26/02/26 Isaiah 1:1-9 “How much
judgment is necessary to get the message?”
There are many modernist
“scholars” who teach that Isaiah was written by at least three separate
writers; their main reason appears to be that this better explains why Isaiah
knew so much about the Babylonian exile so far in advance. However, if God
knows all things, then why can’t His prophets also know things that ordinary
man is incapable of knowing? If God knows all things, then His prophets may
also know things of the future; otherwise why call them prophets of God?
Isaiah 44:28 – That saith of Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and shall
perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to
the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
This decree was eventually given
by Cyrus in Babylon nearly 200 years after Isaiah spoke it, certainly well
before Cyrus was even born, which gives rise to so many claiming that it wasn’t
written by Isaiah! Clearly many don’t believe in the sovereign God I believe
in!
Isaiah prophesied approximately
from 740-687 BC during the reigns of four kings of Judah: Uzziah
(790-740 BC); Jotham (748-732 BC – he reigned a
number of years on behalf of his father’s leprosy); Ahaz (732-716 BC); Hezekiah
(716-687 BC).
Tradition has Isaiah as the son of
Amoz, brother of King Amaziah
(father of King Azariah, according to 2 Kings 15:1,
who is really King Uzziah), and the maternal
grandfather of King Manasseh.
Isaiah 6 gives the time of his
call to be prophet as the year Uzziah died, or in the
year before Uzziah died (that is, Uzziah’s
last year).
The name Isaiah means “Yah (Jah)
saves” or “The salvation of the Lord” or “Yahweh is salvation”.
His wife is termed a prophetess in
Isaiah 8:3 but doesn’t say if she were actually a prophetess or merely the wife
of a prophet.
Isaiah 1:1 – The vision of Isaiah
the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham,
Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
vision – vision; oracle; prophecy (divine communication)
Isaiah was a prophet of Judah; his
prophecies spanned these four kings.
Isaiah 1:2 – Hear, O heavens, and
give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up
children, and they have rebelled against me.
has spoken – or “has promised”. When God speaks, His word is sure.
O earth – earth (or earth’s inhabitants); land, country (or the
inhabitants of the land or country); ground, surface of the earth.
It could apply to the people of
the land of Judah (or Judah/Israel – those who are known as God’s children). But,
here it probably means that the whole earth, along with the heavens, is witness
to these statements of God. All nature will know what has been said!
nourished – to cause to grow;
to make great, powerful; to magnify.
brought up – to raise or rear (children); cause to grow up; to lift
up, raise, exalt.
rebelled – transgressed, been disobedient.
children – ben (son or
male child; can mean children – both male and female)
Exodus 4:22 – And thou shalt say
unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel [is] my
son, [even] my firstborn:
Hosea 11:1 – When Israel [was] a
child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
God has caused His children (His
elect nation) to grow up, to become great and powerful; He has brought them to
nationhood, and exalted them above their neighbours. But, instead of carrying
out their filial duties, as children, to care for and give honour to their
Father, they have rejected that responsibility, rebelling against God and His
requirements of them. Has not God brought them up out of Egypt, given them a
land of their own and provided for their every need? Shouldn’t they, in return,
give Him the honour and worship He has deserved?
Malachi 1:6 – A son honoureth [his] father, and a servant his master: if
then I [be] a father, where [is] mine honour? and if I [be] a
master, where [is] my fear? saith the Lord of
hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we
despised thy name?
Isaiah 1:3 – The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: [but] Israel
doth not know, my people doth not consider.
knoweth, know – yada (to know; perceive; recognise;
acknowledge; admit; confess; be acquainted with; know a person sexually; know
how; be skilful; have knowledge; be wise)
This is that word that calvinists
such as MacArthur try to tell us means an intimate predetermined relationship (Chosen by God Part 2) or When the Bible speaks of God's foreknowledge, it refers
to God's establishment of a love relationship with that person. (Considering Election, not politics – Article 132)
However, it is very hard to see it
that way when the Sodomites wanted sex (yada)
with the angels in Lot’s house (Genesis 19:5), or the Benjaminites
having sex (yada) with the man’s
concubine (Judges 19:25) and killing her in the process.
consider – to show oneself discerning or attentive; consider
diligently.
Ox and ass are faithful to their
masters; they recognise their owners; they know the hand that feeds them. However,
Israel does not know (recognise; admit) her Father God; they are not discerning
of His requirements; they are inconsiderate (children); they do not diligently
consider the requirements of God their Father who has brought them up to this
position of greatness among the nations. They just don’t want to know! The term
“incorrigible” might be aptly applied to them.
Isaiah 1:4 – Ah sinful nation, a
people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters:
they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto
anger, they are gone away backward.
Ah – woe! alas! ah!
laden – heavy; great; massive; numerous; oppressed; burdened.
seed – offspring; a sowing; a brood. Not meant as progeny here
but a generation or race sown down to evil. See Galatians
6:7 – Be
not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap.
are gone away – be estranged; made loathsome; become foreign. Can be
translated as “strange woman” (prostitute; harlot).
They are a sinful nation (goy or goyim – the Jewish name for a non-Jew; Gentile; usually used in a
negative way implying contempt for others as being inferior).
That is, Israel (or Judah here) is
being labelled as one of the despised nations around Israel. That is,
outsiders, foreigners, not as ones who belong! See “have forsaken the Lord”
which would explain why God calls them goy.
They are a people weighed down
(burdened; oppressed) with sin, a sowing of evil, children (see Vs 2 above)
that corrupt (pervert; destroy). They have forsaken (departed from; abandoned;
neglected; apostatised) from God. They have provoked to anger (abhorred;
despised) the Holy One of Israel. They have gone away (become estranged; become
foreigners; played the harlot); they have gone away backward (that is, away
from God).
The picture we have here is of a
nation that was once God’s elect nation, yet through Isaiah God is saying that
they aren’t Jews, that is, they aren’t His people, because of the way they have
apostatised from (forsaken) Him. This sets the tone for the rest of this passage:
that no longer does God appear to want to accept these as His people – they are
now foreigners! The stage is set for God to reject His elect nation, at least
temporarily, in captivity.
Isaiah 29:13 – Wherefore the Lord
said, Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with their mouth, and with
their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their
fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Jesus applied the same
condemnation to the pharisees and scribes.
Mark 7:6 – He answered and said
unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written,
This people honoureth me with [their] lips,
but their heart is far from me.
Isaiah 1:5 – Why should ye be
stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the
whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Why should you be stricken
(attacked; destroyed; ravaged; judged and punished) anymore. It could mean
“What is the purpose for so much judgment and punishment if you are just going
to revolt more and more?” or, more probably, “Why do you persist in more and
more rebellion; can’t you see that it just means more punishment?” It depends
upon what “stricken” applies to here. The disciplining just isn’t working; they
just seem to get worse with punishment. Again, that term “incorrigible” comes
to mind. It’s time to reconsider their options. This appears to be leading into
a major theme of Isaiah, that of the coming captivity in Babylon.
The captivity of Israel (by
Assyria) had begun about the time Isaiah began his prophecies (~740 BC) but the
southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin were still free. Their captivity in
Babylon would begin around 605 BC, about 80 years after the death of Isaiah.
However, Isaiah Ch 1 (about 740 BC) is showing a picture that can only lead to
that Babylonian captivity. As they say, the writing is already on the wall for
Judah!
Your whole head is sick – this could imply that every head (person) in Judah was
sick (with sin and rebellion) to the core, or, more likely, that the nation as
a whole was sick in the head. Likewise with the heart. The head represented
their intellectual knowledge, their wisdom, their understanding; the heart
represented their moral judgments, their feelings and beliefs. A sick head
meant a “sick” rationale for everything; a faint heart (or faint of heart)
meant a lack of moral courage (where “courage” is derived from the Latin word
for heart) and moral fibre (backbone).
Individuals within the nation
might be righteous, but overall the whole nation is corrupt from top to bottom.
Isaiah 1:6 – From the sole of the
foot even unto the head [there is] no soundness in it; [but] wounds,
and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been
closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
The diagnosis continues: from the
sole of the foot (the lowest part of the body) to the head (the highest part of
the body) – that is, the whole body all inclusive, from head to foot or toe –
is unsound (not entirely there – meaning there are functions missing or not
working properly, if at all). Instead, there are wounds (can also mean bruises)
and bruises (can also mean wounds or stripes)
– see Isaiah 53:5 – But he [was] wounded
for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we
are healed.
And putrefying sores. (Putrefying
actually means “moist” and can be translated as fresh (as in “fresh meat”) thus
“new” – see Judges 15:15 – And he found a new
jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men
therewith.
Putrefying therefore has the idea
that it is weeping and festering, remaining open and moist, not the closing up
and drying out which would signify healing.
closed – to press, squeeze; to close up (of a wound), such as
pressing a sore to remove the pus before treating and binding.
Nor have these sores (and probably
wounds and bruises) been treated in any way to help them to stop festering and
oozing; not even bound up to protect them, nor any ointment (fat; oil; olive
oil) put on, so that the sores could heal more quickly. (Hippocrates taught the
treatment of wounds and ulcers with oil, especially olive oil.)
Luke 10:25:33-34 – 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he
was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him], 34 And
went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set
him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
These wounds, bruises and
putrefying sores were not physical but spiritual; the people looked like any
other people, yet underneath they were literally dying spiritually. They could
be compared with the pharisees of Jesus’ day.
Matthew 23:27 – Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men’s] bones, and
of all uncleanness.
And only God could heal them of
such spiritual diseases (which were as a result of their sin).
Psalm 103:2-3 – 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine
iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
That forgiveness for sins could
heal them is shown by the following.
Mark 2:5; 8-11 – 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the
palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that
they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these
things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, [Thy]
sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to
forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11
I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into
thine house.
Isaiah 1:7 – Your country [is] desolate,
your cities [are] burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in
your presence, and [it is] desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
Not only do they have wounds, bruises
and sores from head to toe, their country is also desolate (wasted), their
cities are burned with fire, and strangers (foreigners or enemies) have taken from
the land what they have wanted for themselves (notably their crops), leaving a
land that is desolate (wasted) and spoiled as foreign enemies would do.
It is not certain who the enemy
might have been, but the message is clear: their country was already showing
the consequences of enemies ravaging their land and possessions. It is apparent
that this has resulted from the judgment of God. God had hit them hard; they no
longer have a nice and prosperous land in which to live. Life is now a struggle
to survive; “Why should you be stricken any more?” (Vs 5 above)
And the discipline of God
apparently is not working; “ye will revolt
more and more” (Vs 5). What will it take for
these people to get God’s message?
Isaiah 1:8 – And the daughter of
Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers,
as a besieged city.
And the inhabitants of Zion
(Jerusalem) have been so far spared, left standing on their own
as a cottage (booth – a rude or
temporary shelter in a vineyard, a vineyard keeper’s hut). …..
as a lodge (hut – something for
gardeners to shelter in) in the midst of a garden of cucumbers (gourd plants
were commonly grown in Israel). …..
as a city besieged (blockaded) by
enemies.
This is a picture of the remnant
left in a very small oasis of shelter after the rest of the land has been
ravaged by a foreign enemy. This is all that’s left of Judah with any
sovereignty at all. They have been punished to within an inch of the sovereign
control of their country; they have very little left to keep control of.
Isaiah 1:9 – Except the Lord of
hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, [and]
we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Unless the Lord of hosts (Yehovah tsaba – Lord Saboath, the sovereign title of the One who is in authority
over everything else without exception) had left us the very small remnant we
have at the moment, we would have been as destroyed as both Sodom and Gomorrah
were (that is, totally!). That is, there is very little between them right now,
and total destruction! They should have been grateful for just one last
opportunity to demonstrate their service of the Lord of hosts, yet they just
don’t seem to care. The ravaging of their land by foreign enemies hasn’t made
them turn away from their sin. The spiritual sickness that covers their nation
from head to toe (that is, the whole nation is implicated, not just a group
within that nation) hasn’t made them reconsider their sinful behaviour; they
just keep on rebelling as if there’s no tomorrow!
Note that Isaiah was still around
in the days of Hezekiah (more than 50 years after the time of today’s passage).
Hezekiah may have had some option of leading his people back from the brink of
destruction, but didn’t quite get there.
Up until the day of his mortal
sickness, Hezekiah had probably been a relatively good king, especially
according to Hezekiah himself (2 Kings 2:3). He begs God to give him a reprieve
from death, and Isaiah delivers the message that he won’t die just yet; God has
added 15 years to his life. However, in those last 15 years Hezekiah disobeys
God by being too friendly with some messengers from Babylon. Isaiah then gives
him this prophecy.
2 Kings 20:14-19 – 14 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said
unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And
Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, [even] from Babylon. 15
And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah
answered, All [the things] that [are] in mine house have they
seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. 16
And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. 17 Behold,
the days come, that all that [is] in thine house, and that which thy
fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon:
nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. 18 And
of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take
away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 19
Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good [is] the word of the Lord
which thou hast spoken. And he said, [Is it] not [good], if peace
and truth be in my days?
This appears to be the actual turning
point for Judah; this may have been their last chance to back away from their
destruction. However, now the stage is set for Judah to go into captivity.
Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh (probably born in the last 15 years of Hezekiah’s
life), becomes arguably the most evil king of Judah ever, and Judah is on a
slippery slope down to destruction at the bottom. Even the exemplary obedience
of King Josiah, grandson of Manasseh, couldn’t avert the disaster.
2 Kings 22:2; 16-20 – 2 And he did
[that which was] right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the
way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
16 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I
will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, [even] all
the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: 17 Because
they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might
provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall
be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. 18 But
to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say
to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, [As
touching] the words which thou hast heard; 19 Because
thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when
thou heardest what I spake
against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should
become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me;
I also have heard [thee], saith the Lord. 20
Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt
be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil
which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.
The church today has a lot to
learn from Judah in the days of Isaiah. We just cannot continue to live our
lives as if there’s no tomorrow, yet we do just that: live our lives as if all
that matters is the life now, today! Judah was living an unsustainable life, a
life centred upon greed and self-satisfaction. They thought they were
worshipping God; God thought otherwise. The message is clear: just because we
may believe with all our heads and hearts that we are serving God properly
doesn’t mean that He thinks we are. We have to start defining our worship as
God defines it, not as that which gives us the most enjoyment, or even that
which we consider to be most satisfying.
Christians should not expect to
continuously experience mountain-top Christian living. A good Christian will
spend some significant time in the valleys also; we are called to suffer for
the sake of Christ, neither can we be perfect at all times. But too many
Christians today see living in the valleys as a sign of certain sin, or a sign
of Christian weakness. Churches today continue to emphasise the desirability of
living victorious Christian lives spent as much as possible on the mountain top
of experience. No wonder that we seem to heading the same direction as Judah
was in today’s passage!