Isaiah 1 Reflections

                Isaiah 1 might have a message America needs to hear.  Isaiah describes a nation that is falling apart and is in danger of destruction.  Why is this happening to them?

                It is not because they are not a religious people.  They are!  Their society is full of religious activity.  In verses 11-15, Isaiah pictures them as full of a multitude of sacrifices, presenting their best offerings to God, attendance is great (“trampling of my courts”), numerous meetings (assemblies), a calendar full of events (new moon celebrations, etc.), and they were a people of prayer.  Sounds like an energetic, on fire church to me!  This is the kind of religious observance and activity that can draw a crowd and lead others to copy you hoping to duplicate your spiritual success.

                Then what could possibly be the problem?  Well, religious activity can be like a truck stuck in the mud trying to get out—a lot of energy being used, a lot of noise being made, a lot of attention being attracted, a lot of mud being slung—and only getting deeper into the mire: going nowhere, fast. Instead of honoring God, He says He is weary of it and finds it appalling to look at (He turns His eyes away).

                The real problem is that all their religious activity, observances, and spirituality have been made empty and meaningless by the nature of their society.  In verses 16-17, they are told what they need to do.  I take from this list that these are the things they are lacking.  There is a lack of justice, failure to encourage the oppressed, failure to defend the fatherless, failure to plead the case of the widow—a complete failure to practice social justice and show compassion to those who are most in need of it.  The lack of love for their neighbors points to a lack of real love for God.  Therefore, their religious activity is not motivated by love for God.

                Look at the options they are presented in vv. 18-20:  if they will think it through and realize what is really happening, they can be cleansed and their nation will be blessed.  However, if they continue to resist and rebel, they will be destroyed—their religious façade not withstanding!

                Someone might argue though that this is Judah, the chosen people of God.  This is not America.  “You cannot impose how God treated the ancient Hebrews on modern America. We are not the people of God.”  True enough; but then again, neither were Sodom and Gomorrah.  Yet, Isaiah compares what is threatening to happen to Judah to what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.  Though not the chosen people, God destroyed them for their evil and violence.  I would add that after the time of Isaiah, God warned the Assyrian capital of Nineveh that it would be destroyed for its evil if the people did not repent.  So, my response is:  “Yes, you are right, Isaiah is speaking to the chosen people and America is not the ‘chosen people.’  So what?  God has demonstrated that he will destroy any people (chosen or not) who inflict injustice on others.”  To assume America is exempt from this precedent would be to assume American exceptionalism.

                Are there parallels?  Yes.  Note in vs. 22 how economic and resource devaluation occurred.  Isaiah proclaims this as warning of judgment.  The rulers are described as rebels acting as thieves and taking bribes while failing to carry out their responsibility to administer justice.  Does this remind you of any headlines over the past few years?

                The children of Abraham were commanded to look after the widow, the orphan, the poor, the strangers in their midst while the Torah was full of commandments on how to do just that.  If the church claims to be the “New Israel,” are we not then responsible to lead in the effort to bring social justice.  Does this not match the teachings of Christ?  Paul’s teaching that the whole law is fulfilled in loving God and our neighbor?  Does it not match James’ definition of true religion as helping the widow and the orphan?

                Instead of evaluating our society on the basis of religious activity, maybe it is time to evaluating using God’s criteria—how much blood is on those praying hands?