Isaías 1

Isaías 1:2-4

Stedman comments that… Isaiah lived in a time of national stress, when man's true nature was visible and was exposing itself for what it was just as in our day. He was terribly bothered over man's innate rebelliousness, as he cries out in the opening chapter. The nation has deliberately forsaken the ways of God and their stupid obstinacy is simply beyond his understanding. "Why," he says, "even the ox knows its owner, and the ass its master's crib… " (Isa 1:3) Even an animal knows where its bread is buttered, where it gets blessing and help. But he says, "Not Israel. They don't know where to go." They are wandering off stupidly, ignorantly, and this amazes him. He simply cannot understand their stubborn refusal to turn back -- and the other nations around are just as bad. (Reference) PARALLELISM IN PROPHETIC WRITINGS Isaiah and other Hebrew prophets utilized a grammatical tool known as parallelism (description) which is a manner of comparison. Collins English Dictionary says parallelism is the repetition of a syntactic construction in successive sentences for rhetorical effect. Example of parallelism in Scripture… But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. (KJV, Amos 5:24) Achtemeier writes that… parallelism is a rhetorical device involving one or more linguistic repetitions or correspondences (grammatical, lexical, semantic, or phonetic) in adjacent lines or phrases. While present in prose, parallelism is more prominent in biblical poetry, where it often appears to be a basic structuring device. An example is Ps. 103:10: ‘He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requite us according to our iniquities.’ In this verse the syntactic, semantic, and lexical correspondences between the two phrases are many and obvious (e.g., ‘deal with’/‘requite’; ‘sins’/‘iniquities’; ‘according to’/‘according to’). Other verses may have fewer correspondences but may still be considered parallel. (Achtemeier, P. J. Harper's Bible Dictionary. San Francisco: Harper & Row) The Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies explains that… The characteristic of parallel lines in Hebrew poetry. Parallelism has the effect of saying the “same in the other” (C. S. Lewis) as a thought or an image in the initial line is taken up in the subsequent line(s). In the eighteenth century Robert Lowth identified three forms of parallelism: synonymous, where the second line reproduces the first; antithetical, where the second line is in contrast to the first; and synthetic, where the second line carries the thought of the first forward. Hebrew poetry is deceptively simple to translate because of this parallelistic feature, yet the various ways of balancing one line with another can work on the level of sound, form and even grammatical structures. Recent studies have focused more on the subtlety of balancing that takes place between the lines and the necessity of taking into consideration all the linguistic features, not just the thought that is paralleled. For example, Job 5:14 reads: They meet with darkness in the daytime, And grope at noonday as in the night. “Daytime” and “night” are a common contrasting word pair, and here they occupy the same position in the Hebrew (first, not last, as in the translation above). However, the other word pairs—”daytime” and “noonday,” “darkness” and “night”—occupy opposite positions in the lines but are similar in meaning (the verbs actually occupy the middle position in each line, and each line is comprised of only three Hebrew words). The poem begins with “daytime” and ends with “noonday” but in between lie “darkness” and “night.” Thus the poem is very tightly and artfully constructed around similar and contrasting images that parallel one another. (Patzia, A. G., & Petrotta, A. J. Pocket dictionary of biblical studies. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press) Radmacher explains that The Hebrews used parallelism in poetry and prophecy as a literary technique to emphasize a particular thought. Here is an example: The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But (contrast) Israel does not know, My people do not consider (Isaiah 1:3) In the first part of this verse, both the ox and the donkey intuitively know the objects that they depend on, the owner (provider) as well as the “master’s crib” (provision). The second part of the verse contrasts the intuition of animals with the behavior of the Israelites. Israel does not know “its Owner,” and even though they are God’s “people,” they “do not consider” God’s provision. Thus the second half of the verse creates the analogy in parallel with the first half. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. The Nelson Study Bible: NKJV. Nashville: Thomas Nelson) THE TEACHER IS AN ANIMAL - "The ox knows its owner… ; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider." -- Isaiah 1:3 Animals sometimes seem to have more sense than people. Because of their alertness to natural phenomena, they have at times helped us to avoid disaster. In northeastern China, officials were able to warn and evacuate people from high-risk areas hours before a killer earthquake struck. They were alerted to the disaster by cattle that mooed more than usual and chickens that refused to roost. And in Japan, 20 small quakes within a few months were accurately forecast because observers noted that catfish swam frantically, as if chased by sharks. From the prophet Isaiah we learn that observing animals can even teach us how to prevent a ruined life (Isa 1:2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). He noted that an ox knows its owner, and a donkey knows where its food comes from (Isa 1:3). These animals know who takes care of them. God's people, however, often aren't smart enough to remember their Owner. Hundreds of years after Isaiah, the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians that they were not their own. They had been bought with a price and were to honor God in all they said and did (1Cor. 6:19, 20). I am Yours, Lord, yet teach me all it means, All it involves of love and loyalty, Holy service, absolute surrender And unreserved obedience to Thee. -- Anon. Live so that others know whom you belong to. Isaiah 1:4 Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him. (NASB: Lockman) English Translation of the Greek (Septuagint): Ah sinful nation, a people full of sins, an evil seed, lawless children: ye have forsaken the Lord, and provoked the Holy One of Israel. Amplified: Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised and shown contempt and provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger, they have become utterly estranged (alienated). (Amplified Bible - Lockman) KJV: 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. NET: The sinful nation is as good as dead, the people weighed down by evil deeds. They are offspring who do wrong, children who do wicked things. They have abandoned the LORD, and rejected the Holy One of Israel. They are alienated from him. (NET Bible) NJB: Disaster, sinful nation, people weighed down with guilt, race of wrong-doers, perverted children! They have abandoned Yahweh, despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from him. (NJB) NLT: Oh, what a sinful nation they are! They are loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil and corrupt children who have turned away from the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel, cutting themselves off from his help. (NLT - Tyndale House) Young's Literal: Ah, sinning nation, a people heavy with iniquity, A seed of evil doers, sons -- corrupters! They have forsaken Jehovah, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have gone away backward. Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity: Isa 1:23; 10:6; 30:9; Genesis 13:13; Matthew 11:28; Acts 7:51,52; Revelation 18:5 Weighed down - Isa 57:3,4; Numbers 32:14; Psalms 78:8; Jeremiah 7:26; 16:11,12; Matthew 3:7; 23:33 Isaiah 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Observe that this indictment began (Isa 1:2, 3) with God Himself pronouncing the charge against His people. In this verse, its as if Isaiah like all true prophets can no longer hold the words within and so he begins his denunciation of the spiritual sickness of chosen people by crying out "Woe"! Never pass over a "woe" in the Bible too quickly. Ask God if Isaiah's century's old "woe" might also be uttered over the majority of the modern day church in America! Keil and Delitzsch comment that in this verse… there commences a totally different rhythm. The words of Jehovah are ended. The piercing lamentation of the deeply grieved Father is also the severest accusation. The cause of God, however, is to the prophet the cause of a friend, who feels an injury done to his friend quite as much as if it were done to himself (Isa 5:1). The lamentation of God, therefore, is changed now into violent scolding and threatening on the part of the prophet; and in accordance with the deep wrathful pain with which he is moved, his words pour out with violent rapidity, like flash after flash, in climactic clauses having no outward connection, and each consisting of only two or three words. Alas (01945) (hoy) (pronounced {hoh'ee} - you've probably heard a Jewish person express this exclamation) is an interjection (word used in an exclamation) meaning Ho!, Oh!, Ah! or Woe! Hoy is not just an exclamation, expressing astonishment or pain, but is also an interjection denouncing threatening or punishment. Our English word alas is an exclamation expressive of sorrow, grief, pity, concern, apprehension of evil , unhappiness, or concern. Woe expresses grief, regret, great sorrow or distress ("Woe is me!") Hoy - 47 OT uses - These uses are almost completely confined to the prophetic writings! Note the major usage is in Isaiah (21x) - 1Ki 13:30; Is 1:4, 24; 5:8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22; 10:1, 5; 17:12; 18:1; 28:1; 29:1, 15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1; 45:9, 10; 55:1; Jer. 22:13, 18; 23:1; 30:7; 34:5; 47:6; 48:1; 50:27; Ezek 13:3, 18; 34:2; Amos 5:18; 6:1; Mic 2:1; Nah 3:1; Hab 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19; Zeph 2:5; 3:1; Zec 2:6, 7; 11:17 The Septuagint (LXX) translates hoy with the Greek article of interjection ouai which expresses extreme displeasure even calling for retributive pain on the subject, in this case Judah! Uses of ouai in Septuagint - Nu 21:29; 1Sa 4:7f, 21; 1Ki. 12:24; 13:30; Pr 23:29; Eccl. 4:10; 10:16; Isa. 1:4, 24; 3:9, 11; 5:8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22; 10:1, 5; 17:12; 18:1; 24:16; 28:1; 29:1, 15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1; Jer. 4:13; 6:4; 10:19; 13:27; 22:18; 46:19; 48:1; 50:27; 51:2; Lam. 5:16; Ezek. 2:10; 7:26; 13:3, 18; Hos. 7:13; 9:12; Amos 5:16, 18; 6:1; Mic. 7:4; Nah. 3:17; Hab. 2:6, 12, 19; Zeph. 2:5; 3:18 Young comments that "Isaiah is a true evangelist, for a true evangelist must ever be grieved by sin and by the lost condition of the sinner to whom he speaks. Such grief flows from a true love for those who need his message. The condition of the nation brings forth upon Isaiah’s part a cry of pity that things are as they are, a cry mixed with indignation against those who could so sin, together with wonder that men who had received so much from God could so easily turn against Him in forgetfulness. Words are not sufficient to express Isaiah’s feelings; he must break forth into an agonizing cry. Isaiah first mentions the unrighteous effects (sinful, etc) and then he identifies the root causes (abandoned Jehovah, etc). Their evil actions were the fruit of their willful rejection of Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel and His Holy Word! (Gal 6:7, 8). Sinful nation - Literally this reads the "sinning nation", and the following three clauses (weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly) repeat the sense of the first in different words thus emphasizing Judah's degree of sinfulness. The point is that the corruption Isaiah describes has "infected" the entire nation, not just a part of it. The evil humors had become generalized! Woe to such a nation. Proverbs could not be more clear and direct stating that "Righteousness exalts (morally, ethically, not economically) a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any (don't miss that word "any") people." (Pr 14:34) Notice that the charge is against the entire nation. God obviously holds individuals responsible for their sins and He also holds nations responsible! Literally sinful (02398) (chata') means to "miss the mark" so to speak. Specifically Judah missed God's target for them which was to be a holy or separated people (Lev 11:44,45, 19:2, 20:24, 25, 26, Dt 7:6, 26:19, 28:9) which would be a light to the godless, polytheistic, idolatrous nations who would be drawn to the one true and living God. The essence of the Hebrew word chata is brought in a literal use in Judges… Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss (chata). (Jdg 20:16) Israel was to be unique from all the godless, pagan nations of the world… And what one nation on the earth is like Thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for Thee and awesome things for Thy land, before Thy people whom Thou hast redeemed for Thyself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? For Thou hast established for Thyself Thy people Israel as Thine own people forever, and Thou, O Lord, hast become their God. (1Sa 7:23, 24) What a tragic picture Isaiah presents in this passage to contrast what Israel should have/could have been if only they had followed the Master's plans (cp our potential as believer's Ep 2:10-note, 2Pe 1:4-note; Beloved are you redeeming the time Ep 5:16-note or wasting your life?)… THEIR PRACTICE THEIR POTENTIAL Sinful nation A holy nation (Ex 19:6) A people weighed down with iniquity A people for His own possession (Dt 14:2) Offspring of evildoers Seed of Abraham (Ps 105:6, Is 41:8, 44:1,2) Sons who act corruptly Sons of the LORD your God (Dt 14:1) Vine applies this passage to the modern day church (and to so-called Christian nations like America) writing… All this is again admonitory for us upon whom the very “end of the ages” has come. The description given concerning us in 1Pe 2:9 (note) is similar to that given to Israel as God’s people just mentioned: (Ex 19:6). We should therefore take heed lest we fall as they did, lest there be in any of us “an evil heart of unbelief in departing from (or that falls away from) the living God." (Heb 3:12-note)” Weighed down (03515) (kabed) is an adjective which usually conveys a negative connotation describing something as heavy and figuratively as burdensome (cp Moses' cry in Nu 11:14) or grievous. Sometimes kabed describes a great degree of intensity. SIN IS ALWAYS A HEAVY BURDEN TO CARRY Picture the entire nation of Judah walking around with heavy burdens of sin like a yoke around their neck, bowed down, crushed and oppressed by the enormous weight of their accumulated crimes against God! What a striking picture of sin… like a heavy load on our backs making it difficult to get around. Sin is never a "free ride" but always results in a heavy burden (Pr 28:13 Ps 32:4-note Ro 3:9-note Mt 11:29) As you may have heard it said "Sin sits "heavy" on my conscience." Praise God that He provided a "Sin Bearer" who could handle the heavy load of sin as described in 1Peter… and He Himself (Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, Jn 1:29) bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to Sin (speaks of the penalty and the power of sin) and live to righteousness (speaks of the power to be holy as He is holy 1Pe 1:15-note) for by His wounds you were healed (not physical healing as some incorrectly teach, but spiritual healing of our soul). (1Pe 2:24-note). Kabed - 3 uses in Isaiah - Isa. 1:4; 32:2, 36:2 The Septuagint translates kabed with plethes an adjective that means full, filled up (as opposed to empty), as one would fill up a hollow vessel. In the NT plethes is used to described one's soul as thoroughly permeated (of the Holy Spirit filling us - Lk 4:1, Acts 6:3, 7:55, 11:24). Plethes was used to describe fully ripened grain (Mk 4:28), which suggests Judah's iniquities were "full" or "fully ripened" (and ready to be "harvested" - cp Gal 6:6,7). Motyer adds that this sinful people became ‘heavy with iniquity’, as if the Lord who carried them (Isa 46:3, 4; Ex. 19:4) Himself felt the burden.