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Isaiah Chapter 1
Rebellion of God's People
vision= Heb. chazown :
to see, mentally dream see a vision,
have a revelation, receive an oracle.
1The vision of Isaiah [yesha‛yâhû {yesh-ah-yaw'} the salvation of the Lord]
the son of Amoz ['âmôts {aw-mohts'} strong]
concerning Judah [the praise of the Lord; confession]
and Jerusalem, [vision of peace]
The message is primarily one
concerning Judah and Jerusalem…
not the church…
while there are spiritual lessons and principles
to be gleaned for us today…
we must keep in mind the time and setting
of the prophecy to avoid confusion.
which he saw during the reigns
of Uzziah, [Uzzel the strength, or kid, of the Lord]
Jotham, [the perfection of the Lord]
Ahaz [one that takes or possesses]
and Hezekiah, [strength of the Lord]
kings of Judah. [the praise of the Lord; confession]
Judah at this time was not involved
in the same kind of gross immorality of Israel,
but they were in grave spiritual danger
because they were living by the externals of the law
with no real heart’s commitment toward God
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The chronology here indicates that Isaiah served
from about the time king Uzziah died (about 739 B.C.)
through the time of Hezekiah.
This was at least through the time that Jerusalem
was under the siege of Sennacherib in 701 B.C.
Isaiah begins in a strikingly similar way
as the Song of Moses (See Deuteronomy 32:1)
2Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth;
For the LORD [yehôvâh – intimate and personal God] speaks,
Sons I have reared and brought up,
But they have revolted against Me.
All heaven and earth are commanded to hear
the divine proclamation and plea of God –
announcing sanctions and justice
for Judah and Jerusalem.
God is issuing a formal indictment against Israel,
and the non-deified cosmos is called as a witness.
This was a typical action in Near Eastern traditions and literature.
In the covenant that God made with Israel
the heavens and the earth had been called as witnesses…
“ 26I call heaven and earth to witness against you today,
that you will surely perish quickly from the land
where you are going over the Jordan to possess it.
You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed.”
Deuteronomy 4:26 NAS
…so it is equally appropriate that God calls them as witness
to hear the indictment against them for breaking the covenant.
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Sons I have reared and brought up:
Notice that God has:
1- reared (nourished) them
2- brought (trained) them up
But they have revolted against Me
revolted = Heb. pasha –
revolt, rebellion, sin against lawful authority
Here we see how they have
turned their backs on God
they are in rebellion
3"An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master's manger,
But Israel does not know, My people do not understand."
Here God implies that humans are
in comparison, worse than dumb animals.
Although animals have very little intelligence
they use what they have correctly.
Men who were given free will and superior intelligence,
do not walk with the same degree of righteousness.
Their ignorance was born from
their willful desire to have their own way,
rather than follow God’s commands.
Understand:
literally: to "stand under" a truth
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4 Alas, sinful nation,
sinful nation : 7 fold sins of Judah and Israel
1- sinful: degenerate, depraved by nature,
bent in the wrong direction morally (Ephesians 2:1-3)
“ 1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
Ephesians 2:1-3 NAS
2- Laden with Iniquity: Heb. ‘avon’ – perversiveness, crooked, out of course. (Matthew 23:4) “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.”
Matthew 23:4 NAS
3- Seed of Evildoers: born from sinful parents (Psalm 51:5)
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.”
Psalm 51:5 NAS
4- Corruptors: going into deep depravity and corruption:
(Deuteronomy 32:5)
“They have acted corruptly toward Him,
They are not His children, because of their defect;
But are a perverse and crooked generation.”
Deuteronomy 32:5 NAS
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5- Forsake God: backslide, pull back like a backsliding heifer
(Hosea 4:16)
“16Since Israel is stubborn like a stubborn heifer,
Can the LORD now pasture them like a lamb in a large field?”
Hosea 4:16 NAS
Heifers are immature female cows
who have not yet given birth to a calf;
so they are unfruitful, not yet in milk.
They also are usually extremely cantankerous
when they are being handled – as they are untrained.
6- Provoke God to Anger: by their scorn and blasphemy.
(Mark 7:21-23)
21"For from within, out of the heart of men,
proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander (blasphemy), pride and foolishness.
23"All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."
Mark 7:21-23 NAS
7- Gone away backward: becoming apostates, turning their backs on God (Romans 1:28-29)
“ 28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,
29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,”
Romans 1:28-29 NAS
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(verse 4 continued)
People weighed down with iniquity,
Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned the LORD, [yehôvâh – intimate and personal God]
They have despised the Holy One of Israel, [who prevails with God]
They have turned away from Him.
The Myth of Erra and Ishum: (eighth century Babylon)
Speaks of the destruction of cities being justified
because the people had abandoned justice and righteousness,
committed atrocities and plotted wicked schemes.
5Where will you be stricken again,
As you continue in your rebellion?
The whole head is sick
And the whole heart is faint.
6From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is nothing sound in it,
Only bruises, welts and raw wounds,
Not pressed out or bandaged,
Nor softened with oil.
The whole head and heart of Judah has become morally corrupted.
7Your land is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire,
Your fields--strangers are devouring them in your presence;
It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
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land is desolate: (vs.7 above)
The devastation of the land was a natural consequence
of the invading forces.
Such armies often lacked an adequate supply line
to support their troops,
so they relied on living off the land they were invading.
What ever they didn’t use for their own purposes was destroyed.
Often the indigenous people of the land
would actually burn their own crops
so that they would not become
a source of sustenance for the enemy.
8The daughter of Zion [monument; raised up; sepulcher]
is left like a shelter in a vineyard,
Like a watchman's hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
daughter of Zion:
Zion is the name of the mountain
on which Jerusalem is situated
and represents spiritually the place from which
the Lord conquers and reigns.
In this respect it is connected to
the Davidic covenant and kingship that was ordained by God.
The daughter of Zion generally refers to the city itself.
a watchman's hut in a cucumber field:
Small huts were built in the fields so that watchmen could stand guard over the fruits or vegetables that were almost ready to harvest.
At the end of the harvest these huts were abandoned and let desolate.
Here Jerusalem is being compared to these desolate huts –
i.e. vacant and deserted with no form of protection
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9Unless the LORD [yehôvâh – intimate and personal God] of hosts
Had left us a few survivors,
We would be like Sodom, [sedôm {sed-ome'} to scorch; burnt]
We would be like Gomorrah. [‛ămôrâh {am-o-raw'} a (ruined) heap;]
Of course Sodom and Gomorrah
were destroyed by the Hand of God, not invading forces…
…the intent here is not to demonstrate the method of destruction,
but to show the comparative magnitude of destruction
of God’s judgment due to their rebellion and failure to repent.
10Hear the word of the LORD, [yehôvâh – intimate and personal God]
You rulers of Sodom; [sedôm {sed-ome'} to scorch; burnt]
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah. [‛ămôrâh {am-o-raw'} a (ruined) heap;]
11"What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?"
Says the LORD. [yehôvâh – intimate and personal God]
"I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
burnt offerings:
Burnt offering usually were accompanied by petitions.
Many cultures in the ancient world believed petitions
had to be accompanied with food for the gods.
The ‘meal for the gods’ concept, had been theoretically discarded
in the Jewish law and traditions,
but the practice found its way back into many believers.
The problem with the ‘feeding of the gods’,
is that it presupposes that God had needs
that worshippers could meet,
and therefore presumably procure his favor.
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12"When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
trampling of My courts:
Temples in the ancient world were considered sacred places
and were generally protected by Temple guards
who closely guarded and restricted access.
Admission to the general public was only allowed
when a sacrifice was to be offered,
and then the worshipper was only allowed in the outer court.
Entrance to the sacred inner courts or the holy of holies
was only accessible by the priests or high priest at appointed times.
Evidently the sacredness of the Temple, was now,
no longer the priority it had once been –
and common people were desecrating the holiness of the Temple by violating these laws, i.e. “trampling” the courts of God.
13"Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
incense is an abomination to Me.
Incense:
In the ancient world incense was valued
as an accompaniment to sacrifice.
Its sweet scent effectively masked
any unpleasant odors resulting
from the performance of the rituals.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies--
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
14"I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.
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New moon and Sabbath:
Ancient Israel utilized the lunar calendar,
in which they recognized the first day of the month
by the ‘new moon’ phase, as a festival day
(every twenty-nine or thirty days).
As on the Sabbath, all work was to cease.
"When will the new moon be over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to cheat with dishonest scales,
Amos 8:5 NAS
15"So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen
Your hands are covered with blood.
16"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight
Cease to do evil,
17Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.
At this point in their history
Judah could still have repented
and returned to God
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8"Come now, and let us reason together,"
Says the LORD, [yehôvâh – intimate and personal God]
" Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
The dyes needed to make scarlet or red cloths
during ancient times were the most durable and striking,
creating the most noticeable and permanent stains.
This speaks to the awesome power
of God’s forgiveness of our sins.
There is nowhere in the Old Testament
or in ancient Near Eastern literature
where the color red is symbolic of sin
and white is symbolic of purity.
19"If you consent and obey,
You will eat the best of the land;
20"But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be devoured by the sword "
Truly, the mouth of the LORD [yehôvâh – intimate and personal God]
has spoken.
Zion Corrupted, to Be Redeemed
21How the faithful city has become a harlot,
She who was full of justice!
Righteousness once lodged in her,
But now murderers.
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22Your silver has become dross,
Your drink diluted with water.
silver has become dross:
In the ancient world silver was extracted and assayed
through the process called cupellation.
In the initial smelting process silver was extracted
from galena (lead ore) which contained
less than one percent silver in a given sample.
The lead was melted to attempt to separate
the silver from lead and other impurities.
The temperature for the cupellation process was critical to its success. If the temperature was not maintained just right,
the conglomerate of materials would fuse together
and the resultant material was called dross.
The formation of dross made the silver content virtually useless,
and the process would have to begin all over.
23Your rulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves a bribe
And chases after rewards
They do not defend the orphan,
Nor does the widow's plea come before them.
Defending orphans and widows:
A major aspect of the Israelite legal tradition
involved making provision for groups
classified as weak of poor:
widows, orphans, and the resident alien
(see Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18-19; 24: 17-21)
This reflects a concern throughout the ancient Near East
that the vulnerable classes be provided for.
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God’s warning to Judah of impending judgment
if they do not repent and turn back to God.
24Therefore the Lord ['âdôni {aw-done'} sovereign, that is, controller]
GOD [yehôvâh – intimate and personal God] of hosts,
The Mighty One ['âbıyr {aw-beer'} mighty (spoken of God): - mighty (one).]
of Israel, declares,
"Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries
And avenge Myself on My foes.
25"I will also turn My hand against you,
And will smelt away your dross as with lye
And will remove all your alloy.
The major emphasis of Isaiah is set down,
that of God’s coming glory upon His people.
26"Then I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
After that you will be called the city of righteousness,
A faithful city."
restore your judges and counselors:
Since this section has to do with justice in society
and the court system, the judges mentioned here
are most likely judicial ones
rather than the deliverers of the Judges period.
The counselors were responsible
for helping kings formulate and enforce the laws and policies.
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27Zion [monument; raised up; sepulcher] will be redeemed with justice
And her repentant ones with righteousness.
28But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together,
And those who forsake the LORD [yehôvâh – intimate and personal God]
will come to an end.
29Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired,
And you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen.
the oaks and the gardens:
Gardens in the Near East were often arboretums
filled with fruit trees and shade trees,
serving as outdoor shrines or sacred enclosures.
Sacred trees played a significant role
in popular religions of the day.
Clusters of trees called Asherim groves
were places where the light was blotted out and truth obscured.
('ăshêyrâh was a Phoenician goddess)
They were often places where sexual sin
was combined with religious customs.
They were places of secret sinning in the Canaanite religions
(See Deuteronomy 7).
30For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away
Or as a garden that has no water.
31The strong man will become tinder,
His work also a spark.
Thus they shall both burn together
And there will be none to quench them.
Although the messianic age will be marvelous,
it will come only to a people
who are willing to walk with the Lord
and forsake their sins.
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