The Heavens Hear

"'17 Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword"; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 1:19-20 ( New King James Version ) Joshua Rothman grippingly describes interacting with someone in a virtual environment in this week's issue of the New Yorker magazine. "I was no more intimidated by him that I would be an image on the screen. Then he got closer, and closer still, invading my personal space. In real life, I'm tall, but I found myself craning my neck look at him. As he loomed over me, gazing into my eyes, I leaned away and held my breath. I could sense my heart...

Isaiah 1:19-20 English Standard Version (ESV) 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. How often have we seen this principle played out in the Old Testament even before the time of the kings came to an end? In my personal devotional reading I am going through the Book of Joshua, seeing Israel going through and taking the land obediently and taking over the already established and fruitful vineyards, fields, and livestock. But overshadowing it is the knowledge that the Book of Judges comes next, where we see the nation spiral downward in their obedience, only to be ruled over and over again by the nations around them. And then reading this we come to the knowledge that this prophecy tells of an even greater falling away of the nation that leads to one of the darkest times in their history. It is much the same in our spiritual...

 "Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18 (New King James Version) In Jonathan Acuff's Stuff Christians Like, he tells of a little boy and his swirl of soft serve ice cream. He is allowed to include any topping he wishes. Confused by his options, the little boy accidentally covers the gleaming service of his treat with mustard. Spotting his mistake, an employee instantly invites the little boy to start with some new ice cream, but he won't. Instead, he settles. He mixes the mustard into a sickly swirl, and he chokes down every spoonful. If our hearts have been pricked by Isaiah 1 have come to a mustard moment. Our efforts to treat ourselves, indulge ourselves, even, have come to naught. The full weight of wrong, and not just mistaken, choices has hit us. We swing from self-pleasing pride to despon...

Isaiah 1:18 English Standard Version (ESV) 18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. After all that the nation of Israel had done to rebel against the Lord their God, He has given, as we looked at last week, a way to be restored. After calling them to be clean and cease to do evil, God now tells them what it will look like if they obey. The very act of Him asking them to reason with Him shows that there is a desire for relationship on His end, and with their hearts turned back toward Him, He is promising to cleanse them in a way they cannot do themselves. Now as the good bible-taught believers that we are the words “T hough your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”, might stick out like a sore thumb, saying “Words of Jesus, words of Jesus” to us. At least they did to me. But actually this is the only place the...

Isaiah 1:16-17 English Standard Version (ESV) 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. After such heavy words that went past admonishment, showing that the intense faithlessness of the nation had made them worthy of the punishment given to Sodom and Gomorrah, Isaiah gives hope and shows that the God who is over the heavens and the earth wants His people to be restored. How are they to do this? He starts by telling them to “wash yourselves: make yourselves clean”. He is telling them as a nation to perform the cleansing ritual laid out in Leviticus and so as to be presentable to God, much as the individual would be presentable to a priest. Are we not to be “Washing our wives in the word” so that we shall make them presentable to our High Priest? Perhaps one of the many r...

From Isaiah 1 ( New King James Version ) – 16 "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes: cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor, Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow." Jacob Marley came to visit me over Christmas. Unlike his visit to Ebenezer Scrooge in The Christmas Carol , he came to me late on December 23 – and he stayed within the confines of my flatscreen to play his part in the movie. Nevertheless, his words might have been directed to me, and they have stayed with me these four months. Marley tells Scrooge that since Marley's death, he has been wandering the Earth. This, says the ghost, is to compensate for the fact that in life Marley's spirit never left the counting house. He never shifted from, he confesses, the transactional mentality toward life that his job enforced. When Scrooge tries to comfort Marley that he was a good man of business, Marley is emphatic: ...

From Isaiah 1 ( New King James Version ) – 10 Hear the words of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give year to the law of our God, people of Gomorrah: 11 "to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the Lord. "I have had enough burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. 12 When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? 13 bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbath, and the calling of assemblies – I cannot endure the iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. In the movie School Ties , David Greene is a Jewish, working-class kid on scholarshi...

Isaiah 1:10-15 English Standard Version (ESV) 10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Christ himself spoke with sim...

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Isaiah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2 Here, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: "I have nourished and part of children, and they have rebelled against Me; 3 the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider." 4 Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward. 5 5 Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole Earth faints. 6 from the soul of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds in bruises and putrefying sores; they had not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment. 7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fir...

​ Isaiah 1:1-9 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.   1:2   Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.  1:3   The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”   1:4   Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.   1:5   Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.   1:6   From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; ...