The State Of The Union – Part 2
Isaiah 1:1-31 (4-9)
February 12, 2023
Last Sunday morning we began a new study together
And it is a study of the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah’s name is very significant to our understanding of the book.
His name means “The LORD is Salvation”
And that is certainly the theme.
The entirety of this prophet’s ministry is focused upon
Leading Israel back to an understanding that
There is no Savior except the LORD.
Certainly, as God’s people:
1. We should never look for salvation anywhere else.
2. And we should seek Him diligently even after salvation.
Israel was failing on both counts.
Last week as we introduced this book
• We took a look at the setting of the day.
• Isaiah’s ministry is said to have occurred “during the reigns of Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”
AND AS WE DISCUSSED.
• Uzziah and Jotham were great kings in a political, economic, and military sense, but they were duds spiritually.
• Both of those Kings did many good things from a political standpoint, but they both came with the same glaring black mark.
Concerning Uzziah:
2 Kings 15:3-4 “He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”
Concerning Jotham:
2 Kings 15:34-35 “He did what was right in the sight of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD.”
They did a lot good politically but the part of their nation which irritated God the most, namely the high places, these men did not address.
Following them came a truly evil king named Ahaz
Who himself participated in the idolatry his fathers ignored.
Concerning Ahaz:
2 Kings 16:3-4 “But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from before the sons of Israel. He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.”
And then Ahaz was followed by his son Hezekiah
Who was a great king, both politically and spiritually.
Concerning Hezekiah:
2 Kings 18:3-6 “He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. For he clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.”
Now we learn from chapter 6 that Isaiah’s ministry began
“in the year that King Uzziah died”.
• So Isaiah came to the forefront after the 52 year reign of Uzziah in which the people knew great prosperity, but had grown cold spiritually.
• The first 16 years of Isaiah’s ministry was during the reign of Jotham in which Israel still enjoyed security and prosperity, but continued to fall deeper into idolatry.
• Isaiah would then walk through the 16 tumultuous years of King Ahaz where the nation would become practically pagan, and would also begin to face outside threats of danger.
• And Isaiah’s ministry would end sometime during Hezekiah’s reign as the nation began to experience revival and to once again trust the LORD.
So you understand a little about where Isaiah is
And why he is preaching as he is.
• Isaiah ministered during a time in which the comfort and security of the people had led them away from devotion to God and into idolatry.
• This idolatry especially shows up when God brings some adversity to the nation and instead of trusting in God, their only Savior, Judah tries to turn to different saviors (namely Assyria and Egypt)
• Finally Israel will learn what Isaiah has been saying, that only in the LORD is salvation and when they trust in Him, He delivers.
It is therefore a simple lesson to us.
We don’t only trust God for our salvation, but we trust God for all things.
• We trust Him for our provision.
• We trust Him for our wisdom.
• We trust Him for our protection.
• We trust Him for our health.
• We trust Him in our relationships.
He is the only Savior.
Well, chapter 1 is the inaugural sermon of Isaiah.
We have called it “The State Of The Union”
(Perhaps some of you watched the President of United States
Deliver his address this past week)
Here is God’s address to the people.
• As we said, in God’s speech (through Isaiah) there are 3 topics which God wants to talk about with the people.
REBELLION, RELIGION, REDEMPTION
We started the first last week
#1 REBELLION
Isaiah 1:1-9
The shocking announcement is that Judah was suffering a rebellion.
There were a group of anarchists who were revolting inside Judah.
The borders may have been secure outside,
But the threat was coming from the inside.
And we started looking deeper last time.
1) THE REBEL’S IDENTITY (2-3)
Very simply put, the rebel was one
From whom you would have expected loyalty.
“Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.”
WE NOTED the sovereign grace of God to even choose Israel,
Let alone adopt him and adorn him.
But in a shocking turn of events,
This son who had known nothing but grace from the LORD
Was now seeking to break loose from His sovereign rule.
It was mutiny.
It was civil war.
It was a revolt.
AND THIS IS SHOCKING.
As God pointed out:
(3) “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey knows its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.”
• Even a dumb ox knows who its master is.
• Even a stubborn donkey knows who to follow for safety.
• But these sons of God were dumber than the ox and more stubborn than the donkey.
And in their ignorant obstinance they have revolted against God.
IN SHORT, it’s NOT the Philistines or the Ammonites or even the Assyrians who are warring against God, IT IS HIS OWN SONS.
As we said last week, it is a tragic thing
When God’s people don’t know how to trust God.
But that is the REBEL’S IDENTITY.
2) THE REBEL’S INIQUITY (4)
“Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”
This verse tells quite the story of what God thinks
Of these sons who have revolted.
He has several descriptive titles for them,
Each paint a picture from God’s perspective about their sin.
1) First God calls them a “sinful nation”
Their problem is much bigger than just their king.
Sure their kings have tolerated the high places,
But these people have been the ones to use them.
And if you were to ask God to GIVE ONE WORD to describe this nation
It isn’t “holy” or “courageous” or “faithful”.
God’s one word to describe the nation is “sinful”.
We understand national or regional nicknames.
• For many years if you talked about the United States we’d be called “The Land
of the free, the home of the brave”
• Texas for example is called “The Friendly State”
• Las Vegas is called “Sin City”
That is how God is identifying Israel.
The entire nation is now known before God because of their sin.
As He looks upon them from heaven, that is all He sees.
Even as we’ve learned from the writer of the Kings,
God can’t get past those high places.
• Sin is their chief characteristic.
• They are all in this together.
• They are all citizens of what God sees to be a “sinful nation”.
2) And then God calls them “People weighed down with iniquity,”
Moving from “nation” to the designation “people” shows us that
God doesn’t just look upon them corporately but also individually.
They are called a sinful nation, not just because they have sinful kings
Or because they have done something sinful in the past.
God calls them a sinful nation because they are full of sinful people.
God says that these people are “weighed down with iniquity”
What does that mean?
Does it mean they are burdened under their sin and they try to get out, but can’t?
NOT HARDLY.
Isaiah 5:18 “Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, And sin as if with cart ropes;”
When God says they are “weighed down with iniquity”
He is speaking of the reality that they won’t let their sin go
And just keep piling up more and more and more.
They are now pulling a trailer with side boards on it.
They won’t let go.
These people love sin and they refuse to leave any of it behind.
They just keep piling it up and hanging on to it.
They aren’t a people who are seeking God,
They are a people who are seeking sin.
That’s what they want.
But God goes even further than that.
3) He calls them “offspring of evildoers”
Here we learn that sin is not just what they do, IT’S WHO THEY ARE.
• Sin is bound up in their DNA.
• It is who their father was and they are a chip right off the old block.
It reminds us of John the Baptist speaking to the Pharisees:
Matthew 3:7 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
Jesus of course said the same:
Matthew 12:34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”
“brood of vipers” is the same thing Isaiah is speaking of here
When he calls them “offspring of evildoers”
In other words, these aren’t good people
Who are just doing bad things occasionally,
These are bad people.
Down to their very core they are sinful.
That is why Jesus asked the Pharisees, “how can you, being evil, speak what is good?”
• You AREN’T a good person who has slipped up and done an evil thing.
• You ARE an evil person who is acting according to his evil heart.
And that is what God sees here with Israel.
• It is a nation known for sin
• Because it is filled with people who can’t get enough sin.
• They can’t get enough sin is because they are sinful to the core.
And God is still not yet finished.
4) Finally He calls them, “Sons who act corruptly!”
This speaks to the shocking treachery of their sin.
It would be one thing if they were Philistines of Ammonites or Assyrians or some other pagan neighbor of Israel.
• At least then we’d be talking about people who had never been given God’s Law.
• At least then we’d be talking about people who had never been granted God’s deliverance or God’s provision or God’s saving grace.
• At least then we’d say well, they’re sinful but in a sense they can’t help it because no one has ever told them otherwise.
But not Israel.
They have been clearly told.
• They were delivered from Egypt and adopted as God’s sons.
• They were fed in the wilderness.
• They were given God’s Law.
• They were given God’s land.
• They had God’s temple and subsequently His presence.
Other nations were sinful partly because of their lack of exposure to truth. Israel was sinful in spite of here exposure to truth.
She is the worst kind of sinner.
She is a blasphemer.
She is a treacherous traitor.
She has tasted the grace of God and is revolting anyway.
Isaiah 30:9 “For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD;”
Do you see how deep her sin is before God?
• It is totally unwarranted,
• Yet it is relentlessly loved and pursued.
• It is pursued by all people,
• So much so that they have a national reputation for sin.
These are vile people in the eyes of God.
And you say, WHAT IS THEIR SIN?
What have they done that has so offended God?
Notice the 3-fold announcement:
• “They have abandoned the LORD,”
• “They have despised the Holy One of Israel”
• “They have turned away from Him”
Just a bible-reading insight tip for you.
Anytime the Bible repeats something in triplicate you know it is a big deal to God.
Here we have it: “abandoned” – “despised” – “turned away”
IT IS THE SIN OF APOSTASY.
When God looks at the nation, the sin that jumps at Him the most
Is NOT some gross moral failure or even deeds
Which we might most easily identify as sinful.
We all know why Vegas is called “Sin City”
gambling, drinking, prostitution, corruption, greed, etc.
But when God calls Israel a “sinful nation”
Those are not the types of sins He lists.
The sin He lists is apostasy.
“They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”
These are a people who no longer seek or trust God.
Now they are running to the High Places to seek some pagan deity.
Jeremiah 2:11-13 “Has a nation changed gods When they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory For that which does not profit. “Be appalled, O heavens, at this, And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD. “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.”
They were abandoning the true God in order to serve false ones.
Isaiah 30:9-11 “For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
They were not interested in God anymore.
• They didn’t want to hear His word.
• They didn’t want to seek His will.
• They were not interested in what He had to say.
NOW – LET’S BE VERY CLEAR
THIS DID NOT MEAN that they quit going to church
Or quit going through the motions of their prescribed religion.
You’re going to see tonight in this state of the union address
That God is actually going to rebuke them for continuing to do those things.
Isaiah 1:11-12 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?”
Isaiah 1:14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.”
So the ISSUE IS NOT that they were just skipping church
Or failing to bring offerings, or something like that.
They were doing those things.
• They were bringing sacrifices…
• They were entering His courts…
• They were celebrating the feasts and festivals…
And yet still God said they had
“abandoned”, “despised”, and “turned away” from Him.
We are reminded again that the LORD does not look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
God is watching so much more than just our routine or our tradition.
THINK NOW FOR A MOMENT
To some of the strongest rebukes we read in the New Testament.
Galatians 1:6-7 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”
Paul told they Galatians they were “deserting Him who called” them.
So what were they doing?
• Skipping church?
• Not giving?
No, in fact, they were likely doing more of those things
Because they were trying to earn God’s favor through their works.
PAUL SAID THEY HAD DESERTED GOD
Because they had chosen to believe a different gospel.
To be specific, they had stopped trusting Christ for salvation
And where now trusting themselves.
They were seeking circumcision and salvation through works of the Law.
They, in effect, had said
They no longer needed Christ to save them, they would save themselves.
That is why Paul says later:
Galatians 5:4 “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”
Do you see that it wasn’t a physical abandonment, it was an abandonment of faith?
They went through all the required motions, they just quit trusting Christ.
That is what the Israelites are doing here.
Listen to Paul confront the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 11:1-4 “I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”
Paul said that they were being “led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”
HOW?
• They were believing in “another Jesus”
• They were seeking “a different spirit”
• They were accepting “a different gospel”
Similar to the Galatians they were still going through the motions
But they were no longer seeking and depending totally on Christ.
They were now believing in a different Jesus
With a different gospel which mingled works into salvation
And followed mysticism instead of the Holy Spirit.
It was about their lack of devotion and faith in Christ alone.
Or listen to Jesus confront the church at Ephesus.
Revelation 2:1-5 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.”
It is a similar rebuke.
“you have left your first love”
AGAIN, they went through the motions, they followed all the traditions.
They even tested and rejected those who failed to do it correctly.
But their practiced religion had grown cold and heartless.
They were in church but they had “abandoned”,
They had “turned away from” the Lord.
It’s bad enough when pagans fail to trust Him,
But when His sons, who know better, turn away from Him,
It is nothing short of rebellion in God’s eyes.
1 Samuel 15:22-23 “Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”
This is their Iniquity.
Rebel’s Identity, Rebel’s Iniquity
3) THE REBEL’S INFIRMITY (5-9)
The overarching point of this section is clear.
God starts with the question:
“Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion?”
And He lays out that He has already struck them
Mentally, Spiritually, and Physically.
(5b-6) “The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.”
God speaks as though I’ve already whipped you in every possible way, and still you rebel. Where would you have Me whip you again?
That is certainly symbolic language.
In verses 7-8 He gets more SPECIFIC.
(7-8) “Your land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire, Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers. The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.”
You see that there is great discipline coming from the LORD,
And yet there has not been any repentance.
Despite all the hardship which God has brought upon Israel,
They still refuse to trust Him.
They have insisted upon trusting in themselves
Or their pagan deities or the Egyptians or the Assyrians
And even though it is not working, they still won’t trust in the LORD.
He is the only Savior and they refuse to see it.
And now God calls their land a “desolation”
He says “The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.”
That is 3 analogies and they all mean the same thing.
You are alone, the only thing left standing in a field of nothing.
In fact, the only reason even that much remains is the grace of God.
(9) “Unless the LORD of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.”
That is to say that
• The only reason even the watchman’s hut remains is because God has been merciful to spare it.
• The only reason anyone has survived is the grace of God to preserve them and not let them fall.
AND YET, ISRAEL STILL REFUSES TO REPENT.
So it seems to speak to their stubbornness.
But when we read this passage, it presents a bit of A PROBLEM for us.
If this is Isaiah’s first sermon, and we have no reason to doubt that it is.
Then Isaiah is preaching this in the year that King Uzziah died.
• And we already saw that during that time Israel was secure.
• We already saw that during that time her border was strong.
• Even for the next decade under Jotham Israel remained secure and strong.
It wasn’t until the end of Jotham’s reign (16 years) that God began to raise up Rezin from Aram and Pekah to come and afflict Judah.
And even then, those guys didn’t do much damage.
It wasn’t actually until the reign of Hezekiah (32 years) that Assyria would invade and leave the land of Judah desolate and leave Jerusalem like “a besieged city.”
So it seems strange that Isaiah is now preaching about this desolation
When if you look around, the nation didn’t appear desolate.
It would seem that Isaiah is speaking prophetically of what is coming.
There is certainly coming the day when Assyria will invade and lay waste to most of Judah, reaching the very gates of Jerusalem.
BUT WE WONDER: Why speak of punishment that hasn’t happened yet and then blame Israel for not learning from it?
Why wouldn’t God just say, “if you don’t repent I will send a nation to you to devour you”?
THAT IS NOT GOD’S POINT.
HIS POINT IS THIS:
YOUR SECURITY IS AN ILLUSION.
God sees the future as clearly as He sees the present.
• And their refusal to trust in Him as their only Savior
• Has already brought about a desolation in their land.
They may see their strong borders.
They may have that great army.
They may have a strong economy.
But God sees the end of all those things and it is near total destruction.
None of those things are a savior, and none of those things are secure.
It is easy at times to look upon your security or good fortune,
Mingle that with your religion and assume that all is well.
But the God who sees from heaven sees a totally different picture.
How secure the PHARISEES must have felt
In their lengthened robes and broadened phylacteries.
But it was false assurance.
Israel wasn’t trusting God and when you aren’t trusting God
There is no security, I don’t care how big your wall is.
Only God is their salvation; those false securities are soon to be gone.
THE ONLY REASON ANY OF THEM WILL SURVIVE AT ALL
Is because graciously allows them to survive.
(9) “Unless the LORD of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.”
This verse actually gets quoted by Paul in the New Testament.
Romans 9:29 “And just as Isaiah foretold, “UNLESS THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY, WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH.”
This New Testament reference gives us great clarity to the point.
• Paul is not talking about the Assyrian invasion.
• Paul is talking about how all of Israel failed to trust in Christ.
Romans 9 is the chapter where Paul informs us that “they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel.” (9:6)
Romans 9 is the chapter where Paul informs us that “it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.” (9:8)
Romans 9 is the chapter where Paul informs us that “Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law, Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.” (9:31-32)
And then Paul quoted Isaiah 1:9.
This passage refers to people who did not give God faith,
But God preserved a few of them simply because
He is faithful to His covenantal promises.
The Jews had no faith. The only reason any Jews trusted Christ at all is because God left them a remnant.
And this is the point here in Isaiah 1 as well.
• These were faithless and sinful people.
• They thought all their works were enough.
• These people had universally abandoned Him.
• They were a sinful nation full of sinful people.
• Their security was an illusion.
• And they would be totally destroyed in their rebellion if it were not for God’s grace to spare them.
And this so easily translates into our lives.
We are the people of God
But God desires more from us
Than simply for us to go through the motions of religion.
GOD WANTS US TO TRUST HIM AND SEEK HIM.
Our call is PURE DEVOTION TO CHRIST.
Consider what Paul says even about marriage:
1 Corinthians 7:32-35 “But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.”
The goal in all things, even marriage, is
“undistracted devotion to the Lord.”
God forbid we reach the end having prophesied and cast out demons and worked miracles only to hear Him say, “depart from Me for I never knew you.”
SO WE ASK OURSELVES SOME VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.
1. Am I devoted to Christ?
2. Am I clinging to Him?
3. Am I loving Him?
4. Do I have a relationship with Him?
We remember that story with Martha and Mary:
When Martha was busy and distracted but Mary sat at Jesus’ feet:
Luke 10:41-42 “But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
For all the busy religion and tradition in the world
Is mere rebellion to God if we are not trusting and seeking Him.
In fact, participating in all those things without devotion to God
Is nothing short of rebellion in His eyes.
The desire of God is that you seek Him and know Him.
The desire of God is a relationship with you.
Do you have a relationship with Him?
