Isaiah 1 to 5 serves as an introductory unit to the book of Isaiah. It describes not only the vile condition of the Israelite society, in general, but also its spiritual condition. The focus on Israel’s spiritual condition comprises the main focus of the book. The religion of God’s people is corrupted.
Is there hope in the midst of such a situation? Yes, there is hope. That is the reason some call the book of Isaiah the Old Testament Gospel. Isaiah 1:2 testifies that the Lord has raised up His people: “I have nourished and brought up children.” Through the figurative language of the vineyard, Isaiah 5 describes God’s care for His children: “And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. . . . What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” (Isa. 5:2, 4).
God, in His loving character, restrains Himself from destroying His people. Through the prophet Hosea, a contemporary of Isaiah, God describes His inner anguish and turmoil over His people’s backslidden condition: “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together” (Hos. 11:8). God will make another effort to bring back His people to Himself. His message does not fail to declare to Israel their sinful condition. Thus, He notably keeps on appealing to them to return to Him. For this reason, God utters, “The LORD has spoken” (Isa. 1:2, NKJV). With this background in mind, three main topics are explored in this week’s study: (1) the declaration “the LORD has spoken”; (2) the theme of the sinful nation; and (3) and the invitation, “Come now, . . . if you are willing” (Isa. 1:18, 19, NKJV).
Part II: Commentary
“The LORD Has Spoken.”
Verse 1 of Isaiah 1 points out that the vision immediately concerns Judah/Jerusalem. But by using the expression “hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth” (Isa. 1:2), Isaiah suggests that the message embraces a larger audience. As readers, we need to be attuned to the fact that the primary audience of this prophetic book is the people living in Judah’s time. At the same time, we also need to be conscious of the idea that the scope of Isaiah’s message extends far beyond the time and place in which it was written and the audience for whom it was intended originally.
Many times, Isaiah uses expressions such as “the LORD has spoken” or other analogous phrases. The prophecies in the book of Isaiah are relevant because they are messages that “the LORD has spoken.” This point is emphasized from the first chapter of the book in various forms: “the LORD hath spoken” (Isa. 1:2), “hear the word of the LORD” (Isa. 1:10), “says the LORD” (Isa. 1:18, NKJV), “the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isa. 1:20, NKJV), and “the Mighty One of Israel declares” (Isa. 1:24, NIV). The author wants to be clear that the visions are coming from the Lord. In other words, there is a vision because God has revealed it.
How is God presented in the book? The subject of the message is the Lord. The immediate object is His people at the time of Isaiah’s writing, with a clear implication that the messages are inclusive of God’s people throughout all time, extending to His remnant at the end of the time. The God of Isaiah is portrayed in many ways in this chapter. He is the Lord, the Holy One. Interestingly, in the first reference to God, the author uses the expression “YHWH,” which is the most frequent expression used to refer to God in the entire book. YHWH is the immanent God. The name YHWH reveals not only the eternal existence of God but also His covenantal relationship to His people. In verse 10, Isaiah presents God as “Elohim,” the transcendent God, and/or the Sovereign of the universe. Sometimes, Isaiah uses the combination “the Lord God” (Isa. 61:1). Another singular reference to God in this chapter is “the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 1:4), a title that is characteristic of Isaianic writing (25 times).
Sinful Nation.
The book of Isaiah is explicit concerning the situation of God’s people at that time. Isaiah recalls the loving care of the Lord in favor His people: “I have nourished and brought up children” (Isa. 1:2). However, Judah forgets God’s faithful love in that “they have rebelled against me” (Isa. 1:2, second half), according to the LORD. How is the experience of sin expressed in this section? There are several Hebrew terms that are related to the topic of sin. This study reviews briefly the major words for sin in the first chapter.
Isaiah 1:2 uses the Hebrew expression p̱āšaʿ for describing a sinful act. This expression is rendered as “have rebelled” in the sentence “they have rebelled against me.” The word also has the connotation of “revolt.” Other meanings are “to break with” or to be disloyal.—Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 3 (Leiden/New York/Koln: E. J. Brill, 1996), p. 981. In other words, p̱āšaʿ describes a broken relationship. Even though, most of the time, p̱āšaʿ is rendered as a rebellious act, this act is considered criminal behavior in the Hebrew Bible.
Another word for sin is ḥāṭāʾ (Isa. 1:4), which if joined to the word “people,” can be translated as “sinful nation,” as is the case here in the King James Version. In this case, the word is used as a verb, and the basic meaning is “miss a goal,” “be at fault, offend (in manners or morals),” “commit a sin,” and “be guilty.”—William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), p. 100. Judah is a sinful nation because it has failed in the covenantal relationship with the Lord; it has done wrong. It has offended the Lord, so its citizens are guilty before the Lord.
The sentence in parallel to “sinful nation,” which is the first sentence in Isaiah 1:4, is translated as “a people laden with iniquity.” The Hebrew word rendered as iniquity is ʿāwôn. This noun describes an “activity that is crooked or wrong,” an offense that could be conscious or intentional.—William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 268. As with the previous word, ḥāṭāʾ, ʿāwôn describes an act that is not right.
The second part of Isaiah 1:4 describes the condition of the children of Israel: they acted “corruptly” (NASB); they “are corrupters.” The cause may be found in the next lines: “They have forsaken the LORD, . . . they are gone away backward.” Sin is described here as the act of abandoning the Lord, and it brings about rebellion, bad behavior, wrong acts, and guilt. Isaiah 1:3 employs an amazing description to synthesize this last point in relation to God’s people at that time: “An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand” (Isa. 1:3, NASB). The situation of Israel is critical even in terms of logical reasoning. However, the Lord attempts again to pursue His children. That is the basis of His statement: “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18).
“Come Now, . . . if You are Willing.”
All provisions have been given to Israel in order for them to become a glorious nation. However, now they are only comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah (see Isa. 1:10). But the Lord can orchestrate the necessary miracle to rehabilitate them. He promises, “I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities” (Isa. 1:25, NIV).
The path for returning to God starts with an appeal to His people to see their present situation. First, their life is corrupted with sin. The Lord affirms, “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it” (Isa. 1:5, 6). The other great problem is false religion. Ritualism has replaced true worship (Isa. 1:11-14). These circumstances foster injustice among the people and bring desolation to the country (Isa. 1:7, 17).
After beseeching His people to recognize their condition, the Lord appeals to them, as follows: “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18). The expression “reason together” comes from the Hebrew verb niwāḵᵉḥâ, and it implies the notion of a legal dispute; both litigants, YHWH and people, can argue out their grievances together. It also suggests the idea of being found to be right (Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 1, p. 134). In other words, God is calling His people to vindicate themselves. But how can that even be possible for such a sinful nation? The Lord proposes the solution: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18). That is, the God that Isaiah introduces in the first chapter of his book is the only One who can purify and vindicate His people. Micah, another contemporary prophet of Isaiah, wonders, “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?” (Micah 7:18, NASB). However, this gift of forgiveness may be accepted or rejected. So, after the offer in Isaiah 1:18, the Lord clarifies that a new life is possible only “if you are willing,” or “if you consent” (Isa. 1:19, NASB). Thus, within this context, the message of the following parable in Isaiah 5 can now be better understood: “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard. What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?” (Isa. 5:3, 4, NASB).
Part III: Life Application
The first topic we have addressed in this study is related to the revealed Word of God. We have in the Bible “a more sure word of prophecy” (2 Pet. 1:19). So, when we study the Bible, we are studying not a common book but the revealed Word of God—that which God has spoken.
Is what the Lord has spoken through His prophets still relevant to you? Explain.
How does the Bible determine your identity as God’s follower?
According to your Bible reading, which features of God impress your life the most?
The second topic dealt with the sinful experience of Israel, God’s people. Sin is not exclusively a wrong action; it also can be a thought, such as resisting the authority of the Lord over our lives, or an act of inner rebellion. Israel faces a twofold threat from sin: (1) sin that plunges people into the worst acts of iniquity; (2) sin that moves people into a formal, religious experience that lacks any saving grace. Thus, their religion is a religion of show or appearances only—seemingly alive on the outside but dead within.
How can we recognize that our religious experience is falling into formalism?
In relation to God’s forgiveness, Isaiah presents God as the One who is interested in the restoration of His people. God is willing to forgive and redeem us, and repentance is part of the process (Isa. 1:27). Moreover, we have only two options: to obey or to refuse His voice (Isa. 1:19, 20). His invitation has not changed throughout the ages: “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18).
Are you willing to permit God to do His work of restoration in your life? If not, what can you do to be ready?
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Study Focus: Isaiah 1, 5
Part I: Overview
Isaiah 1 to 5 serves as an introductory unit to the book of Isaiah. It describes not only the vile condition of the Israelite society, in general, but also its spiritual condition. The focus on Israel’s spiritual condition comprises the main focus of the book. The religion of God’s people is corrupted.
Is there hope in the midst of such a situation? Yes, there is hope. That is the reason some call the book of Isaiah the Old Testament Gospel. Isaiah 1:2 testifies that the Lord has raised up His people: “I have nourished and brought up children.” Through the figurative language of the vineyard, Isaiah 5 describes God’s care for His children: “And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. . . . What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” (Isa. 5:2, 4).
God, in His loving character, restrains Himself from destroying His people. Through the prophet Hosea, a contemporary of Isaiah, God describes His inner anguish and turmoil over His people’s backslidden condition: “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together” (Hos. 11:8). God will make another effort to bring back His people to Himself. His message does not fail to declare to Israel their sinful condition. Thus, He notably keeps on appealing to them to return to Him. For this reason, God utters, “The LORD has spoken” (Isa. 1:2, NKJV). With this background in mind, three main topics are explored in this week’s study: (1) the declaration “the LORD has spoken”; (2) the theme of the sinful nation; and (3) and the invitation, “Come now, . . . if you are willing” (Isa. 1:18, 19, NKJV).
Part II: Commentary
“The LORD Has Spoken.”
Verse 1 of Isaiah 1 points out that the vision immediately concerns Judah/Jerusalem. But by using the expression “hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth” (Isa. 1:2), Isaiah suggests that the message embraces a larger audience. As readers, we need to be attuned to the fact that the primary audience of this prophetic book is the people living in Judah’s time. At the same time, we also need to be conscious of the idea that the scope of Isaiah’s message extends far beyond the time and place in which it was written and the audience for whom it was intended originally.
Many times, Isaiah uses expressions such as “the LORD has spoken” or other analogous phrases. The prophecies in the book of Isaiah are relevant because they are messages that “the LORD has spoken.” This point is emphasized from the first chapter of the book in various forms: “the LORD hath spoken” (Isa. 1:2), “hear the word of the LORD” (Isa. 1:10), “says the LORD” (Isa. 1:18, NKJV), “the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isa. 1:20, NKJV), and “the Mighty One of Israel declares” (Isa. 1:24, NIV). The author wants to be clear that the visions are coming from the Lord. In other words, there is a vision because God has revealed it.
How is God presented in the book? The subject of the message is the Lord. The immediate object is His people at the time of Isaiah’s writing, with a clear implication that the messages are inclusive of God’s people throughout all time, extending to His remnant at the end of the time. The God of Isaiah is portrayed in many ways in this chapter. He is the Lord, the Holy One. Interestingly, in the first reference to God, the author uses the expression “YHWH,” which is the most frequent expression used to refer to God in the entire book. YHWH is the immanent God. The name YHWH reveals not only the eternal existence of God but also His covenantal relationship to His people. In verse 10, Isaiah presents God as “Elohim,” the transcendent God, and/or the Sovereign of the universe. Sometimes, Isaiah uses the combination “the Lord God” (Isa. 61:1). Another singular reference to God in this chapter is “the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 1:4), a title that is characteristic of Isaianic writing (25 times).
Sinful Nation.
The book of Isaiah is explicit concerning the situation of God’s people at that time. Isaiah recalls the loving care of the Lord in favor His people: “I have nourished and brought up children” (Isa. 1:2). However, Judah forgets God’s faithful love in that “they have rebelled against me” (Isa. 1:2, second half), according to the LORD. How is the experience of sin expressed in this section? There are several Hebrew terms that are related to the topic of sin. This study reviews briefly the major words for sin in the first chapter.
Isaiah 1:2 uses the Hebrew expression p̱āšaʿ for describing a sinful act. This expression is rendered as “have rebelled” in the sentence “they have rebelled against me.” The word also has the connotation of “revolt.” Other meanings are “to break with” or to be disloyal.—Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 3 (Leiden/New York/Koln: E. J. Brill, 1996), p. 981. In other words, p̱āšaʿ describes a broken relationship. Even though, most of the time, p̱āšaʿ is rendered as a rebellious act, this act is considered criminal behavior in the Hebrew Bible.
Another word for sin is ḥāṭāʾ (Isa. 1:4), which if joined to the word “people,” can be translated as “sinful nation,” as is the case here in the King James Version. In this case, the word is used as a verb, and the basic meaning is “miss a goal,” “be at fault, offend (in manners or morals),” “commit a sin,” and “be guilty.”—William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), p. 100. Judah is a sinful nation because it has failed in the covenantal relationship with the Lord; it has done wrong. It has offended the Lord, so its citizens are guilty before the Lord.
The sentence in parallel to “sinful nation,” which is the first sentence in Isaiah 1:4, is translated as “a people laden with iniquity.” The Hebrew word rendered as iniquity is ʿāwôn. This noun describes an “activity that is crooked or wrong,” an offense that could be conscious or intentional.—William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 268. As with the previous word, ḥāṭāʾ, ʿāwôn describes an act that is not right.
The second part of Isaiah 1:4 describes the condition of the children of Israel: they acted “corruptly” (NASB); they “are corrupters.” The cause may be found in the next lines: “They have forsaken the LORD, . . . they are gone away backward.” Sin is described here as the act of abandoning the Lord, and it brings about rebellion, bad behavior, wrong acts, and guilt. Isaiah 1:3 employs an amazing description to synthesize this last point in relation to God’s people at that time: “An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand” (Isa. 1:3, NASB). The situation of Israel is critical even in terms of logical reasoning. However, the Lord attempts again to pursue His children. That is the basis of His statement: “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18).
“Come Now, . . . if You are Willing.”
All provisions have been given to Israel in order for them to become a glorious nation. However, now they are only comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah (see Isa. 1:10). But the Lord can orchestrate the necessary miracle to rehabilitate them. He promises, “I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities” (Isa. 1:25, NIV).
The path for returning to God starts with an appeal to His people to see their present situation. First, their life is corrupted with sin. The Lord affirms, “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it” (Isa. 1:5, 6). The other great problem is false religion. Ritualism has replaced true worship (Isa. 1:11-14). These circumstances foster injustice among the people and bring desolation to the country (Isa. 1:7, 17).
After beseeching His people to recognize their condition, the Lord appeals to them, as follows: “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18). The expression “reason together” comes from the Hebrew verb niwāḵᵉḥâ, and it implies the notion of a legal dispute; both litigants, YHWH and people, can argue out their grievances together. It also suggests the idea of being found to be right (Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 1, p. 134). In other words, God is calling His people to vindicate themselves. But how can that even be possible for such a sinful nation? The Lord proposes the solution: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18). That is, the God that Isaiah introduces in the first chapter of his book is the only One who can purify and vindicate His people. Micah, another contemporary prophet of Isaiah, wonders, “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?” (Micah 7:18, NASB). However, this gift of forgiveness may be accepted or rejected. So, after the offer in Isaiah 1:18, the Lord clarifies that a new life is possible only “if you are willing,” or “if you consent” (Isa. 1:19, NASB). Thus, within this context, the message of the following parable in Isaiah 5 can now be better understood: “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard. What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?” (Isa. 5:3, 4, NASB).
Part III: Life Application