My commentary is underlined and below the related scripture.
Isaiah lived in Judah, the southern kingdom of the divided nation of Israel. He was a prophet to four kings of Judah from about 740 BC to 681 BC, but he preached repentance and salvation to the whole nation.
Isaiah 1(New International Version)
1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
A Rebellious Nation
2 Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth!
For the LORD has spoken:
"I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
God is saying that he made a nation from scratch so to speak. Prior to God"s intervention with Abraham, the nation of Israel didn"t exist. God could have taken a small nation and turned it into a large powerful nation, but that would have left room for man to claim that man had at least a small hand in it. God has shown he will not share his glory by allowing man to be able to take credit for the handy work of God.
One persistent sin of the Israelite nation was idol worship. God was still in the process of teaching Israel that God would not share his glory with Idols either.
3 The ox knows his master,
the donkey his owner's manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand."
God is saying that even a dumb animal has more sense than Israel was showing, Israel had no excuse.
4 Ah, sinful nation,
a people loaded with guilt,
a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the LORD;
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.
Israel had not only set up idols as equals to God, they had taken to replacing God with these idols. Who had they forsaken? The "Holy One of Israel", who is the Holy One?
Isaiah 54:5 5 For your Maker is your husband"
the LORD Almighty is his name"
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
5 Why should you be beaten anymore?
Why do you persist in rebellion?
Your whole head is injured,
your whole heart afflicted.
6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head
there is no soundness"
only wounds and welts
and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged
or soothed with oil.
7 Your country is desolate,
your cities burned with fire;
your fields are being stripped by foreigners
right before you,
laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.
God has been punishing Israel in an effort to get them to see the error of their ways. He is pointing out to them just how bad they have been punished, yet Israel still didn"t understand. Many in Israel simply believed they were not doing a good job at worshipping the idols they claimed to be God.
8 The Daughter of Zion is left
like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut in a field of melons,
like a city under siege.
God is showing that without the intervention of the oppressing King, the owner of the vineyard or melon field then the Daughter of Zion (Israel) is abandoned, without hope.
9 Unless the LORD Almighty
had left us some survivors,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the LORD,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the law of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
Isaiah is trying his best to get the leaders of Israel to understand that God could and has punished people harsher than God had punished Israel.
11 "The multitude of your sacrifices"
what are they to me?" says the LORD.
"I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations"
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;
16 wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,
17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed. (Or / rebuke the oppressor)
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
God has said that the aroma of sincere repentance is a pleasing aroma (Revelation). There was nothing sincere in what the Israelites were offering in the way of repentance. Not only had Israel failed at doing the greatest commandment, to KNOW God is GOD and the ONLY GOD, they had also failed at the second greatest commandment, Love your fellow man.
Even some of the heathen nations surrounding Israel were doing a better job of fulfilling the second greatest commandment.
18 "Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land;
20 but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword."
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
21 See how the faithful city
has become a harlot!
She once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her"
but now murderers!
22 Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,
companions of thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow's case does not come before them.
God is offering Israel a chance to reasonably decide what is right and wrong. The things God points to here are not only reasonable, they are right. There is right and wrong, even for a heathen nation that was without God"s personal instruction. In these verses God isn"t chiding Israel for chasing idols; he is saying that Israel should have tried to do right by their fellow mankind regardless of any additional/special instruction. As shown, Israel had not only shown less sense than a dumb animal, but they had also shown less integrity than many heathens.
24 Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
"Ah, I will get relief from my foes
and avenge myself on my enemies.
25 I will turn my hand against you;
I will thoroughly purge away your dross
and remove all your impurities.
God has explained his position to Israel; God had offered to reason, God now states his intents.
26 I will restore your judges as in days of old,
your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City."
God is saying that Israel will at sometime be restored. I am sure the Israelites of that day didn"t understand the "restoration" fully, the same as us today. We see as though looking through a dim window. God"s restoration is through the Holy One.
27 Zion will be redeemed with justice,
her penitent ones with righteousness.
28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,
and those who forsake the LORD will perish.
29 "You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks (the sacred oaks refer to the trees the Israelites worshipped idols under)
in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens
that you have chosen.
30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,
like a garden without water.
31 The mighty man will become tinder
and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
with no one to quench the fire."
The man will be destroyed because of the work of his hands, and no earthly man could prevent God"s punishment on that man.
This is a general/basic understanding of Isaiah 1, there is much that many here can add to it (I hope they do).
Folks, I have left plenty of room for anyone to stress any extra understanding they may have of the verses in Isaiah: 1.
We won"t learn unless you step up and show us what we need to see.
Thanks
Mr-Pirk
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A proud owner of a Flying Vee. Bestowed by the fine Gentleman VC1111 himself.
Historical facts on Isaiah.
The Book of Isaiah is one of the most important books of the Old Testament. While little is known of the personal life of the prophet, he is considered to be one of the greatest of them all.
The book is a collection of oracles, prophecies, and reports; but the common theme is the message of salvation. There was, according to these writings, no hope in anything that was made by people. The northern kingdom of Israel had been carried into captivity (722 B.C.), and the kingdom of Judah was in the middle of idolatry and evil. The kingdom of Assyria had dominated the Fertile Crescent and posed a major threat to both kingdoms; and the kingdom of Babylon was gaining power and would replace Assyria as the dominant threat. In view of the fast-changing international scene, the people of Israel would be concerned about their lot in life"what would become of the promises of God? How could the chosen people survive, let alone be a theocracy again? And must the remnant of the righteous also suffer with the nation that for all purposes was pagan?
To these and many other questions the book addresses itself.
There would be a purging of the nation because God is holy. Before the nation could inherit the promises made to the fathers, it would have to be made holy. So God would use the pagan nations to chasten Israel for its sins and cleanse it from iniquity. And even though the judgment of the captivity would punish sin and destroy the wicked unbelievers, the removal of iniquity would ultimately be the work of the Servant of the LORD, the promised Messiah. On the basis of such cleansing and purification, God would then establish the golden age, a time of peace and prosperity that the world has never known. When the holy God would make the remnant holy, then He would use them to rule over the nations rather than allow the nations again to discipline them.
The messenger of the message of salvation is the prophet Isaiah, whose name means "salvation of Yahweh," or "Yah saves." He was the son of Amoz; he may also have been related to the royal family, perhaps King Manasseh, by whom he was believed to have been sawn asunder (see the Apocryphal literature; Heb. 11:37). He prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, and also may have lived past Hezekiah into the reign of Manasseh. Assuming that he was a young man at the death of Uzziah in 742 B.C.when his official ministry began, he might have been 70 or 80 at the time of his death (ca. 680 B.C.). Therefore, the prophet would have ministered for at least 60 years in an effort to bring the nation back to God.
The collection of Isaianic oracles fits the progression of Israel"s history over this time. The prophet began preaching during the Assyrian crisis, about the time Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom and was threatening the southern kingdom. Although Hezekiah was able to survive that invasion through the help of the prophet, he foolishly allowed the ambassadors from Babylon to see all the treasures of the kingdom, a sin that brought Isaiah"s announcement of the Babylonian captivity in the future. The book includes this historical interlude before the second half which focuses on that captivity in Babylon. The prophet has no idea when that captivity would come; for him it could have come right after the death of Hezekiah, and that would mean his audience might be the people to go into the exile. And so he began to prepare them"but it would not be that generation, for the exile began about 100 years after the death of Isaiah. But the second portion of the book looks in a general way to that future time and writes his message of comfort and hope for the exiles of Judah, as well as descriptions of the restoration to Jerusalem. The hope of such a salvation issues into the glorious vision of the new heavens and the new earth in the age to come.
So the setting of the first half of the book is Judah in the days of the Assyrians, and the setting of the second half of the book is Babylon, then Jerusalem again, and then beyond in the age to come. The "target audience" in the first half of the book is pre-exilic Israel; the "target audience" in the second half of the book is Israel during the exile and at the return (we know they are different; Isaiah did not). In both parts the oracles often look to the distant future for their main meaning and application. The fact that each section includes vivid descriptions as well as general and poetic descriptions has fueled controversy about the unity of the book and the prophet himself.
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"Blessed is He who Comes in The Name of The Lord"
The following outline of the contents of the book will enable us to gain a quick overview and see how the different parts fit together.
I. The Book Of Judgment (1:1"35:10) The Message of Rebuke and Promise (1:1"6:13)
Israel"s ungrateful rebellion and the LORD"s gracious invitation (1:1-31).
Israel"s prospect of glory through Messiah after the chastening for sin that will make them holy (2:1"4:6).
Israel"s swift and complete judgment in exile (5:1-30).
Isaiah"s cleansing of unholiness and calling to the ministry to the unholy nation that faces desolation (6:1-13).
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"Blessed is He who Comes in The Name of The Lord"
5 For your Maker is your husband"
the LORD Almighty is his name"
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
Love this verse . . .I used it for a signature for a long time. I like the way you have laid these verses out and your comments Mark. Should be a good study, what with all the preachers . .preacher/hebrew we have here.
__________________ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
What stands out to me is the emphasis of how that their neglect of championing the fatherless and dealing with oppressiveness was such an important issue with the Lord. Obviously it matters how we not only treat others, but whether or not we involve ourselves in theses social issues. The church,rightly so, wants to promote the Gospel. The nominal church wants to take up political and social issues as a semblance of and a substitute for faith and obedience. What He is interseted in, is our submission to Him, and our reliance on Him personally--being rightly related. And what would naturally flow from this would be to take up the causes for the oppressed and the fatherless, using these social issues as means of expressing and demonstrating compassion, while we also take this occasion to present the Gospel. It rminds me of a time when I as in Jamaica. I was in the interior, and gathered around a group of school children. One of the teachers, somehow, without my ever saying a word, knew I was there to communicate the Gospel to them. He objected, saying that they were hungry and in need of food. Before I ever opened my mouth or replied, I went to a small market, and purchased milk and crackers to feed these children. The teachers animosity melted and he asked me to also speak to them. It seems we have made it an either or proposition, when it is actually a both and. Feed them, provide for them ,champion their cause by standing up to the oppressors seeking justice so that we can present the eternal remedy to them.
Also there is the future refernece of this same issue being directly linked to fasting. The fast that He approves is one of moving away from a selfish, unconcerned attitude to focus on the needs of others. Not merely depriving ones self from a meal or 2.
Good lesson Bro Pirk; These things were written for our admonishion, upon whom the end of the world are come. I Cor 10:11 The church of today, (as a whole) has fallen into the same meaningless ritual of worship that Israel was in. They had drifted away from their God and was in dire need of repentance. Men today also have a form of Godliness, they profess with their lips, but have drifted away from the old paths wherein is the good way.
On the one hand we have the historical background of the book during the Assyrian crisis. Here are some of the most crucial events in this period: 1. "The Young Lion Roars." In 743 B.C. there was a coalition under Azariah against Tiglathpileser III (743, 738, 735). The important comparative material can be read in ANET, p. 282, lines 103ff.1 The record in 2 Kings 15:19-20 (compare ANET, p. 283, lines 150ff.) tells how Rezin, Menahem, and Hiram were put under tribute to Assyria. This may have taken place in 738 (although Young in his commentary says 735). 2. "The Smoking Firebrand and the Trembling Heart." The Syro-Ephraimite war took place in 735-733 B.C. According to 2 Kings 15, 16, there was an attempt to set up Ben Tabil on the throne when Ahaz of the Davidic dynasty did not go along with the treaty. Ahaz appealed to Tiglathpileser of Assyria for help, but this was a mistake (see ANET, pp. 283,4). Pekah was removed and Hoshea put in power in Israel; Ahaz became a "son of Pul," a political vassal of Tiglathpileser. 3. "Silly Dove without Understanding." Hoshea"s revolt and call to Egypt took place in 722 B.C. The accounts can be read in 2 Chronicles 28:21 and ANET, p. 284, lines 23ff. It was in 722 that Samaria finally fell to Sargon II, the general under and successor to Shalmaneser (the first king started the siege of Samaria and died during the time; his successor finished off the kingdom of Israel). 4. "The Bird in the Cage." There were rebellions during the reign of Hezekiah in Judah in 713, 705, and 701. In 713 Ashdod rebelled against Sargon (Isa. 20). In 705 Hezekiah rebelled against Sennacherib (Isa. 30, 31). And in 701 Assyria invaded the land in what has become one of the most frequently described invasions of Israel"s history"Sennacherib"s own account says, "I shut up Hezekiah the Jew (or Judean) like a bird in a cage." Isaiah 10 describes the invasion of the army from the north; Micah, a contemporary, describes the invasion of another part of the army from the lowlands (Micah 1), and the Book of Kings describes the historical event, as do sections of Isaiah. Since Tirhaqah of Ethiopia was involved, the literature also includes the Ethiopian records. Of course, only the Bible tells of the destruction of the Assyrian army by the Angel of Yahweh.
So there is a major section of the book written against the backdrop of the Assyrian crisis.
[ul]The Babylonian Period[/ul]
On the other hand we have the apparent setting of the circumstances of the Babylonian captivity, 586-536 B.C. Actually, the passages do not include very specific details and descriptions of Babylon or the exile in the oracles"not anything like the Assyrian background"there are not the firsthand, eye-witness accounts of life and circumstances in Babylon one would expect if the author had lived thee. The most specific reference comes with the mentioning of the name of the king of Persia, Cyrus, who would conquer Babylon (Isa. 44, 45). The presence of this name in the book has prompted many to see the second part of the collection as the work of another prophet, one who lived closer to the events and could reasonably be expected to use a name like Cyrus since he would be more of an eye-witness. In other words, this other prophet saw Cyrus coming against Babylon, and so "predicted" that he would destroy Babylon and free Israel.
[ul]The Persian Deliverance [/ul]
What can we make of the use of the name of Cyrus in the oracles? Critical scholarship finds it too difficult to accept that a prophet could predict the name of a king some 175 years before he came on the scene. But was the Persian empire or such a name that obscure? It is helpful to have the history clear in our minds before discussing the critical issues.
The royal line of which Cyrus was a part was founded by Achaemenes, who ruled from 700-675 (contemporary with Isaiah). It was he whose name was taken for the empire, the Achaemenid Empire. His son was Teispes (675-640); he expanded the boundaries of Parsa (Persia) as far south as Pasargadae. Because his empire was so great, he divided it between his two sons, Ariaramnes in the south and Cyrus I in the north. This division meant that there was a ruler known as Cyrus around 70 years before Israel went into captivity. Teispes also regained independence from the Medes, who had made Parsa a vassal in 670. The line of Cyrus I produced Cambyses I (600-559) and Cyrus II (559-530). Cambyses was placed over the empire when Persia became a Median province again; he married the daughter of Astyages. Cyrus II, being the offspring of that marriage, thereby uniting in himself the royal houses of the Medes and the Persians. Cyrus" grandfather on his mother"s side was the great Cyaxares who overthrew the Scythians and the Assyrians, establishing control over all northern Mesopotamia and Iran. Cyrus was in fact a vassal of his grandfather in the State of Persia. He organized the Persian states and made a pact with Nabonidus of Babylon"against the law of Astyages. When he was summoned to Ecbatana to answer for this, he refused to go. Astyges then attacked his willful grandson, but was defeated and taken prisoner. Cyrus took Ecbatana and made Media a province of Persia. Thus began his great empire. When it came time to take Babylon, the people were eager for Cyrus the Great to do it, for they were bitter against their king Nabonidus who rejected their worship of Marduk and kept them exploited as slaves. Cyrus" general Gubaru ("Darius" in the account of Daniel) took the city without a battle; a few days later Cyrus could march in triumphantly.
We shall return to this issue later. But it is important to realize that the movements of these world powers were well-known in the various courts, including Jerusalem. And the Book of Isaiah gives sufficient evidence that the prophet knew international affairs. The growth and influence of the Persian empire was not hidden from the rest of the world; this state and its kings were not non-existent until 536 B.C. And a name "Cyrus" was associated with this rising power as early as 670, 660 B.C. or thereabouts.
For the prophet, Persia seems to be the next major power after Assyria. Babylon has a brief interlude when she destroys Nineveh, but the rising power is beyond Babylon. The prophet Isaiah was certainly inspired by God; but he probably knew a great deal too. God revealed to him that Babylon would take Judea into captivity, and that a Persian king would allow them to come back.
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"Blessed is He who Comes in The Name of The Lord"
Verses 1-9 Isaiah signifies, "The salvation of the Lord;" a very suitable name for this prophet, who prophesies so much of Jesus the Saviour, and his salvation. God's professing people did not know or consider that they owed their lives and comforts to God's fatherly care and kindness. How many are very careless in the affairs of their souls! Not considering what we do know in religion, does us as much harm, as ignorance of what we should know. The wickedness was universal. Here is a comparison taken from a sick and diseased body. The distemper threatens to be mortal. From the sole of the foot even to the head; from the meanest peasant to the greatest peer, there is no soundness, no good principle, no religion, for that is the health of the soul. Nothing but guilt and corruption; the sad effects of Adam's fall. This passage declares the total depravity of human nature. While sin remains unrepented, nothing is done toward healing these wounds, and preventing fatal effects. Jerusalem was exposed and unprotected, like the huts or sheds built up to guard ripening fruits. These are still to be seen in the East, where fruits form a large part of the summer food of the people. But the Lord had a small remnant of pious servants at Jerusalem. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. The evil nature is in every one of us; only Jesus and his sanctifying Spirit can restore us to spiritual health. Verses 10-15 Judea was desolate, and their cities burned. This awakened them to bring sacrifices and offerings, as if they would bribe God to remove the punishment, and give them leave to go on in their sin. Many who will readily part with their sacrifices, will not be persuaded to part with their sins. They relied on the mere form as a service deserving a reward. The most costly devotions of wicked people, without thorough reformation of heart and life, cannot be acceptable to God. He not only did not accept them, but he abhorred them. All this shows that sin is very hateful to God. If we allow ourselves in secret sin, or forbidden indulgences; if we reject the salvation of Christ, our very prayers will become abomination. Verses 16-20 Not only feel sorrow for the sin committed, but break off the practice. We must be doing, not stand idle. We must be doing the good the Lord our God requires. It is plain that the sacrifices of the law could not atone, even for outward national crimes. But, blessed be God, there is a Fountain opened, in which sinners of every age and rank may be cleansed. Though our sins have been as scarlet and crimson, a deep dye, a double dye, first in the wool of original corruption, and afterwards in the many threads of actual transgression; though we have often dipped into sin, by many backslidings; yet pardoning mercy will take out the stain, ( Psalms 51:7 ) . They should have all the happiness and comfort they could desire. Life and death, good and evil, are set before us. O Lord, incline all of us to live to thy glory. Verses 21-31 Neither holy cities nor royal ones are faithful to their trust, if religion does not dwell in them. Dross may shine like silver, and the wine that is mixed with water may still have the colour of wine. Those have a great deal to answer for, who do not help the oppressed, but oppress them. Men may do much by outward restraints; but only God works effectually by the influences of his Spirit, as a Spirit of Judgment. Sin is the worst captivity, the worst slavery. The redemption of the spiritual Zion, by the righteousness and death of Christ, and by his powerful grace, most fully accord with what is here meant. Utter ruin is threatened. The Jews should become as a tree when blasted by heat; as a garden without water, which in those hot countries would soon be burned up. Thus shall they be that trust in idols, or in an arm of flesh. Even the strong man shall be as tow; not only soon broken, and pulled to pieces, but easily catching fire. When the sinner has made himself as tow and stubble, and God makes himself as a consuming fire, what can prevent the utter ruin of the sinner?
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"Blessed is He who Comes in The Name of The Lord"
Alex the Hawk "He (Isaiah) may also have been related to the royal family, perhaps King Manasseh, by whom he was believed to have been sawn asunder (see the Apocryphal literature; Heb. 11:37)".
Thanks for that insight Alex, I had never considered that. If that was in fact Isaiah"s fate, it adds an extra dimension to just how depraved Israel had became.
"For the exile began about 100 years after the death of Isaiah. " Thanks Alex, I didn"t know that either.
Leaf River Mac, I kept wondering why that scripture wasn"t used when CatAway kept saying Jesus wasn"t God.
Perhaps it was and I just missed it.
Man U Man, I agree, but then I started thinking this "Why wouldn"t God strongly condem the failure to keep the second greatest commandment".
Snooky I sadly agree. There is a lot of truth in your words.
Alex, your last two posts on this thread deserve an extra reading, I will try to study them tomorrow and get back to you.
Thanks
Mr-Pirk
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A proud owner of a Flying Vee. Bestowed by the fine Gentleman VC1111 himself.
Isaiah: 1
