Isaiah 1 – Mission and Message
1:1) Vision during reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah
- 2 Chronicles 26–32 reveals the general climate as idolatry and half-done righteousness works (Uzziah didn't remove high places), Hezekiah rad law, reinstated Passover, temple worship but hearts of people turned away from God.
1:2-6) Israel and Judah constant rebellion against God brings crippling dis-ease and heart ache
- What is constant rebellion against God?
- Spoiler alert, Isaiah 1:16-18 reveals God mercifully called His people to repentance, offering opportunity to avoid His just judgment
- 7-9) working for nothing, total loss: except the LORD almighty left survivors
- 10-17) improper worship, prayer and sacrifice are meaningless when we don't repent from our evil rebellion and start doing righteous work for people in need.
- 18-20) God can settle the matter, completely change us if we are willing (faith) and obedient (works) to enjoy life or get destroyed if we are resistant and rebellious.
How?
- Judgement: Isaiah 9:19; 22:5) God's wrath on land and people
- Mercy through Jesus Messiah: Isaiah 9:6; 11:1-3, including all people under his righteous rule, the promises offering comfort and hope: Isaiah 27:6; 32:1-2; 40:1-2; 43:1-2
21-26) Good soil is cultivated by doing righteous work for people in need, but if it's prostituted, murderous, diluted, unfaithful it's good for slash and burn - starting over.
- 26) key verse: "I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”
27-28) God's people delivered with justice and righteousness, rebels broken, sinners who forsake the LORD perish
29-31) Shame and disgrace in our choices is the beginning of letting God slash and burn our failures
Isaiah 2:1-5) Last days, mountain of LORD's temple established, all nations, many ministers, settled disputes changing destructive tools/traits into productive ones
- "walk in his paths", "walk in the light of the LORD"
6-8) Yet it appears LORD is absent, his people superstitious, divination, worldly customs, idols, self-made
9-21) Human pride will be brought low, they will try to hide from God but not be able to
Application: 22) stop trusting mere humans
Isaiah 3:1-7) LORD's supply and support includes all wise, hard working, honorable people, without them people oppress each other and nobody will lead
8-11) words and deeds, show on faces the righteous enjoy the fruit of their deeds, wicked self-made disaster
12-26) Arrogant youth lead people to "turn you from the path" and are ruined with poverty and old age
Isaiah 4:1) Seven women will beg one man to take his name, "take away our disgrace"
2-6) then branch of LORD, glorious, fruitful land pride of survivors in Israel, Spirit of judgement and fire cleanses, LORD creates a canopy of like Exodus 13:22 (Pillar of cloud and fire)
Isaiah 5:1-7) Sing love LORD, his vineyard (Israel) prepared (Judah) but yielded bad fruit (bloodshed/distress), so it's judgement was abandonment
8-17) woe to Rich/self-serving, forgetting about LORD, drunken, debauchery leads to ruin never understanding, riches go to waste LORD Almighty/holy God proved right
18-24) Woe to deceitful sin enticers, who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light, wise in own eyes, roots decay and flowers blow away like dust
25-30) God brings others nations to enact swift judgement
Isaiah 6:1-5) Isaiah sees his own ruin, sinful speech; having seen the king, Lord Jesus, acknowledge by seraphim "holy, holy, holy the LORD Almighty"
6) Live coal from altar, touched Isaiah's lips; "your guilt is taken away, sin atoned for"
7-10) Isaiah hears call of God to tell people to hear without understanding, see without perceiving otherwise they might see, hear and understand with their heart and TURN and be healed
11-13) Isaiah understands this is God's living word the holy seed that will be proclaimed forever
Eyes that see, ears that hear and heart that understands
Jesus teaches how the message of His Kingdom is received (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)
From BSFonline.org: Bowing Humbly Before Our God Most High, The Doctrine of God the Father
The opportunity to gaze into Isaiah’s encounter with the living God offers us a profound privilege...Seeing our heavenly Father as infinitely exalted above us provides a necessary foundation to fully appreciate what God has done on our behalf. God bridged the chasm that separated us by sending His Son in the flesh to die a painful death to overcome death’s stranglehold on us.
We are not God’s equal in any way. To see God as a friend or force we can take or leave as a matter of convenience or choice misrepresents undeniable truth. If we fail to recognize God’s supremely exalted place over us, our view of ourselves remains corrupted. Without understanding God’s transcendence, we remain clueless about the inexpressible wonder of His nearness.
Many things about God should leave us speechless and undone, like Isaiah. The more deeply we understand who God truly is, the more wonderful and shocking His tender love becomes. The God who stands infinitely beyond us in every way longs to draw us close. Can you believe that? He loves us too much to ignore the gap between us. The Father demonstrated His barrier-breaking love in the amazing sacrifice of His Son. God came near to us so that we could draw near to Him. The holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty loves us with an everlasting love.
Will you rejoice that God made a way to cleanse you? He sends His people out to tell the world who He truly is. May a fresh sense of wonder and worship fill us as we ponder the majesty and mercy of our exalted God!
