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“It shall come to pass in the latter days ...” (Is 2:2 ESV)

Isaiah 2-4
There is certainty in the statement: “It shall come to pass”. Whatever Isaiah’s next sermon discusses, we are reminded about the certainty behind what God does. Whether blessing or curse, without a doubt, “it shall come to pass”.

This sermon is framed by two pictures of the “latter days”:
1) “the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains” - Is 2:2
2) “the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious” - Is 4:2

No matter what would transpire between the day Isaiah spoke the words and the commencement of “that day”, God’s mountain and branch would be the most powerful and glorious around. It’s hard to say what the mountain and branch are supposed to be. Are they the physical or spiritual kingdom? Maybe they are referring to a return from exile or the New Testament church.

We do know, however, that the nature of God’s teaching, paths, law and judgment are what make his mountain attractive to people. The attraction to peace through righteousness may best describe what the mountain is supposed to represent: living in godliness & Righteousness. These are both the means to reach God and the reward of being in his presence. The height of the mountain and the glory of the branch.

This is what will come to pass in the latter days to God’s mountain & branch: the peoples will stream to it and the survivors of Jerusalem will be holy. With God’s righteous teaching and lifestyle as the goal, Isaiah begins to itemize problems he saw in the people around him.

~ People were influenced by the world - 2:6-8
~ People who hide from God (like Adam & Eve?) - 2:9-11, 19-21
~ People with “haughty looks” & “lofty pride” - 2:11
~ People who, left to themselves, lived foolishly - 2:22-3:8
~ People live and speak against the LORD - 3:8
~ People without shame for sin - 3:9
~ People with misleading guides - 3:12

When God looks at the behavior of his people, their faces betray them (Is 3:9). When God opens his court of judgment against all peoples, his own have no answer to their oppression of the poor & helpless (Is 3:13-14). When God looks to the women of the land he only sees decadence and pride (Is 3:16-4:1).

When God look out to his people, what does he see? A city that stumbled and a country that fallen “against the LORD, defying his glorious presence” (Is 3:8). Not quite the picture of expectation we read in Isaiah 2:2 & 4:2.

If Isaiah’s previous sermon (Isaiah 1) was a “wake up call”, this sermon is a tool to educate the child of God. It contrasts the ideal ways and paths of the LORD with the current lifestyle Isaiah’s audience was a part of. When you grow up “on a pew” in a religious family you grow accustomed to the assumption that you are in the way of the Lord. Isaiah challenged his audience to reconsider - the same way James did in his letter to the early Christians.

Isaiah says, consider how the nations will be drawn to God’s paths, judgment and decisions - are you drawn to these aspects of God? The behavior of the people in Isaiah’s day indicated otherwise.

“In that day ... when the Lord shall have washed away the filth from the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem” - Is 4:2-4

It is a sure thing - sure enough to speak of the approaching purging to have already happened. Isaiah wanted his brothers and sisters to consider whether they would be purged from Jerusalem or be “he who is left in Zion ... who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem” (Is 4:3).

Brothers and sisters, just as Isaiah warned Zion of the “spirit of judgment” and “spirit of burning”, we are warned of the same spirit - Matthew 3:11-12. What will we be revealed by fire in our day? (1Co 3:10-15)

"Come now, let us reason together" (Is 1:18 ESV)

Isaiah 1
When Isaiah delivers his first sermon to Jerusalem it is not his own, it’s God’s: "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken" (Isaiah 1:2). This first chapter helps us see the aims of the prophecy of Isaiah.

What does the Sermon say about the People?
The lesson is for a people that does not understand who they are, what they are doing or the problems they are dealing with. A people who are hurting from head to toe but don't do anything about it. They seem to stand alone in the field and suffer needlessly.

The sermon is a wake up call to a people who still worship the Lord. Notice what they proudly bring to God in vs. 12-14: offerings, incense, festivals, convocations, assemblies and feasts. They may be doing them wrong but they're still doing them! They safeguard themselves by their religious behavior - but show them off to God with bloody hands (Isa 1:15). God tells them he wants a people without evil. People that "do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, [and] plead the widow's cause" (Isa 1:16-17).

Same Old Story
This estimation of the people doesn't stand out agains the backdrop of history. James tried to correct the same problem in the early church telling Christians to stop deceiving themselves and be "doers" of God’s word. Instead than just listening to sermons, James wanted Christians to actually change the way they listened (James 1:19), controlled their emotions (1:20), thought about others (2:1-13) and performed their duties and "works" (2:14-26).

Isaiah’s “wake up call” sermon serves as a preface to what the whole vision of the book is to be:
a) Wake up and see what your situation is
b) Consider what you are (or are not) doing
c) Remember who the redeemer is

Redemption
Verse 18 is a search light in the middle of the fog lived in. They were engaged in religious activity, but forgetful of their own heart & conduct - so this opportunity to be “white as snow” must have seemed promising. They were hurt and didn’t know why. Their effort to worship God was turned down - and yet, he is still the one who could clean up their problems. Submission was all they needed - and was just within reach ...

If only they hadn’t replaced justice and righteousness with murder and bribery. If only they had kept their silver clean and wine unmixed (Isa 1:21-22). God wanted them to wake up and clean up their act with submissive humility - because he was about to come in to clean up their world in a severe way (1:25-26).

This sermon tells us God’s expectations in repentance:
1) We need to see what we look like - the way God sees us (Isa 1:2-6, James 1:22-25)
2) We need to clean up our act - washing only comes from God (Isa 1:16-18)
3) We need to recognize and remember the significance of God’s effort in this work: We are his - 1:2; We only know right through him - 1:24-25; We are only saved through righteousness - 1:26-27.

Whether or not we realize it, he is behind all we are able or hope to do.

"My transgressions were bound into a yoke ..." Lam 1:14 (ESV)

In the book of Lamentations, we see that God's people are wasted by their tormentors. Why?

Here are reasons from the first chapter:
transgressions - 1:5, 14, 22
sin - 1:8
uncleanness - 1:9
rebellion - 1:18, 20

Don't overlook this because of its simplicity.
Don't overlook this because of its repetitious nature.

The prophets warned that these things would happen - and they did.

They will today too. Are we above rebellion and transgression? When we devote our lives to Christ we repent from our former deeds and live as God wants us to. We start to cut out sins: no more cussing, no more pornography, no more sinful friends.

Then comes the hard part: speaking with kind words, keeping our eyes from our neighbors, and avoiding time at the water-cooler.

Yes, Israel & Judah were involved with idolatry - but they were also severely punished for "normal" stuff like Injustice & Negligence (Isaiah 1:17). Let's keep our eyes open to our own behavior (James 1:22-25) and our hearts pure with God (Matthew 5:8).

"He who steals must steal no longer" (Ep 4:28 NASB)

Paul's letter to the Christians around Ephesus is useful for Bible teachers. It is a more generic letter and contains a broad spectrum of topics. After opening with three chapters demonstrating the wonderful gift of Jesus, Paul spends his time addressing issues that he saw Christians were facing.

Stealing was among these problems, to which Paul states, "He who steals must steal no longer" Ephesians 4:28 (NASB).

The absolute simplicity of this statement is what appeals to me. There is no argument about how stealing hurts others and is fed by one's own laziness & covetousness. Instead, Paul simply says, "Stop it!"

He does, however, continue on:
"He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." Ephesians 4:28 (NASB)

It is not enough to merely stop stealing. We have to Labor and Work for ourselves.
It is not enough to merely work for ourselves. We have to labor and work to give to Others.

This is a clear explanation of repentance. Not only "changing your mind", but pushing for the other direction. We don't just stop stealing, but instead we work hard to help others out!

(That's the opposite of lazy selfishness!)

"But as for you, you must not turn to them" (Je 15:19 NASB)

Poor Jeremiah. The "weeping prophet" had such a depressing message. I don't know why, but it's soundly more depressing than Isaiah's message. Sure, the latter half of Isaiah has as much hope as despair (possibly more hope), but even when Isaiah is pronouncing doom, it's not as sad as what Jeremiah has to say.

Consider what Jeremiah says to Israel on God's behalf:

My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has roared against Me;
Therefore I have come to hate her. (Je 12:8)

Lift up your eyes and see
Those coming from the north.
Where is the flock that was given you,
Your beautiful sheep?
What will you say when He appoints over you- ...
Former companions to be head over you? ...
If you say in your heart,
"Why have these things happened to me?"
Because of the magnitude of your iniquity ...
Can the Ethiopian change his skin
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you also can do good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
Therefore I will scatter them like drifting straw
To the desert wind.
This is your lot, the portion measured to you
From Me, declares the LORD,
Because you have forgotten Me ...
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
How long will you remain unclean? (Je 13:20-27)

Then the LORD said to me, "Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!" (Je 15:1)

That's sad.
It's not merely pronouncements of judgment,
but sad descriptions of just how sorry a people they were.
The people were so bad!
That is what Jeremiah had to spend his days doing.

And then we have Jeremiah 15:15-21.
Jeremiah asks God "Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors" (Je 15:15). He tells God "Your words became for me a joy ... For I have been called by Your name" and that he "did not sit in the circle of merrymakers" and that he "sat alone" (Je 15:16-17). He then asks God, "Why has my pain been perpetual ...?" (Je 15:18).

How does God respond?
If you return, then I will restore you- ...
And if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become my spokesman ...
Then I will make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze; ...
They will not prevail over you ...
So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked ... (Je 15:19-21)

Wait a minute!
a) Jeremiah has one of most depressing messages God has ever sent to man
b) The people are rejecting God
c) The people are rejecting Jeremiah and he is suffering
d) The wicked are having "a good ol' time"

And when Jeremiah asks God what's going on, God says "If you return, then I will restore you" (Je 15:19).

What?
After all he has to go through ...
After the people leaving God ...
After the effort Jeremiah makes ...

God wants him to be restored?

Sure puts things into perspective, huh?
The Israelites were so bad ... and Jeremiah was still told to reform himself.
We have to do what God wants and be perfect and complete, no matter how nasty everyone else is.
We have to do what God wants and be perfect and complete according to his standard ... and not rest our laurels on merely being better than the sinners around us. When I read Jeremiah 15 I get the feeling that God's standard is tough to measure up to no matter what's going on!

It makes me think of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32.