NOT keeping the
Law. Yet, God is telling the Jews to stop bringing the
offerings. The reality is that God’s rejection of the Jews
despite their sacrifices is proof that the sacrifices did not
merit them either forgiveness or salvation.
c. It should be pointed out that just like many Jews then believed
the sacrifices could somehow produce salvation, so many people
today believe it did. However, if all the world believes it, it
will not make it so.
Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the
very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered
year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Hebrews 104 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins.
D. \\#Isa 1:16-20\\ God speaks to all that will hear.
1. \\#Isa 1:16-17\\ God offers Judah \\#Isa 1:1\\, the southern kingdom,
an opportunity to repent. This offer should not be taken lightly.
Israel, the northern kingdom, existed at that time but no opportunity
for repentance is being offered to them. When a nation turns so far
from God that He condemns it, God ceases to offer repentance.
Notice some of the repentant actions God commands.
a. "…put away evil…"
b. "Learn do to well…"
c. "…seek judgment…"
d. "…relieve the oppressed…"
e. "…judge the fatherless…"
f. "…plead for the widow…"
2. \\#Isa 1:17\\ "Come now, and let us reason together…."
a. This is not an invitation to work out a deal. God does not
bargain or compromise.
b. It is an invitation for Judah to come and hear God speak to them.
God will attempt to convince them of their sinfulness and need
for Him.
3. \\#Isa 1:18-20\\ Judah’s Choices
a. \\#1:19\\ "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of
the land.
b. \\#1:20\\ "If ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the
sword."
c. Do right and be blessed or do wrong and be destroyed. There were
no other options.
E. \\#Isa 1:21-23\\ God bemoans Judah’s condition.
1. \\#Isa 1:21\\ "faithful city"
a. This was God’s name for Jerusalem. They had now become an
unfaithful harlot, but God remembers what they were.
b. Reality Check - When was this city faithful? Jerusalem had been a
rebellious city almost from conception. Solomon first led the
city into idolatry \\#1Kings 11:4-8\\ and his idols stood until
the days of Josiah \\#2Kings 23:1-14\\, some 300 years later.
c. Yet God, in His grace, looks past all of their wickedness and sees
them only in their forgiven condition. What marvelous grace!
2. In the remainder of these verses, God evaluates Judah. Grace as
great as it is will not cover unrepentant sins. They were MURDERERS,
rebels, and THIEVES of a very great proportion.
F. \\#Isa 1:24-31\\ God prophecies concerning Judah. These prophecies apply
to a near-at-hand time and to the distant future. They are dual-
reference prophecies.
1. \\#Isa 1:24-25\\ "I will ease me of mine adversaries" - The leaders of
Jerusalem have become the Lord’s adversaries, and God will both
remove them and the wickedness they have propagated. This will
happen in some measure when the Assyrians attack Jerusalem, but
even more with the Babylonians conquer the nation.
2. \\#Isa 1:26-27\\ "I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy
counselors as at the beginning…."
a. This is where we move into the distant future. Judah will be
removed from the land by the Babylonians in approximately 136
years. After 70 more years, they will be allowed to return, but
even then, Israel will not have leaders of the caliber that God
is promising. In fact, when Israel does return, they will be
under the rule of other nations.
b. Jerusalem, although it attempted to do right for a short time
after the Babylonian captivity, has not been the CITY OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS or THE FAITHFUL CITY. This is an end time prophecy.
c. \\#Isa 1:27\\ "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment" - Again, Zion
is mentioned. The judgment spoken of here will set Israel’s rulers
on the road to righteousness. (The term ZION stands for the
civil government of Judah.) Sadly, this part of the prophecy
remains unfulfilled. Even today, Israel’s government is not a
God-centered government.
3. \\#Isa 1:28\\ "the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners"
A great judgment is being spoken of. As bad as the judgments of
Assyria and Babylon would be upon the land, it will pale in
comparison to the judgment of which God is speaking.
4. \\#Isa 1:29-31\\ "which ye have desired" - The OAK, GARDENS, and leaves
being spoken of are likely a reference to Judah’s propensity to
worship man-made idols in groves (gardens). God will destroy both
the places of false worship and the false worshipers. This was done
in Israel’s many national defeats. Today Israel does not worship
idols, although they will follow the anti-Christ for a time when he
appears.
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