Isaiah 1: A Call to Repentance and Restoration
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.
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.
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
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.
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.
And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.
Isaiah 1 serves as a powerful introduction to the entire book of Isaiah, setting the stage for the prophet's message of judgment and hope to Judah. It's a chapter where God, acting as both prosecutor and judge, brings a lawsuit against His people for their covenant violations. Through vivid imagery and strong language, Isaiah unveils the depth of Israel's sin and the urgent need for repentance, while also offering a glimpse of God's restorative grace.
The Prophet and His Times (Isaiah 1:1)
The book opens by identifying Isaiah, the son of Amoz, as the messenger of the Lord. He prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. This timeframe places his ministry decades before the Babylonian exile, a period marked by both spiritual decline and political turmoil. Even before the exile, God expressed His displeasure with His people and His determination to judge them for their sin.
A Rebellious Family (Isaiah 1:2-4)
God initiates His case by calling heaven and earth as witnesses against Israel. He accuses them of being rebellious children. Despite His care and provision, they have turned away from Him. Isaiah 1:3 poignantly illustrates this rebellion: "The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." This highlights the depth of their spiritual blindness and ingratitude. They are a nation laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children acting corruptly, they have forsaken the Lord (Isaiah 1:4).
A Nation Afflicted (Isaiah 1:5-9)
Isaiah describes Judah's condition as a pervasive spiritual sickness. From head to toe, the nation is covered in wounds and sores, signifying the devastating consequences of their sin. Their land is desolate, their cities burned, and their fields ravaged by foreign invaders. Isaiah 1:8 paints a bleak picture of Jerusalem as a lone shack in a vineyard, a vulnerable remnant in a devastated land. If not for the Lord's gracious preservation of a remnant, Isaiah asserts in Isaiah 1:9, Judah would have suffered the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah, cities synonymous with divine judgment.
Empty Rituals (Isaiah 1:10-15)
The Lord vehemently rejects the religious practices of the people. Their sacrifices, offerings, and festivals have become meaningless and even repulsive to Him because they are performed with insincere hearts. God asks in Isaiah 1:11, "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?" He is not interested in outward displays of piety when their hearts are far from Him. Their hands are stained with the blood of injustice (Isaiah 1:15), rendering their prayers ineffective. Hypocritical acts of religious observance made God sick.
A Call to Action: Repentance and Justice (Isaiah 1:16-17)
God calls for genuine repentance, urging them to "wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause" (Isaiah 1:16-17). True repentance manifests in tangible actions, particularly in caring for the vulnerable members of society: the oppressed, the fatherless, and the widows. True religion is not selfish; it helps those who can do nothing in return.
A Promise of Forgiveness and a Warning of Judgment (Isaiah 1:18-20)
God extends an invitation to reason with Him, promising that though their sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). This is a powerful offer of forgiveness and cleansing, contingent upon their willingness to obey. He presents a choice: obedience leading to blessing ("you shall eat the good of the land," Isaiah 1:19) or rebellion leading to destruction ("you shall be devoured by the sword," Isaiah 1:20).
Jerusalem's Decline (Isaiah 1:21-23)
Isaiah laments the transformation of Jerusalem from a faithful city to a harlot, a place of injustice and corruption. Its leaders have become companions of thieves, lovers of bribes, and neglecters of the fatherless and widows. Justice is perverted, and the vulnerable are left without recourse.
Refining Fire and Restoration (Isaiah 1:24-31)
The Lord declares His intention to purify Jerusalem, to refine its people like metal in a furnace, removing the dross and restoring justice and righteousness. This process involves judgment and purging, but it ultimately leads to redemption for those who repent. Those who forsake the Lord, however, will be consumed and put to shame. Their strength will become as tow, and their work as a spark, and they will both burn together, with none to quench them (Isaiah 1:31).
Isaiah 1 presents a timeless message that resonates with readers today. It reminds us of the importance of genuine repentance, the necessity of social justice, and the transformative power of God's grace. It challenges us to examine our own hearts and actions, ensuring that our worship is not merely outward performance but a reflection of a sincere and obedient heart. God wants his children to act like their Father. When we were sinners and could do nothing for God, God in Christ became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
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.
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.
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
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.
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.
And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.
Isaiah 1 serves as a powerful introduction to the entire book of Isaiah, setting the stage for the prophet's message of judgment and hope to Judah. It's a chapter where God, acting as both prosecutor and judge, brings a lawsuit against His people for their covenant violations. Through vivid imagery and strong language, Isaiah unveils the depth of Israel's sin and the urgent need for repentance, while also offering a glimpse of God's restorative grace.
The Prophet and His Times (Isaiah 1:1)
The book opens by identifying Isaiah, the son of Amoz, as the messenger of the Lord. He prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. This timeframe places his ministry decades before the Babylonian exile, a period marked by both spiritual decline and political turmoil. Even before the exile, God expressed His displeasure with His people and His determination to judge them for their sin.
A Rebellious Family (Isaiah 1:2-4)
God initiates His case by calling heaven and earth as witnesses against Israel. He accuses them of being rebellious children. Despite His care and provision, they have turned away from Him. Isaiah 1:3 poignantly illustrates this rebellion: "The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." This highlights the depth of their spiritual blindness and ingratitude. They are a nation laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children acting corruptly, they have forsaken the Lord (Isaiah 1:4).
A Nation Afflicted (Isaiah 1:5-9)
Isaiah describes Judah's condition as a pervasive spiritual sickness. From head to toe, the nation is covered in wounds and sores, signifying the devastating consequences of their sin. Their land is desolate, their cities burned, and their fields ravaged by foreign invaders. Isaiah 1:8 paints a bleak picture of Jerusalem as a lone shack in a vineyard, a vulnerable remnant in a devastated land. If not for the Lord's gracious preservation of a remnant, Isaiah asserts in Isaiah 1:9, Judah would have suffered the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah, cities synonymous with divine judgment.
Empty Rituals (Isaiah 1:10-15)
The Lord vehemently rejects the religious practices of the people. Their sacrifices, offerings, and festivals have become meaningless and even repulsive to Him because they are performed with insincere hearts. God asks in Isaiah 1:11, "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?" He is not interested in outward displays of piety when their hearts are far from Him. Their hands are stained with the blood of injustice (Isaiah 1:15), rendering their prayers ineffective. Hypocritical acts of religious observance made God sick.
A Call to Action: Repentance and Justice (Isaiah 1:16-17)
God calls for genuine repentance, urging them to "wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause" (Isaiah 1:16-17). True repentance manifests in tangible actions, particularly in caring for the vulnerable members of society: the oppressed, the fatherless, and the widows. True religion is not selfish; it helps those who can do nothing in return.
A Promise of Forgiveness and a Warning of Judgment (Isaiah 1:18-20)
God extends an invitation to reason with Him, promising that though their sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). This is a powerful offer of forgiveness and cleansing, contingent upon their willingness to obey. He presents a choice: obedience leading to blessing ("you shall eat the good of the land," Isaiah 1:19) or rebellion leading to destruction ("you shall be devoured by the sword," Isaiah 1:20).
Jerusalem's Decline (Isaiah 1:21-23)
Isaiah laments the transformation of Jerusalem from a faithful city to a harlot, a place of injustice and corruption. Its leaders have become companions of thieves, lovers of bribes, and neglecters of the fatherless and widows. Justice is perverted, and the vulnerable are left without recourse.
Refining Fire and Restoration (Isaiah 1:24-31)
The Lord declares His intention to purify Jerusalem, to refine its people like metal in a furnace, removing the dross and restoring justice and righteousness. This process involves judgment and purging, but it ultimately leads to redemption for those who repent. Those who forsake the Lord, however, will be consumed and put to shame. Their strength will become as tow, and their work as a spark, and they will both burn together, with none to quench them (Isaiah 1:31).
Isaiah 1 presents a timeless message that resonates with readers today. It reminds us of the importance of genuine repentance, the necessity of social justice, and the transformative power of God's grace. It challenges us to examine our own hearts and actions, ensuring that our worship is not merely outward performance but a reflection of a sincere and obedient heart. God wants his children to act like their Father. When we were sinners and could do nothing for God, God in Christ became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).