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.
