Are we guilty of the terrible sin, of routine and hypocritical worship? Or are we guilty of an even worse sin, that of not repenting of our sins and turning our back to the Lord? <>< Isaiah 29:1-16 TLB
Woe to Jerusalem,a the city of David. Year after year you make your many offerings, 2but I will send heavy judgment upon you, and there will be weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem shall become as her name “Ariel” means—an altar covered with blood. 3I will be your enemy. I will surround Jerusalem and lay siege against it, and build forts around it to destroy it. 4Your voice will whisper like a ghost from the earth where you lie buried.
5But
suddenly your ruthless enemies will be driven away like chaff before the wind. 6In
an instant, I, the Lord of Hosts, will come upon them with thunder, earthquake,
whirlwind, and fire. 7And all the nations fighting Jerusalem will
vanish like a dream! 8As a hungry man dreams of eating but is still
hungry, and as a thirsty man dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst
when he wakes up, so your enemies will dream of victorious conquest, but all to
no avail.
9You
are amazed, incredulous? You don’t believe it? Then go ahead and be blind if
you must! You are stupid—and not from drinking, either! Stagger, and not from
wine! 10For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep.
He has closed the eyes of your prophets and seers, 11so all of these
future events are a sealed book to them. When you give it to one who can read,
he says, “I can’t, for it’s sealed.” 12When you give it to another,
he says, “Sorry, I can’t read.”
13And
so the Lord says, “Since these people say they are mine but they do not obey
me, and since their worship amounts to mere words learned by rote, 14therefore
I will take awesome vengeance on these hypocrites and make their wisest
counselors as fools.”
15Woe to those who try to hide their plans from God, who try to keep him in the dark concerning what they do! “God can’t see us,” they say to themselves. “He doesn’t know what is going on!” 16How stupid can they be! Isn’t he, the Potter, greater than you, the jars he makes? Will you say to him, “He didn’t make us”? Does a machine call its inventor dumb?[1]
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Chapter 29
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B. Woe—A
Strong Warning to Ariel (Jerusalem): God’s Unusual Dealings with Jerusalem,
29:1–24 |
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1. God’s
clear warning of coming distress & judgment a. The sin: Routine & hypocritical worship, year
after year |
Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. |
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b. The judgment 1) Distress & sorrow 2) Slaughter: Ariel means an altar hearth |
2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be
heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.
|
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3) A frightful, terrifying siege
|
3 And I will camp against thee round about, and
will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against
thee. |
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4) A humiliated & weakened people • They will not be utterly destroyed • They will be weakened: Their voices will be only a
whisper |
4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and
thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one
that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper
out of the dust. |
|
2. God’s
future deliverance: A picture of the battle of Armageddon, 63:1–64:12; Re.
19:17–21 a. The enemies & ruthless foes defeated
suddenly, instantly: Will be the Lord Himself |
5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall
be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away:
yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
|
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1) They will be like fine dust blown away by a storm 2) They will be like chaff consumed by fire |
6 Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts
with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest,
and the flame of devouring fire.
|
|
b. The enemies’ dream of conquest: Will be to no
avail |
7 And the multitude of all the nations that
fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and
that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. |
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1) They will be like a hungry man dreaming of
eating: When he awakens (in hell), he is still hungry 2) They will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he
is drinking: When he awakens (in hell), he is still thirsty |
8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth;
but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth,
and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude
of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.
|
|
3. God’s
three major indictments a. First, spiritual stupor, insensitivity, a hard
heart 1) They stagger, not from wine but from a blind
heart |
9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and
cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong
drink.
|
|
2) They will face the judgment of God’s perfect
justice • They were allowed to reap a deep spiritual sleep,
(even their prophets) |
10 For the Lord hath poured out upon you the
spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your
rulers, the seers hath he covered.
|
|
• They could not understand the messages &
warnings of God: His Word was like a sealed book for both the educated (v. 11)
&
the uneducated (v. 12) |
11 And the vision of all is become unto you as
the words of a book that is sealed, which men
deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith,
I cannot; for it is sealed:
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|
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12 And the book is delivered to him that is not
learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. |
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b. Second, formal & hypocritical worship 1) They professed God, but did not truly follow Him:
Followed man-made rituals & rules |
13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this
people draw near me with their
mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far
from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: |
|
2) The result: They will face God’s judgment • Will show that human wisdom is foolish • Will hide understanding from them |
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a
marvellous work among this people, even
a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the
understanding of their prudent men
shall be hid. |
|
c. Third, an attempt to hide their evil behavior,
acting secretly in the dark 1) They questioned if God could see them |
15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their
counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who
seeth us? and who knoweth us? |
|
2) They twisted the facts • Treated the Potter (Creator) as the clay (a mere
man) • Denied God as the Creator who knows all &
can do all (as omniscient & omnipotent) |
16 Surely your turning of things upside down
shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that
made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it,
He had no understanding? |
Woe—A Strong Warning to Ariel (Jerusalem): God’s Unusual Dealings with Jerusalem, Isaiah 29:1–16
Introduction: down through history the Jews have probably suffered as much if not more persecution than any other people on earth. Tyrant after tyrant has attempted to eradicate them. Yet despite the slaughter of millions, the Jews have survived the holocausts launched against them. There is a reason—a very specific reason—why they have survived. God! God has a plan for them. Way back in ancient history the Lord chose Abraham to give birth to the Jews for three very specific purposes:
Ø
to be the people through whom He would send the
Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, to save the world.
Ø
to be the people through whom He would give His
Word, the Holy Bible, to the world.
Ø to be His witnesses to the unbelievers of the world, that the Lord Himself (Yahweh, Jehovah) is the only true and living, God
Down through history, the Jews
failed in their calling to be strong witnesses for the Lord. Tragically, they
even turned away from Him and worshipped false gods, the idols of this world.
As a result, God’s hand of judgment fell upon the Jews time and time again. God
always executed judgment in the hope that the people would cry out to Him for
deliverance, repent of their sins, and renew their commitment to serve Him.
Although the judgments did sometimes cause the Jews to return to the Lord,
every recommitment was temporary. Tragically, the people soon returned to their
sinful ways and false worship.
In the present Scripture, Isaiah once again warned the Jews of the coming judgment of God. But as usual, they ignored the warning. This is the second of five woes or strong warnings that God’s prophet pronounces in chapters 28–33. In this particular warning, Isaiah gives a glimpse into the events of the end times, in particular the events of Armageddon and the glorious transformation that is to take place in the future kingdom of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is Woe—A Strong Warning to Ariel (Jerusalem): God’s Unusual Dealings with Jerusalem, 29:1–16. Of concern here are points 1-3. Point 4 will be the next post.
1.
God’s clear warning of coming distress and
judgment (vs. 1–4).
2.
God’s future deliverance: a picture of the
battle of Armageddon, 63:1–64:12; Re. 19:17–21 (vs. 5–8).
3.
God’s three major indictments (vs.
9–16).
4.
God’s promise of a glorious transformation
in the future: the future kingdom of Christ (vs. 17–24).
1 (29:1–4) Warning, of Judgment, Issued to Jerusalem—Worship, Hypocritical: God gave Ariel (Jerusalem) a strong warning—a woe—of coming distress and judgment. Ariel is the city where David lived; therefore, Isaiah was definitely giving this warning to the citizens of Jerusalem.
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OUTLINE |
SCRIPTURE |
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1. God’s
clear warning of coming distress & judgment a. The sin: Routine & hypocritical worship, year
after year |
Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.
|
|
b. The judgment 1) Distress & sorrow 2) Slaughter: Ariel means an altar hearth |
2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be
heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.
|
|
3) A frightful, terrifying siege
|
3 And I will camp against thee round about, and
will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against
thee. |
|
4) A humiliated & weakened people • They will not be utterly destroyed • They will be weakened: Their voices will be only a
whisper |
4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and
thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one
that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper
out of the dust.
|
The people were guilty of a terrible sin, that of routine and hypocritical worship. Instead of repenting of their sins and turning back to the Lord, they continued year after year in their hypocritical worship. Note what the Lord says: they could continue their routine worship, and keep on performing their religious rituals and ceremonies, but they could not stop God’s hand of judgment from falling upon them.
What was the particular
judgment they were to suffer? Very soon after Isaiah’s prophecy, the Lord
would use the Assyrians to set up a siege around Jerusalem, a siege that took
place in 701 B.C. However, the Lord would deliver the citizens of the capital
from this particular siege by slaying more than 185,000 Assyrian troops in one
night. His supernatural power would send the rest of the Assyrian soldiers
scurrying back home as rapidly as they could march. Although the other cities
of Judah fell to the Assyrians, Jerusalem was left standing.
In thankfulness to God, the people should have repented of their sins and turned to the Lord in sincere worship and praise. Instead, they persisted in their sinful behavior and continued their routine and hypocritical worship. Therefore, the discipline of God could not be removed from the Jews. Some future discipline was inevitable. Thus, the pronouncement of this judgment refers not only to the Assyrian siege but also to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its citizens that would take place in 586 B.C. In that year the Lord used the Babylonians to totally destroy the capital and to send the vast majority of Jews into captivity.
Note how Isaiah addressed
Jerusalem: “Ariel, Ariel.” The word means an altar hearth. The prophet apparently addressed Jerusalem as
Ariel because the city was to become an altar of slaughter, a place where the
fire of God’s judgment would fall. Although the Assyrians and Babylonians were
the ones who besieged Jerusalem, note that God Himself is the One working
behind the scenes of human history. He would use these two nations to execute
His judgment against the sinful, hypocritical worshippers of Jerusalem. Three
different times the Lord says that He Himself would set up the siege (v. 3).
The Assyrians and Babylonians were only the human agents the Lord would use to
execute His judgment.
The Jews were to be humiliated and brought low, but they would not be utterly destroyed (v. 4). They would be delivered from the Assyrian siege (Is. 36:1–37:38), and a small remnant would survive the Babylonian slaughter and captivity (Ezr. 1:1–2:70). But the judgment would severely weaken the Jews as a people. Many of them would be slaughtered, and the survivors would lose their authority as a nation. Their influence among the nations would amount to nothing more than the murmur (whisper) of a ghost attempting to speak from the grave.
Thought 1. The coming judgment of God will be very personal. Each of us will stand before Him and hear His verdict on what we have done. If we have trusted Christ—trusted that He has taken our sins upon Himself and borne the penalty for them in our behalf—the verdict will be wonderful news: “Not guilty.” He will not find us guilty of sin, for Christ has already paid the penalty for us. When He died on the cross, He died for our sins. Trusting Christ makes us acceptable to God and frees us from the guilt of sin. But if we have not trusted Christ, we will stand before God bearing our own sin. We will hear the terrifying verdict:
1.
“Guilty
of rejecting God’s
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ”
2.
“Guilty
of refusing to accept the forgiveness God offers”
3.
“Guilty
of disobeying God’s
Holy commandments”
4.
“Guilty
of living selfish, unrighteous, and wicked lives”
5.
“Guilty
of worshiping in a routine, formal, and hypocritical way”
6. “Guilty of ignoring, rejecting, defying, and rebelling against God”
ARE WE GUILTY?
Ø
“For the
Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; then he shall
reward every man according to his works” (Mt. 16:27).
Ø
“For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive
the things done in his body, according to that he hath
done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Co. 5:10).
Ø
“And if
ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to
every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (1 Pe.
1:17).
Ø
“Behold,
I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children
with death; all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins
and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works” (Re. 2:22–23).
Ø
“And I
saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another
book was opened, which is the book of
life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it;
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into
the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written
in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Re. 20:11–15).
Ø
“And,
behold, I come quickly; and my reward is
with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Re. 22:12).
Ø
“Also
unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy:
for thou renderest to every man according to his work” (Ps. 62:12).
Ø
“If thou
forbear to deliver them that are
drawn unto death, and those that are
ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that
pondereth the heart consider it? and
he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he
know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” (Pr. 24:11–12).
Ø
“Therefore,
I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the
Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves
from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin” (Eze. 18:30).
Ø
“I the Lord
search the heart, I try the reins,
even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Je. 17:10).
Ø
“Great
in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give everyone according
to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Je. 32:19).
2 (29:5–8) Deliverance,
from Judgment, Armageddon— Predicted: in the midst of judgment, God makes a
most wonderful promise. He will pour out His mercy upon His people and deliver
them from the ruthless foes who attack them. This passage has a double meaning.
It clearly refers to the miraculous, sudden deliverance of Jerusalem from the
Assyrian invasion and siege (37:36–38). But note the reference to a
multitude of enemies and nations (vs. 5, 7). Also note the
reference to the thunderstorms, earthquakes, great noises, windstorms
(tornados), and the flaming fire that consumes the enemies (v. 6).
All this points to something far more than the Lord’s deliverance of Jerusalem
during the Assyrian siege. This seems to be a clear prediction of the battle of
Armageddon, which is to take place in the last days of human history (see Is.
63:1–64:12; Re. 14:14–20; 16:12–16; 19:11–21).
When ruthless foes attack the Lord’s
people, He promises to defeat them immediately (vs. 5–6). Note that it
will be the Lord of hosts, the Lord Almighty, who will destroy them. Using
the forces of nature—thunderstorms, earthquakes, terrifying noises, and
tornados—along with the flaming fire of His holiness, the Lord will utterly
destroy the enemy (Re. 19:20).
Scripture actually says that the Lord will use the spirit of His mouth to consume all the enemies who stand opposed to Him and His people (2 Th. 2:8). What is the spirit of His mouth? It is the spirit of His Word, the flaming holiness of His person. In that day when the armies of the world march against Jerusalem and the Lord Jesus returns to earth, He will simply speak the word of destruction. The result will be shocking: all the armies of the world will be instantly destroyed. All the tyrants’ dreams of conquest will die with them. Before the Lord’s flaming Word, all ruthless enemies will be nothing more than fine dust blown away by a storm; nothing more than chaff consumed by fire. Anyone who dreams of conquering Mount Zion, the mountain of God, will be like a hungry man who dreams of eating; but when he awakens (in hell), he will still be hungry. He will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking, but when he awakens (in hell), he will still be thirsty.
|
OUTLINE |
SCRIPTURE |
|
2. God’s future
deliverance: A picture of the battle of Armageddon, 63:1–64:12; Re. 19:17–21 a. The enemies & ruthless foes defeated
suddenly, instantly: Will be the Lord Himself |
5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall
be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away:
yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. |
|
1) They will be like fine dust blown away by a storm 2) They will be like chaff consumed by fire |
6 Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts
with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest,
and the flame of devouring fire. |
|
b. The enemies’ dream of conquest: Will be to no
avail
|
7 And the multitude of all the nations that
fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and
that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. |
|
1) They will be like a hungry man dreaming of
eating: When he awakens (in hell), he is still hungry 2) They will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he
is drinking: When he awakens (in hell), he is still thirsty |
8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth;
but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth,
and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude
of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. |
Thought 1. The Lord is going to deliver us from all our enemies, from all who oppress and persecute us. Note the word from. The day is coming when all enemies will be removed from the earth, doomed to hell because of their defiance of God and their persecution of believers. Deliverance from all ruthless oppressors and persecutors is coming. This is the wonderful promise of God, the promise of a perfect world in which there will be no oppression, persecution, or ruthless behavior of any kind.
Yet the Lord gives us an equally wonderful promise of deliverance today. When people become our enemies and assail us because of our faith, the Lord promises to deliver us through the attack. Note the word through. It may be the Lord’s will for us to suffer through ridicule, persecution, hostility, abuse, or assault. But the Lord will be with us and strengthen us through whatever attack the enemy unleashes against us. Even if we are robbed of life by some cruel enemy, quicker than the eye can blink the Lord will snatch us right into His presence. God will always deliver us through the attacks of all ruthless foes. Note the promises of God’s Holy Word:
Ø
“There
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to
be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way
to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”
(1 Co. 10:13).
Ø
“For we
would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia,
that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired
even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not
trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so
great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” (2 Co. 1:8–10).
Ø
“And the
Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Ti. 4:18).
Ø
“Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (He. 2:14–15).
Ø
“The Lord
knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust
unto the day of judgment to be punished” (2 Pe. 2:9).
Ø
“And he
said, The Lord is my rock, and my
fortress, and my deliverer” (2 S.
22:2).
Ø
“He
shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven [the complete number] there
shall no evil touch thee” (Jb.
5:19).
Ø
“Surely
he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence” (Ps. 91:3).
Ø
“They
reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their
distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their
desired haven. Oh that men would
praise the Lord for his goodness, and
for his wonderful works to the
children of men!” (Ps. 107:27–31).
Ø
“And even to your old age I am he; and
even to hoar [gray] hairs will I
carry you: I have made, and I will
bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you”
(Is. 46:4).
Ø
“Be not
afraid of their faces: for I am with
thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord” (Je. 1:8).
3 (29:9–16) Threefold Indictment
from being Hard-Hearted – Warning, Judgment, and Results
— Spiritual Insensitivity, and Spiritual Stupor
— Hypocrisy of Worship, Formal and Routine
— Secret Sins of Evil Behavior
God issued three major charges against Jerusalem that were to cause His hand of judgment to fall upon them. Apparently, the message of judgment stunned and perplexed the people. Isaiah told them to pause and wonder, to question why the judgment of God was coming upon them. The charges can be summarized in one statement: their hearts were far from God (v. 13). The specific charges of God’s indictment against Jerusalem and its people are spelled out by Scripture:
|
OUTLINE |
SCRIPTURE |
|
3. God’s three
major indictments a. First, spiritual stupor, insensitivity, a hard
heart 1) They stagger, not from wine but from blind heart |
9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and
cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong
drink. |
|
2) They will face the judgment of God’s perfect
justice • They were allowed to reap a deep spiritual sleep,
(even their prophets) |
10 For the Lord hath poured out upon you the
spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your
rulers, the seers hath he covered.
|
|
• They could not understand the messages &
warnings of God: His Word was like a sealed book for both the educated (v.
11) &
the uneducated (v. 12) |
11 And the vision of all is become unto you as
the words of a book that is sealed, which men
deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith,
I cannot; for it is sealed: 12 And the book is delivered to him that is not
learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. |
|
b. Second, formal & hypocritical worship 1) They professed God, but did not truly follow Him:
Followed man-made rituals & rules
|
13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this
people draw near me with their
mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far
from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: |
|
2) The result: They will face God’s judgment • Will show that human wisdom is foolish • Will hide understanding from them
|
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a
marvellous work among this people, even
a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding
of their prudent men shall be hid. |
|
c. Third, an attempt to hide their evil behavior,
acting secretly in the dark 1) They questioned if God could see them |
15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their
counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who
seeth us? and who knoweth us? |
|
2) They twisted the facts • Treated the Potter (Creator) as the clay (a mere
man) • Denied God as the Creator who knows all &
can do all (as omniscient & omnipotent) |
16 Surely your turning of things upside down
shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that
made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it,
He had no understanding? |
Although they were attending
worship services (v. 1), they were only going through the
motions, not focusing their minds upon the Lord and His Word. They were in a
spiritual stupor, allowing their minds to wander all about, here and there.
They were focused on their own personal interests, not on the Lord. They were
like drunk men staggering all about, not from wine but from blind hearts.
Closing their eyes and ears to the Lord week after week and month after month
only increased the hardness of their hearts.
Thus, they were to face the
judgment of God’s perfect justice (vs. 10–12). They would reap
exactly what they had sown: closed eyes and ears, hard hearts, and a deep
spiritual sleep. Shutting their minds and hearts to the Lord and His Word, they
became even more blind and hard-hearted. Because of the depth of their
insensitivity to spiritual matters, even the prophets of their day would not be
able to help them. The people would not be able to understand the messages and
warnings of God. His Word would be like a book sealed shut for both the
educated and the uneducated (vs. 11–12).
Thought 1. The more we close our minds and hearts to the Lord, the more our minds and hearts become closed. We are creatures of conditioning. If we blind our eyes to spiritual truth, our eyes will become increasingly blind. If we shut our ears against the message of the Lord, our ears will become increasingly shut. If we harden our hearts toward the Lord, against following Him, our hearts will become increasingly hard. One of the principles of judgment established in the universe is that of reciprocal judgment, the judicial judgment of God. As stated in Scriptural terms, a person reaps what he sows. If we sow the seed of spiritual blindness, we will reap more spiritual blindness. If we respond to God with hard hearts, we will reap hard hearts. Listen to what God’s Holy Word says:
Ø
“But if
thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the
light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Mt.
6:23).
Ø
“Give,
and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken
together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same
measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Lu. 6:38).
Ø
“For the
heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and
their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and understand with their
heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Ac. 28:27).
Ø
“In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them” (2 Co. 4:4).
Ø
“But
after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who
will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal
life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every
soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile” (Ro. 2:5–9).
Ø
“Be not
deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but
he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Ga. 6:7–8).
Ø
“This I
say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other
Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given
themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ep. 4:17–19).
Ø
“Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies
in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Ti. 4:1–2).
Ø
“Take
heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in
departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called
To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (He. 3:12–13).
Ø
“Even as
I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same” (Jb. 4:8).
Ø
“Frowardness
is in his heart, he deviseth mischief
continually; he soweth discord” (Pr.
6:14).
Ø
“Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he
that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief” (Pr. 28:14).
Ø “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God” (Ecc. 8:11–13).
They were professing to follow
God and were attending worship regularly, but they did not truly walk with the Lord.
They participated in the ceremonies and activities of religion, but they were
honoring the Lord only with their lips. Their hearts were far from Him. Their
religious worship consisted of man-made rituals, ceremonies, and rules. They
did not obey God’s commandments or the instructions in His Word. Because of
their hypocrisy, they would face the hand of God’s judgment (v. 14).
The Lord would expose the foolishness of their human wisdom and withdraw
understanding from them. They would not know what action to take when they
faced problems or crises.
Thought 1. Far too much worship is routine, ritualistic, formal,
and hypocritical.
1.
How many worshippers are truly following
the Lord, obeying His commandments, and living righteously?
2.
How many are daily seeking the Lord,
studying His Word, and trusting Him to guide their steps as they walk
throughout the day?
Many people sit in worship services with their minds elsewhere, not listening to the Word of God being preached. They simply go through the motions of worship, participating in the rituals and ceremonies while their thoughts are elsewhere. To them, worship is no more than a custom, practice, or tradition they must observe. When they walk out of worship services, they do what they please instead of obeying God. Listen to what God’s Holy Word says about hypocrites who profess to follow the Lord but only go through the motions of worship:
Ø
“And why
beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the
beam that is in thine own eye?” (Mt.
7:3).
Ø
“Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in
thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity” (Mt. 7:21–23).
Ø
“Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and
for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater
damnation” (Mt. 23:14).
Ø
“Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise
and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters
of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to
leave the other undone” (Mt.
23:23).
Ø
“Even so
ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of
hypocrisy and iniquity” (Mt.
23:28).
Ø
“He
answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as
it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Mk. 7:6).
Ø
“And why
call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Lu. 6:46).
Ø
“In the
mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of
people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his
disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees [the
religionists], which is hypocrisy” (Lu.
12:1).
Ø
“If a
man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not
be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on
the sabbath day?” (Jn. 7:23).
Ø
“Therefore
thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou
judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same
things” (Ro. 2:1).
Ø
“Thou
therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that
preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?” (Ro. 2:21).
Ø
“Thou
that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou
God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is
written” (Ro. 2:23–24).
Ø
“For the
kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in
the Holy Ghost” (Ro. 14:17).
Ø
“But
when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel,
I said unto Peter before them all, If
thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews,
why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?” (Ga. 2:14).
Ø
“Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies
in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Ti. 4:1–2).
Ø
“This
know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form
of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Ti. 3:1–5, esp. v. 5).
Ø
“They
profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate”
(Tit. 1:16).
Ø
“If a
brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say
unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give
them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” (Js.
2:15–16).
Ø
“Out of
the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not so to be” (Js. 3:10).
Ø
“And
Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, and to hearken than the
fat of rams” (1 S. 15:22).
Ø
“And
they remembered that God was their
rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with
their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues” (Ps. 78:35–36).
Ø
“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” (Is. 1:13).
Ø
“Hear ye
this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come
forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make
mention of the God of Israel, but not
in truth, nor in righteousness” (Is.
48:1).
Ø
“Keep
thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than
to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil” (Ecc. 5:1).
Ø
“And
they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my
people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their
mouth they show much love, but their
heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant
voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do
them not” (Eze. 33:31–32).
c. The third charge was an eye-opener: the people were attempting to hide their evil behavior.
Some tried to hide their sin from
the public by committing their wickedness under the cover of darkness. Others
did what they wanted, ignoring the Lord and refusing to seek His counsel. Most
likely, this is a reference to the leaders’ seeking an alliance with Egypt in
an attempt to withstand the Assyrian threat. Placing their trust in Egypt and
its military power, they totally ignored God and never sought His counsel.
Instead of trusting the Lord, they trusted Egypt. Scheming to hide their evil
alliance from the eyes of the Lord’s prophet Isaiah, they apparently conducted
the investigation in total secrecy.
Remember that Isaiah had preached
against the treaty (28:14–15, 17–22). By hiding the negotiations from
Isaiah, the leaders felt the Lord would not see their evil plans or else would
ignore their disobedient behavior. They twisted the facts in their minds and
reached the false conclusion that the Lord either did not know or did not care
what was going on.
Note that Isaiah
charges the leaders and people with stupidity. They were treating the
Potter as though He were the clay, treating the Creator as though He were a
mere man. In essence, they were denying that God is the Creator who knows all
and can do all. Any attempt to hide evil behavior from the Lord is stupid. It
is like a clay pot saying to the potter, “You did not make me” or “You know
nothing about my sinful, disobedient behavior.”
Thought 1. No matter what we do in secret, the Lord always knows. No sinful behavior is hidden from His piercing eyes. God sees and knows all, both the good and evil that we do. God is omniscient; He knows everything that happens throughout the entire universe. Whether we lie, steal, cheat, overeat, smoke, become drunk, commit immorality, fail to worship Him daily, or disobey and break His holy commandments—God knows. He sees exactly what we do. Nothing can be done in secret or hidden from His all-seeing eyes. Listen to what God’s Holy Word says:
Ø
“For
there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall
not be known” (Lu. 12:2).
Ø
“Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the
hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Co. 4:5).
Ø
“But if
ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your
sin will find you out” (Nu. 32:23).
Ø
“If I
sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity” (Jb. 10:14).
Ø
“For now
thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?” (Jb. 14:16).
Ø
“The
heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him” (Jb. 20:27).
Ø
“He that
hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he
speaketh fair, believe him not: for there
are seven abominations in his heart. Whose
hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be showed before the whole congregation” (Pr. 26:24–26).
Ø
“For God
shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecc. 12:14).
Ø
“Woe to
the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and
that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin”
(Is. 30:1).
Ø
“And the
Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord;
Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your
mind, every one of them” (Eze. 11:5).
Ø
“For
though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much sope, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God” (Je. 2:22).
Ø
“For
mine eyes are upon all their ways:
they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes” (Je. 16:17).
Ø
“And
they consider not in their hearts that
I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about;
they are before my face” (Ho. 7:2).
Ø
“For I
know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just,
they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right” (Am. 5:12).[2]
Are we guilty of the terrible sin, of routine and hypocritical worship?
Or are we guilty of an even worse sin, that of not repenting of our sins and
turning our back to the Lord?
a 29:1
to Jerusalem, literally, “to
Ariel.”
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah (Chapters
1–35). Vol. I. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible.
Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
Isaiah 29 | NLT Bible | YouVersion
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