Isaiah 1:1 says 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. Isaiah means the salvation of the Lord. Matthew Henry states that some people think this first verse should be the title of the book of Isaiah. He also says that it was the first sermon that the prophet Isaiah was appointed to publish by posting it on the temple door so that everyone might read it. The things that we proclaim for God, which should be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, need to be done so that as many people as possible might hear what we have to say or even write. Isaiah said this was a vision that he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. What we proclaim to the world today may not come as a vision, but it must come from God if it is the truth.
Verse two adds, 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. Isaiah said that they needed to hear, because God had spoken, and He was especially speaking to those whom He had nurtured and raised as children, but who had then rebelled against Him. This wasn’t written to the people who did not know God, but to those who had seen His work in the world, or His chosen people in other words. We need to pray that as His people today, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, that God never finds us rebelling against Him.
Verse three continues, The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Isaiah said even the ox and the ass knew their master but that the people of Israel did not. In other words, they were dumber that simple animals that weren’t known for being very smart. If people today, in particular Christians, fail to acknowledge God’s Voice when He talks to us, we are dumber than the dumbest animal, no matter how high our I.Q. might be.
Verse four states, 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. This verse is quite an indictment against the people Judah and Jerusalem. As already stated, these were God’s Chosen People who had entered into a covenant relationship with Him, but He said they were full of iniquity, were the children of evildoers whose own children were corrupters, and that they had all gone away backward in their relationship to Him. They had provoked God’s anger at their actions. As Christians, we have been freed from the power of sin, and if we go backward in our faith and fall into sin and iniquity once more after we establish a personal relationship with God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, He will always be displeased with our actions.
Verse five adds, Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. Isaiah said if they asked why they should be stricken as God’s Chosen People, it was because of their actions and not the actions of God. He said they had become totally corrupted and were revolting against God. If we as followers of Christ find things going wrong in life today, we need to first make sure that our actions are not corrupted and that we are not rebelling against God. This is not to say that anytime this happens that we have fallen away from faith in God, but it is always the best place to start. I believe that too often we cry ‘why me' instead of first examining our own heart.
Verse six continues, 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. Isaiah said that they were afflicted from the top of their head to the soles of their feet, which would be totally corrupted. He also said that these wounds were not healing because they were still rebelling against God. If we allow sin back into our lives as Christians, it will totally corrupt our relationship with God until we confess and ask His forgiveness once more and there will be no spiritual healing until we do.
No comments:
Post a Comment