Isaiah 1:1-7 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. 2 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. 3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. 4 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. 5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. 7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

Why are we in the Old Testament, in the Book of Isaiah? Isaiah is often called the “Old Testament Gospel of Christ”. Isaiah had many visions and prophesies that related to the Lord Jesus Christ. But there’s another reason. The Apostle tells us in

Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

The Old Testament was written “aforetime”, before the Apostles wrote. It was given to teach us “patience” as we live out our lives, and “comfort” by showing us the faithfulness of God. Israel wandered away from God, just like America has wandered away from God. God calls us to His side when we wander. We are told in …

1 Corinthians 10:6, 11 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition …

The “these things” the Apostle speaks of is – once more – Israel’s wanderings from God. God is faithful. I say again,

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Preach! God is faithful to His people – ALWAYS. Whether under the Old Covenant of Sacrificial Law or the New Covenant of Christ’s sacrifice, God is faithful. But when God’s people wander from God – when Israel OR AMERICA wander away from the God of Scripture, nothing good comes of it.

When Israel and God’s people honored the Lord, and fulfilled His calling, they were blessed. Israel was not saved so that she could do what she wants. Israel was saved so, as God put it to Pharaoh,

Exodus 5:1 … Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

God’s people are freed from sin and death (and Egypt is the epitome of sin and death) to GLORIFY GOD in this fallen world (which the wilderness epitomized). Again, God told Pharaoh:

Exodus 7:16 … Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness

God does not save a people so they can be selfish and self serving. We are saved to serve the Lord Who loves us.

Israel, like America today, departed from God, and put their hope in the political process. That is how this prophecy starts – did you miss it?

Isaiah 1:1 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 preached and prophesied for 40 years through the reigns of four different kings of Judah. Some kings, like Uzziah and Hezekiah, started off following God but drifted away. King Ahaz was pure evil, whereas King Jotham was righteous and faithful. Regardless of leadership, the people of Israel continued to wander from God. How tragic!

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen as His inheritance …

Our blessing as a nation, and as individuals, is in walking with the God Who made us.

Men And Women Are Created To Walk With God

Isaiah 1:2 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.

God calls on the HEAVENS and the EARTH itself, the angels of God and His own creation, as witnesses of His goodness and faithfulness to us all. When we were made, we were given something that no animal has.

God breathed into us the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). We have the very breath of God – His spirit – as our core component.

The animals do not have this “breath of God”. Men and women are not animals. We are created by God “in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them” (Genesis 1:27).

We were created to rule the earth on God’s behalf. God told humanity:

Genesis 1:28 … be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and SUBDUE it: and HAVE DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth …

Humans were made by God to rule creation. The late Dr. Adrian Rogers wrote in his book The Secret of Supernatural Living (pg 21):

“The uniqueness of man is seen in that he has a spirit. Animals, by contrast, can be spoken of as having bodies and souls, but they are void of spirit. God describes the creation of the animals this way: “And God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind, and it was so” (Genesis 1:24). The Hebrew word translated “creature” in this verse is nephesh and is usually translated “soul”. It means self conscious life, as opposed to plant life, which is without soul or spirit. Plants and animals have bodies. Animal also have souls. So what makes a man unique? It is his spirit. When God made man He breathed into him the “breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). This breath of life became the human spirit. … Man was endowed with a spiritual nature and thus the glorious ability to know and worship God. God did not breath this special breath of life into any other of His creatures.”

Humans are not animals – we have a spiritual component. We should strive to know our Creator. What happened in the Garden of Eden was a travesty of epic proportion. Instead of leading, Adam allowed himself to be led by a serpent, an animal indwelt of Satan.

Sin and death are not God’s fault. It is ours.

God said Isaiah 1:3 … The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

How sad it is that we were made to walk with God – and yet “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib”. I read something the other day that stated “43% of milennials ‘don’t know, don’t care, don’t believe’ God exists: study”. The study, found at Christian Post, said:

“The study also found that overall, younger Americans are significantly more likely than the two previous generations to embrace horoscopes as a guide and Karma as a life principle, to see “getting even” with others as defensible, to accept evolution over creation, and to view owning property as fostering economic injustice. On spiritual matters, Americans younger than 55 are far more likely to distrust the Bible and to believe God is uninvolved in people’s lives.”

Though this text speaks directly to ancient Israel, it could be written to America today. God said:

Isaiah 1:4-5 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. 5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

When a people draw away from God – for whatever reason – then the body is corrupted. Inscribed on the wall of the Jefferson Memorial are these words:

“Can the liberties of a nation be secure if we have removed from the hearts of the people the belief that these liberties are a gift from God?”

When we depart from God, we depart from the blessings of God. Pastor Jim Henry said,

“We are running on fumes, because we have forgotten God.”

When Sin Is Unchecked By God’s Moral Law,
Sickness and Death Abound

Isaiah 1:6-7 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. 7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

Etched in memory is the picture of a television reporter standing in front of burning properties, saying “These are mostly peaceful protests” – and no one laughed!

The only cure for what ails us as a nation – as it was with Israel – is that we return to the Lord Jesus Christ. We must move away from progressiveness and permissiveness, and remember the Law of God. The Ten Commandments are the basis of all lawful truth in any nation. Over the past few years people have wrongly preached lawlessness and called it “Grace” and “Christian Faith”. The Christian is not lawless. Christ never eradicated the moral code of the Law.

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God Who takes away sin,
So we sacrifice no lambs today.
But Jesus NEVER abolished the Ten Commandments.
Righteousness is always fashionable with God!
We need to return to God’s moral codes!

A young man came to Jesus asking, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). Jesus replied:

Mark 10:19-20 Thou knowest the commandments, {then Jesus quotes six commandments} Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor thy father and mother.

Christ expects us to follow the Ten Commandments. He said, “You know the Commandments”. Our nation must return to the Commandments of God. Only through then do
we see order and peace.

Illustrate Jesus said “Honor thy father and mother”. Children must be taught the Law of God, so that they will teach it to their children. We live in an age where the Law is horribly ignored. I watched a young father shopping with his son. The father passed by a display filled with large, rubber balls. When the child saw these balls he first pointed, then reached, and THEN began to scream and throw a tantrum. The father resisted for a moment but, as the child’s wails became louder and louder, he relented and gave the boy a ball. That wasn’t the ball he wanted, so he screamed some more until father gave him what he wanted. Later, as I was checking out, I had the privilege of seeing this father and son duo in front of me. The father emptied his cart, putting all on the conveyor belt so it could be checked out but the ball his son had. Once everything else had been paid for he took the ball from his son, saying “I’m not going to buy these”. The reaction from the child was expected – and immediate. The child screamed like a wild monkey caught in a trap. Dad quietened the child by saying “I’ll get it for you in just a moment. Be quiet!” He paid for his groceries and, quickly, before the child could start up again, walked out of the store – without the ball.

What is that child being taught? Certainly, not “Honor your father and mother”. The child is being taught lying, and self love, but not the love of God.

Any civilized society – Christian or not – to survive must stay under God’s Moral Code. Lawlessness and anarchy destroys a family and a nation. The Law of God tells us it is wrong to murder and commit sexual sin. The Spirit of God writes these laws on our hearts. The Christian does not murder nor commit sexual sin because it is written on stone, but because God has written it on our hearts. The Moral Law of “Thou shalt not commit adultery” tells us it is as wrong to steal another person’s goods as it is to steal another person’s spouse. The Moral Law of “Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s possessions” tells us to be satisfied with what God has given us. The Moral Law extends even into the New Testament, telling us …

1 Corinthians 7:2 … each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Free sex and free love is no more than slavery to the flesh. We are dead to the ceremonial and sacrificial law, but we are NOT dead to God’s moral commandments. “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” (Romans 7:12). When Christ comes into your life by faith, He works in your heart and makes you love as you should love. The Law then is written – not on tablets of stone – but on the very heart of the Christian.

God Wants Your Heart – Not Your Ritual

Isaiah 1:9-14 Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. 10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

Sodom and Gomorrah are long gone, having been destroyed in the Book of Genesis. But God calls His Israel Sodom and Gomorrah because they are like it – reincarnated! What would God call America today?

11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

The feasts and offerings were teaching tools that showed the need of a Messiah/ Redeemer. The Apostle said,

Galatians 3:24-25 the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The Law brought mankind to first a tabernacle, and later a temple, with an animal to be sacrificed. The sacrifices were not just once, but over and over again, showing that the blood of animals does not appease the righteousness of God. The feasts and the law of circumcision were all teaching aids, telling Israel that the Messiah must come. The animal brought before the priest was killed, it’s blood sprinkled, it’s flesh burned, all symbolic of the payment of sins before God.

Then Jesus Christ came. Our Lord Jesus:

Philippians 2:7-8 … made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: {8} And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Eternal God the Son became mortal but Perfect Man. Jesus Christ came to replace the laws of circumcision and animal sacrifice. Jesus Christ died on Calvary to – once and for all – make payment for sins. The Bible says:

John 3:15 … whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Because Jesus stood in my place of judgment, my position before God has changed. The Apostle said:

Revelation 1:5-6 Unto {Jesus Christ} that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen

Dear Christian – if you are a Christian – you are not only loved, but you are washed of sin in Christ’s blood. When the Father looks at us now, He sees not sinners, but “kings and priests unto God”.

God is not satisfied with our rituals. God wants our relationship. He wants us to walk with Him, and unto Him, and for Him.

And if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, God calls you into a relationship with Him through his Son. Jesus was supernaturally born – made a Man – by the Spirit of God. The Angel told us of Mary’s Child:

Matthew 1:20-21 … that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. {21} And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for He shall save his people from their sins.

The animal sacrifices and good works could not save. Our good works can never save us. We need not good works, but GOD works. We need Jesus. It was Jesus Who came to …

Mark 8:31 … suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Jesus Christ died for our sins. God calls whosoever will hear Him to come to Him and be saved. God cries out to America, just as He cried out to Israel so long ago,

Isaiah 1:18 … Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

When you come to God through Christ, the Spirit of God changes you. Your sins are covered by the blood of the Lamb of God.

God says “Come”. Come to Him. Believe in Jesus.
God says “Come now”. Don’t delay. Run to Jesus today.
God says “Let us reason together”. He does not want to damn you.

What is the alternative? To reject God, to walk away from the embrace of God the Son, to commit the unpardonable sin of rejecting the Holy Spirit of God, is to bring cursing rather than blessing. God said:

Isaiah 1:19-20 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: {20} But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

God puts before us blessing and cursing, and gives us a choice. What will you seek? Those who serve sin are so very temporary – for sin brings with it destruction. Jesus said:

John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. {35} And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth ever. {36} If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Will you be freed from Egypt? Then come to Jesus. Be not entangled again in sin, but live daily to please the Lord. You are released from Egypt to worship God in this present wilderness. You are released from Egypt to enjoy life in Christ, to be filled with the joy of God daily – not to wallow in the mire of the pigpen. The manifest proof of your salvation is the life that strives to please the Lord. The Apostle said:

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother

If you were wise you would shake off your sin and turn to Jesus while there is time. There is a whole universe for God to govern, yet He makes time to talk to you. Come now. Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. Choose life. Choose Jesus. Receive Him as Lord and Savior. May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen.