Isaías 1
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Isaías 1:1
Wiersbe warns "These promises must not be “spiritualized” and applied to the church (HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD FOR LITERAL INTERPRETATION!), for they describe a literal kingdom of righteousness and peace. The Jewish temple will be rebuilt, and the Word of God will go forth from Jerusalem to govern the nations of the world." (Page 22) W E Vine - Isaiah Prophecies Promises Warning (borrow) 232 page book that generally takes a literal interpretative view of the prophecies of Isaiah. The Expositor's Bible Commentary- Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel Volume 6 - Geoffrey Grogan - Grogan seems to justify various aspects of both a literal and a spiritualizing approach to Isaiah, although he does not replace Israel with the Church - "The Book of Isaiah, like other OT prophetic Scriptures, has been understood in more than one way as far as its eschatology is concerned. Clearly, a high doctrine of Scripture requires us to take the teaching of its every part with great seriousness, and it also requires that we consider the way the NT writers understood it. Some writers hold to the principle that every prophecy that can be taken literally should be so taken. This does not mean that there is no recognition of figurative language or the wide range of physical analogies used by the writers. It does mean though that Jerusalem is taken to be a geographical location, not a symbol for the church, that the wolf and the lamb lie down together in the Messiah’s kingdom as literal animals, and so on. Others interpret the bulk of the material spiritually maintaining that the promises made to Israel are to be fulfilled in the church, so that we are not to think in terms of the physical realities themselves so much as the spiritual concepts they were designed to point to. This does not mean, of course, that none of the prophecies are to be taken literally. For instance, Christ did offer his back to those who would beat him (50:6). The key to spiritualization really lies in the formula: For “Israel” or “Jerusalem” read “the church.” In the judgment of the present writer, both these positions have difficulties in the light of the NT. A good case can be made out for the fulfillment of many of the “Israel” prophecies in the church, which is the thesis of OT Allis’s Prophecy and the Church. But there is an important group of NT passages that can hardly be understood in any other way than in relation to literal Israel and geographical Jerusalem, passages like Matthew 19:28 and Luke 21:24. The most natural interpretation of Romans 11:26–27 takes “all Israel” to be a reference to the earthly nation, and a study of Revelation 20 leads to the conclusion that it is speaking about a thousand-year reign of Christ on earth after his second advent. Of course, those who argue for consistent spiritualization have their own interpretations of these passages, but this writer does not find them convincing. Romans 11:26–27 is particularly important and interesting because it quotes Isaiah 59:20–21 and 27:9. It is also difficult to take the consistently literal position, especially if this means the setting up of a temple and a sacrificial system again after Christ has made the final sacrifice." (Page 14-15). ESV Study Bible - Neal Cushman (Preaching Isaiah: Dispensational Issues) review - "Raymond Ortlund, Jr. writes the introduction and notes for Isaiah in the highly popular ESV Study Bible. 38 Ortlund states, “[Isaiah] reveals, through symbols and reasoned thought, a God-centered way of seeing and living. It offers everyone the true alternative to the false appearances of this world.”39 He further explains, “The purpose of Isaiah, then, is to declare the good news that God will glorify himself through the renewed and increased glory of his people, which will attract the nations. The book of Isaiah is a vision of hope for sinners through the coming of Messiah, promising for the ‘ransomed’ people of God a new world where sin and sorrow will be forever forgotten” (Isaiah 35:10; 51:11). As is customary in the ESV Study Bible, possible interpretations are listed so that the reader may choose. Ortlund takes this approach in the many passages that teach a future earthly kingdom in Isaiah, but he consistently presents the amillennial interpretation as the favored view." My Addendum - Ortlund also the Isaiah commentary in the series Preaching the Word - however he does not approach the text literally but sadly replaces Scriptures given directly to the Jews (cp Isaiah 2:1-2 The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it will come about that In the last days, The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. ) and applies them to the church. And so in his comments on Isaiah 2:1-2 he writes "in the latter days the nations will abandon their worldviews and ideologies and gladly give to the church their esteem as the world’s leader in worship." In fact a search of his entire commentary retrieves only 92 mentions of Judah (to whom the prophecy is directed in Isaiah 1:1, 2:1) and 288 mentions of the church which is not addressed directly once in Isaiah 1-66! Ortlund is a good writer and has some wonderful applications but one must be aware of the lack of literal interpretation. KJV Bible Commentary (online no restrictions) - Hindson, Edward E; Kroll, Woodrow Michael. Over 3000 pages of the entire OT/NT. Well done conservative commentary that interprets Scripture from a literal perspective. Pre-millennial. The King James Study Bible Second Edition (online no restrictions) 2240 pages (2013) General Editor - Edward Hindson with multiple contributing editors. Pre-millennial. See introduction on How to Use this Study Bible. NKJV Study Bible: New King James Version Study Bible (online no restrictions) by Earl D Radmacher; Ronald Barclay Allen; Wayne H House. 2345 pages. (1997, 2007). Very helpful notes. Conservative. Pre-millennial. The MacArthur Study Bible (borrow) - Brief but well done notes from a literal perspective. Bible Knowledge Commentary - Old Testament (borrow) - Dispensational perspective. Ryrie Study Bible - Neal Cushman's review - This study Bible does not include a section in the introduction to describe Isaiah’s overall argument. However, the outline for the book contains considerable detail and Ryrie’s notes, though brief, are generally helpful. For instance, regarding the day when the Lord will recover the remnant of his people a second time (Isa 11:11), Ryrie argues that this second regathering may be identified as the future eschatological gathering of Israel; the first time occurred under Zerubbabel in 537 BC. 42 Recent Isaianic scholars view this prophecy as a “New Exodus” as compared to the “First Exodus.” However, Ryrie does not adequately distinguish the prophecies of the eschatological regathering of Israel (43:1-13) from the return from Babylon (43:14- 21). (Preaching Isaiah: Dispensational Issues). Neil Cushman makes some interesting observations - In the past year, 468 sermons in which Isaiah was the principal text were uploaded onto Sermon Audio’s website. Since approximately 6000 sermons were uploaded during that same period of time, sermons on Isaiah would account for nearly 8 percent of those preached. As previously noted, preachers frequently focus on familiar texts in Isaiah’s prophecy. Thus, homeleticians expounded Isaiah 6 thirty-one times, 7:14 eighteen times, 9:6 thirty times, and chapter 53 ninety- three times. In the majority of these sermons the overall message of Isaiah was not mentioned, although the historical context was sometimes addressed, especially in respect to chapters 6 and 7. (Preaching Isaiah: Dispensational Issues - Neal Cushman). A FEW SIMPLE GUIDELINES FOR STUDY OF PROPHETIC BOOKS In regard to Prophetic books like Isaiah (the same caveat applies to Jeremiah, Daniel, and the 12 "Minor" Prophets), remember that the most accurate interpretation is derived by applying the following principles: (1) Read the Scripture literally unless the passage is clearly figurative language, but even then keep in mind that the figurative always points to a literal reality and does not give the interpreter liberty to let the imagination "run wild" with specious speculations! (2) Take time to observe the context (it does take time - reading and re-reading the surrounding passages/paragraphs/chapters to accurately establish the context) for context is "king" and rules over accurate Interpretation. For example, don't take verses from Isaiah out of their Old Testament context in which God is speaking to the saved and unsaved Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. Remember that Jehovah's promises to the nation of Israel regarding the promised land remain valid, and it is vital (for accurate interpretation) to not replace Israel with the NT church (See Paul's declaration that the Gentiles were to be fellow members of the body, the church, had heretofore been a mystery, not revealed in the OT! Ep 3:3-note, Ep 3:4, 5-note, Ep 3:6-note - It is a serious interpretative error to substitute the church for Israel when reading the OT! See study Israel of God). A large percentage of commentaries on Isaiah (old and recent) have abrogated this vital, irrefutable covenant principle (cp Ge 12:1, 2, 3). The church is not mentioned in the Old Testament but was a mystery revealed only in the New Testament. This is not to say that Isaiah is not applicable to NT believers, because to the contrary, Isaiah's message to Israel is imminently applicable and is urgently needed that it might be heeded by the New Testament church. (3) Remember that Scripture is always the best commentary on Scripture. As you read through the comments on Isaiah, you will from time to time encounter examples of spurious (in my opinion) interpretative comments. These comments will be quoted not to denigrate the author of the comments (some of whom are quite famous) but to convince you of the importance of doing your own observations of the text before you are read and are potentially biased by someone else's interpretation (including the one you are currently reading!) It is always important to be a Berean (Acts 17:11-notes) when studying the Scriptures, but this caution is especially necessary when studying the Old Testament prophetic books. Before you consult commentaries, sermons or other resources, first consult the Word of God, studying the Scriptures diligently and inductively (See inductive Bible study) in dependence on your Teacher, the Holy Spirit, Who Jesus promised would guide us into all truth (John 16:13). A BRIEF SUMMARY OF ISRAEL'S HISTORY The history of Israel begins with Jehovah's call to and covenant with Abraham (Acts 7:2, 3, 4, Ge 12:1, 2, 3, 17:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), with these covenant promises passing down through Isaac to Jacob (Ge 32:28, 35:10, 11, 12) from whom came the 12 tribes of Israel. The 12 tribes under the leadership of Moses were delivered by Jehovah (Acts 7:30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36) from the death angel by the blood of the Passover lamb (Ex 12:11, 21, 27, 50, 51) and from Egyptian bondage and Pharaoh's pursuit - Ex 14:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31). Jehovah then entered into a conditional covenant with Israel at Mt Sinai (Ex 19:5, 24:3, 7, 8). After 40 years of wilderness wandering (Acts 7:36), the first generation of Israelites (those who had been freed from Egypt) died off (Nu 14:32, 33, 34, 35) with the exception of Joshua and Caleb (Nu 14:36, 37, 38). The second generation of Israelites crossed the Jordan into the promised land to capture and occupy their specific tribal territory under the leadership of Joshua (Josh 21:43, 44, 45, Ne 9:23, 24). After Joshua's death, the dark days of the period of the judges followed, lasting some 300 plus years, during which every man did what was right in his own eyes because there was no king in Israel (Jdg 21:25-notes, Neh 9:26, 27, 28, 29). During this dark time Ruth the Moabitess married Boaz, the kinsmen-redeemer (Ru 3:9, 12, 13, 4:4, 5, 6 - see verse by verse commentary on Ruth), and gave birth to Obed the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:21, 22). Toward the end of the period of Judges (see commentary on Judges - Verse by Verse) the prophet Samuel was raised up (1Sa 1:20, 21, 22, 28; 3:8, 9, 10, 19, 20, 21) to call Israel back to her King (cp 1Sa 7:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). However, when the prophet (EBD article) Samuel had grown old, his sons did not walk in his ways (1Sa 8:2, 3) with the result that Israel began to cry out for a king like the other nations (1Sa 8:4, 5, 6, 19, 20). And so God gave them a king and allowed the 12 tribes (the United Kingdom) to be ruled for 40 years by King Saul, 40 years by King David and 40 years by King Solomon. In 931BC, God declared to King Solomon that He would tear the kingdom from him because of his idolatry, but would leave the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin under his son Rehoboam's rule (1Ki 11:10, 11, 12, 13). And just as Jehovah had prophesied, the 12 tribes were divided at the end of Solomon's reign, Jeroboam I (followed by 18 evil kings) being the first king of the north ruling over 10 tribes in the capital city of Samaria (1Ki 11:26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40). Rehoboam (followed by 11 evil and 8 godly kings) (1Ki 11:42, 43) became the first king of the south and he ruled in the capital city of Jerusalem over two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. The Northern Kingdom stood for 209 years until it was captured by Assyria and taken into exile in 722 BC (2Ki 17:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Why? 2Ki 17:7,8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19). The Southern Kingdom failed to learn from Israel's punishment by Jehovah after 345 years was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC (Zedekiah the last king - 2Chr 36:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, Why 70 years of exile in Babylon? 2Chr 36:21, Lv 25:4, 26:33, 34, 35). Note that there were 3 sieges of Jerusalem by Babylon - 605 BC (Daniel and his friends taken, Jehoiakim king of Judah), 597 BC (Ezekiel and 10,000 taken captive, Jehoiachin king of Judah) and 586 BC (Jerusalem and the Holy Temple destroyed, Zedekiah king of Judah). THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS The chart below summarizes the the periods of ministry of all 17 Old Testament prophets, often divided (primarily on the basis of their length) into major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) and minor prophets (see names in chart below). The chart depicts the time of the prophet's ministry - Exilic, Pre- or Post-exilic - and the primary recipient of their prophetic message (eg, Amos and Hosea to the 10 Northern tribes referred to as Israel - whenever you observe the term "Israel" in Scripture check the context because in other uses it can refer to the 12 tribes representing undivided Israel). As described above, the Northern 10 Tribes were taken into exile by Assyria in 722 BC. Isaiah began his prophetic ministry which was directed primarily to the Southern Kingdom of Judah about 739BC or approximately 17 years prior to the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Isaiah's ministry to Judah ceased about 681BC, almost 100 years prior to the Babylonian exile in 586BC. Note also that Amos, Hosea and Micah were contemporary prophets of Isaiah. THREE PERIODS OF THE PROPHETS OF ISRAEL & JUDAH ASSYRIAN CAPTIVITY 722BC BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY 586BC 1 PRE-EXILIC 2 EXILIC 3 POST-EXILIC ISRAEL 10 NORTHERN TRIBES TAKEN INTO EXILE BY ASSYRIA CAPITAL: SAMARIA DANIEL EZEKIEL JONAH AMOS HOSEA JUDAH 2 SOUTHERN TRIBES TAKEN INTO EXILE BY BABYLON CAPITAL: JERUSALEM RESTORED JUDAH OBADIAH ISAIAH NAHUM ZECHARIAH MALACHI JOEL MICAH ZEPHANIAH HAGGAI HABAKKUK JEREMIAH Related Resource: Excellent Timeline for Isaiah in Pdf As you study Isaiah (and any prophecy for that matter) keep in mind that the prophets words speak to one or more of the major prophetic points in history: The prophet's own day, Judah's 70 years captivity (exile) in Babylon, Judah's post-exilic return to Jerusalem (and "the land" - see following note), Messiah's first coming, Messiah's second coming to reign one thousand years (The Millennium), and the inception of the New Heaven and New Earth. Keep in mind that many times in the OT, the seemingly general phrase "the land" is a specific designation of the promised land (determined by the context), the land of "milk and honey" which Jehovah unconditionally promised to Abraham and his offspring forever (eg, observe the phrase "the land" in Ge 12:1, 7, 13:15, 15:18, 17:7, 8, 24:7, 28:4, 13, 14, 15, 35:9, 10, 11, 12, 48:4, Ex 20:12, 33:1, Dt 34:4, 2Chr 20:7, Neh 9:7, 8) THE MAJOR PROPHETIC POINTS IN SCRIPTURE The Prophet's Own Lifetime Judah's 70 Yrs in Babylonian Captivity (Exile) Judah's Return to Jerusalem & Restoration of Temple (Post-exilic) 400 Years God is "Silent" Messiah's First Coming as a Man to be Crucified for our sins Messiah's Second Coming to reign as King over His Millennial Kingdom New Heaven and New Earth in which righteousness dwells Related Resources: Prophecy Primer Prophetic Points in Book of Daniel Isaiah has been referred to as the Bible in miniature, having 66 chapters even as the Bible has 66 books. And just as the Bible is divided into two parts of 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books, Isaiah is divided into two parts, the first 39 chapters (Isa 1-39) having to do largely with Israel's past and the promise of Messiah's coming, and the last 27 chapters (Isa 40-66) dealing especially with Israel's future and her deliverance. Obviously, the "division" of Isaiah into 39 and 27 chapters is coincidental because the original manuscript of Isaiah had no chapter divisions but the chapters were established by human editors, not the Holy Spirit. J
Isaías 1:2-4
Wiersbe comments that "Unlike Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Isaiah did not begin his book with an account of his call to ministry. This he gives in chapter 6. Instead, he started with a probing examination of Judah’s present situation and gave a passionate plea for God’s people to return to the Lord. As you read his analysis, note how closely it parallels our situation in the Western world. (Wiersbe, W. W. Be Comforted. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books) (Bolding added) Ortlund writes that… Paul Tournier, the Swiss psychiatrist, observed, “A diffuse and vague guilt feeling kills the personality, whereas the conviction of sin gives life to it.” Isaiah begins with life-giving conviction of sin. It’s our first step back to God. We need a sense of sin. We shouldn’t fear it or resent it. It is not destructive. It is life-giving, if we have the courage to let Christ save us. We are often told—or just whispered to—that what we need is more self-esteem. That is false. What we need is more humility and more Christ-esteem. (Ortlund, R. C., Jr, Isaiah: God Saves Sinners. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books) Comment: Ortlund's commentary is part of an excellent series edited by R. Kent Hughes [Preaching the Word] and as a literary work Ortlund's commentary on Isaiah is quite eloquent, but unfortunately he seeks to apply Isaiah's teaching primarily to the church (albeit his application points as demonstrated by this present quote are generally good) and for the most part (exceptions include prophecies of Messiah) does not approach Isaiah's prophecy to Judah and Jerusalem literally (e.g., there is no mention of the glorious millennium [see Millennium for a veritable plethora of passages prophesying of the covenant promises of Jehovah to Judah and Jerusalem {and Israel]} -- take for example a section where Ortlund completely ignores the literal interpretation of Isaiah 1:26 concluding that it is primarily addressed to the church {a mystery in the OT! cp Ep 3:4, 5-note, Ep 3:6-note} writing primarily again from an applicational perspective --"The discipline of God achieves just what He intends, in purification and in restoration, both at the same time. We can expect the goodness of God to show up in unlikely experiences. When He turns His hand against us to purify us, let’s trust him to restore us.", page 45 - Read Isa 1:26 remembering to whom it was addressed in Isa 1:1! We cannot ignore the obvious lest the thrust and gist of much of Isaiah's prophecy becomes muddled and misunderstood!] and so it cannot be given a high recommendation as one which rightly divides the word of truth - 2Ti 2:15+ especially regarding the prophecies given to the nation of Israel. A W Tozer sounds a similar note of sound (healthy) doctrinal clarification writing that… In our time we have overemphasized the psychology of the sinner’s condition. We spend much time describing the woe of the sinner, the grief of the sinner and the great burden he carries. He does have all of these, but we have overemphasized them until we forget the principal fact—that the sinner is actually a rebel against properly constituted authority! That is what makes sin, sin. We are rebels. We are sons of disobedience (Ep 2:2-note, Ep 5:6-note). Sin is the breaking of the law and we are in rebellion and we are fugitives from the just laws of God while we are sinners. By way of illustration, suppose a man escapes from prison. Certainly he will have grief. He is going to be in pain after bumping logs and stones and fences as he crawls and hides away in the dark. He is going to be hungry and cold and weary. His beard will grow long and he will be tired and cramped and cold—all of these will happen, but they are incidental to the fact that he is a fugitive from justice and a rebel against law. So it is with sinners. Certainly they are heartbroken and they carry a heavy load. Certainly they labor and are heavy-laden. The Bible takes full account of these things; but they are incidental to the fact that the reason the sinner is what he is, is because he has rebelled against the laws of God and he is a fugitive from divine judgment. It is that which constitutes the nature of sin; not the fact that he carries a heavy load of misery and sadness and guilt. These things constitute only the outcropping of the sinful nature, but the root of sin is rebellion against law, rebellion against God. Does not the sinner say: “I belong to myself—I owe allegiance to no one unless I choose to give it!” That is the essence of sin. But thankfully, salvation reverses that and restores the former relationship so that the first thing the returning sinner does is to confess: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in Thy sight, and I am no more worthy to be called Thy son. Make me as one of Thy hired servants.” (Lk 15:19) Thus, in repentance, we reverse that relationship and we fully submit to the Word of God and the will of God, as obedient children (cp 1Pe 1:3-note; 1Pe 1:14-note). (The Tozer Pulpit. Volume 2) (Bolding added) Louis Blanc, French socialist and historian, said shortly before his execution, “When I was an infant, I rebelled against my nurse. When I was a child, I rebelled against my teachers. When I was a young man, I rebelled against my mother and father. When I reached a mature age, I rebelled against the state. When I die, if there is a heaven and a God, I’ll rebel against them!” They have revolted - This is not just an accusation of rebellion in general but that which is specifically against the rule and reign of the sovereign God of the universe, the Holy One of Israel. Revolted (06586) (pasha) means to transgress, to sin, to rebel. The idea is a willful flouting of authority by willfully violating a law! Pasha means to , be in open defiance of an authority or standard of an agreement. Pasha was used in treaties to speak of a vassal state’s disobedience to the covenant made with it by the suzerain (a dominant state controlling the foreign relations of a vassal state but allowing it sovereign authority in its internal affairs) nation. A rebel is one who who revolts from the government to which he owes allegiance, either by openly renouncing the authority of that government, or by taking arms and openly opposing it. Pasha - 37v in OT and 8x in Isaiah - 1 Ki. 8:50; 12:19; 2 Ki. 1:1; 3:5, 7; 8:20, 22; 2 Chr. 10:19; 21:8, 10; Ezr. 10:13; Ps. 37:38; 51:13; Prov. 18:19; 28:21; Isa. 1:2, 28; 43:27; 46:8; 48:8; 53:12; 59:13; 66:24; Jer. 2:8, 29; 3:13; 33:8; Lam. 3:42; Ezek. 2:3; 18:31; 20:38; Dan. 8:23; Hos. 7:13; 8:1; 14:9; Amos 4:4; Zeph. 3:11 Pasha in this verse thus conveys the idea of breaking a contract, and as it relates to Israel speaks of breaking the solemn covenant entered at Mt Sinai (Ex 19:5,6, 7. Note carefully Israel's response Ex 19:8, cp their response when Moses told them the "ten commandments" - Ex 24:3, 7; How quickly did they break the covenant? Ex 32:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). They subsequently repeatedly broke this covenant through unbelief and worship of idol rather than worship of the one true God. In short, they rebelled and thus sinned against Jehovah. Notice that a key aspect of sin is rebellion against divine authority (Isa 66:24; Je 2:29; 3:13, cp Isa 30:1, 9). Vine - The basic sense of pasha is “to rebel.” There are two stages of rebellion. First, the whole process of rebellion has independence in view: “Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab” (2Kings 1:1). Second, the final result of the rebellion is the state of independence: “In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves” (2Kings 8:20). A more radical meaning is the state of rebellion in which there is no end of the rebellion in view. The process is no longer goal-oriented. The state thus described refers to a status quo: “So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day” (1Kings 12:19). Keil and Delitzsch has this note on pasha…The radical meaning of the verb pasha is to break away, or break loose… The idea is that of dissolving connection with a person with violence and self-will; here it relates to that inward severance from God, and renunciation of Him, which preceded all outward acts of sin, and which not only had idolatry for its full and outward manifestation, but was truly idolatry in all its forms. From the time that Solomon gave himself up to the worship of idols, at the close of his reign (Ed: circa 931BC, 1Ki 11:9, 10, 11, 12, 13), down to the days of Isaiah (Ed: ministry began circa 739BC), idolatry had never entirely or permanently ceased to exist, even in public. In two different reformations the attempt had been made to suppress it, viz., in the one commenced by Asa and concluded by Jehoshaphat; and in the one carried out by Joash, during the lifetime of the high priest Jehoiada, his tutor and deliverer. But the first was not successful in suppressing it altogether; and what Joash removed, returned with double abominations as soon as Jehoiada was dead. Consequently the words, “They have rebelled against Me,” which sum up all the ingratitude of Israel in one word, and trace it to its root, apply to the whole history of Israel, from its culminating point under David and Solomon, down to the prophet’s own time. (Ed: I agree but remember that Isaiah is speaking primarily to Judah and Jerusalem, Isa 1:1).
Isaías 1:10-15
Wiersbe wrote this about 1992) when the poor and the aged are pleading for help, churches in America are spending approximately 3 billion dollars a year on new construction. Where churches have life and growth, such construction may be needed; but too often the building becomes “a millstone instead of a milestone,” to quote Vance Havner. At least 62 percent of the people Barna surveyed said that the church was not relevant to today’s world and is losing its influence on society. It may be that, like the worshipers in the ancient Jewish temple, we are only going through the motions. (See The Frog in the Kettle- George Barna) (Wiersbe, W. W. Be Comforted. An Old Testament Study. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books) Isaiah 1:12 "When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? (NASB: Lockman) English Translation of the Greek (Septuagint): neither shall ye come with these to appear before me; for who has required these things at your hands? Ye shall no more tread my court. Amplified: When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you that your [unholy feet] trample My courts? (Amplified Bible - Lockman) KJV: When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? NET: When you enter my presence, do you actually think I want this– animals trampling on my courtyards? (NET Bible) NJB: When you come and present yourselves before me, who has asked you to trample through my courts? (NJB) NLT: Why do you keep parading through my courts with your worthless sacrifices? (NLT - Tyndale House) Young's Literal: When ye come in to appear before Me, Who hath required this of your hand, To trample My courts? When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts: When you come Isa 58:1,2; Exodus 23:17; 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16; Ecclesiastes 5:1; Matthew 23:5 Who requires of you this trampling of My courts Ps 40:6; Micah 6:8 Isaiah 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Trampling of My courts - While one cannot be absolutely dogmatic, Isaiah seems to be painting the image of a trampling by a herd of animals mindlessly meandering through and muddying up God's holy courts. Quite a disgusting image indeed, but a picture of God's opinion of worship without righteousness and mere formalism and ritual with inner genuine commitment (cp 1Sa 15:22, 23) Trampling (07429) (ramac/ramas) refers to the trampling down with the feet. NET Note - Heb "When you come to appear before me, who requires this from your hand, trampling of my courtyards?" The rhetorical question sarcastically makes the point that God does not require this parade of livestock. The verb "trample" probably refers to the eager worshipers and their sacrificial animals walking around in the temple area. My courts - Solomon's building complex at Jerusalem included the "inner" court of the temple (1Ki 6:36; 7:12), the court of the palace (1Ki 7:8), perhaps the "middle" court of 2Ki 20:4 and the "great" court covering the entire area of the complex (1Ki 7:9, 12). WASTED WORSHIP - "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart." -- Psalm 51:17 If you are able to go to church on Sunday, you probably will. For most Christians, it's almost automatic -- and rightly so. But is it possible that our efforts to go to church for worship might be wasted? Could it all be in vain? Yes. Before we even enter the church, the worth of our worship can be reduced to nothing because of the way we've lived during the week. In Amos 5 (Amos 5:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27), the Lord had some harsh words for those who attempted to worship Him while bringing with them the guilt of an ungodly lifestyle. His people were constantly angering Him by following false gods (Amos 5:26). When they assembled to worship the Lord through sacrifices and songs, God despised their hypocrisy. In Isaiah 1, God instructed His people that before they could worship Him, they were to "cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice" (Isa 1:16, 17). O holy God, undone by guilt depressing We come to Thee our every sin confessing; Grant us, we pray, Thy cleansing and Thy blessing; We worship Thee, O God! -- Frost Worship that pleases God comes from an obedient heart. Isaiah 1:13 Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies -- I cannot * endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. (NASB: Lockman) English Translation of the Greek (Septuagint): Though ye bring fine flour, it is vain; incense is an abomination to me; I cannot bear your new moons, and your sabbaths, and the great day; Amplified: Bring no more offerings of vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility); [your hollow offering of] incense is an abomination to Me; the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure—[it is] iniquity and profanation, even the solemn meeting. (Amplified Bible - Lockman) KJV: 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. NET: Do not bring any more meaningless offerings; I consider your incense detestable! You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations, but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! (NET Bible) NJB: Bring no more futile cereal offerings, the smoke from them fills me with disgust. New Moons, Sabbaths, assemblies— I cannot endure solemnity combined with guilt. (NJB) NLT: The incense you bring me is a stench in my nostrils! Your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath day, and your special days for fasting--even your most pious meetings--are all sinful and false. I want nothing more to do with them. (NLT - Tyndale House) Young's Literal: Add not to bring in a vain present, Incense -- an abomination it is to Me, New moon, and sabbath, calling of convocation! Rendure not iniquity -- and a restraint! Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies -- I cannot * endure iniquity and the solemn assembly: Bring your - Ezekiel 20:39; Malachi 1:10; Matthew 15:9; Luke 11:42 Incense Isa 66:3; Proverbs 21:27 New moon Leviticus 23:1-44; Numbers 28:1-29; Deuteronomy 16:1-22; Lamentations 2:6; Joel 1:14; 2:15 Iniquity 1 Cor 11:17; Philippians 1:15 Psalm 78:40; Ephesians 4:30 Isaiah 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Bring your worthless offerings no longer - Why does God give this piercing command? The answer is found in Isa 1:15, 16 - bloody hands, evil deeds. The offering (presumably) still met the letter of the law (animals without defect) and still had the same "value" with men, but were without value to God. Sacrifices alone can never please God; for along with the outward observance, God wants inward obedience (1Sa 15:22), a broken heart (Ps 51:17), and a godly walk (Mic 6:6-8). Judah’s worship of Jehovah was iniquity, not piety; and God was sick of it! Instead of lifting up “holy hands” in prayer (1 Ti 2:8), their hands were stained with blood because of their many sins (Isa 59:3; Eze 7:23; see Ac 20:26). Worthless (07723)(shav) is a "masculine noun meaning emptiness, vanity, evil, ruin, uselessness, deception, worthless, without result, fraud, deceit. The primary meaning of the word is deceit, lie, or falsehood. God used the word to indicate that He punished Judah in vain. The word is used by the psalmist to state that all activities such as laboring, guarding, rising early, staying up late, and toiling for food were useless without God's assistance (Ps. 127:1, 2). In the Ten Commandments, the word is used to describe what is prohibited (Deut. 5:20). The word is used in Proverbs to indicate that which the author desires to be kept away from him: in this case, falsehood and lies (Prov. 30:8). Idols were declared worthless with the usage of the noun in Jeremiah (Jer. 18:15). These idols were those that led the people of God to forget Him." (Complete Word Study Dictionary – Old Testament) Psalms 119:37 (Ps. 119:37) Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways. The most familiar use of shāwʾ is in the third commandment, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" (Ex 20:7; Dt. 5:11). Victor Hamilton - That the primary meaning of shāvʾ is "emptiness, vanity" no one can challenge. It designates anything that is unsubstantial, unreal, worthless, either materially or morally. Hence, it is a word for idols (in the same way that hebel "vanity" is also a designation for (worthless) idols, for example). Ps 24:4 may then be rendered, "He who has not lifted up his mind to an 'idol'." Dahood (Psalms, I, AB, p. 151) lists the following passages: Ps 26:4; Psalm 31:6; Psalm 119:37; Isaiah 1:13; Jeremiah 18:15; Job 31:5 with this implication, although some are dubious, the last one and Isaiah 1:13 especially.Not only are idols "deceptions" but so too the words of a false prophet which whitewash and sugarcoat a gloomy situation (Lament. 2:14; Ezekiel 13:6-9, 23). (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) The Septuagint translates shav in this passage with mataios which means vain, empty, devoid of force, lacking in content, nonproductive, useless, dead, fruitless, aimless, of no real or lasting value. This adjective describes an ineffectual attempt to do something or an unsuccessful effort to attain something. Mataios emphasizes aimlessness or the leading to no object or end and thus is used to describe false gods or idols in contrast to the true God (see below). Shav - 53x in 47v - deceit(2), deceitful(1), deception(1), emptiness(2), empty(1), false(9), false visions(4), falsehood(7), lies(1), vain(18), vanity(3), worthless(4). - Exod. 20:7; Exod. 23:1; Deut. 5:11; Deut. 5:20; Job 7:3; Job 11:11; Job 15:31; Job 31:5; Job 35:13; Ps. 12:2; Ps. 24:4; Ps. 26:4; Ps. 31:6; Ps. 41:6; Ps. 60:11; Ps. 89:47; Ps. 108:12; Ps. 119:37; Ps. 127:1; Ps. 127:2; Ps. 139:20; Ps. 144:8; Ps. 144:11; Prov. 30:8; Isa. 1:13; Isa. 5:18; Isa. 59:4; Jer. 2:30; Jer. 4:30; Jer. 6:29; Jer. 18:15; Jer. 46:11; Lam. 2:14; Ezek. 12:24; Ezek. 13:6; Ezek. 13:7; Ezek. 13:8; Ezek. 13:9; Ezek. 13:23; Ezek. 21:23; Ezek. 21:29; Ezek. 22:28; Hos. 10:4; Hos. 12:11; Jon. 2:8; Zech. 10:2; Mal. 3:14 Incense is an abomination to Me - Notice the irony -- that which should have been "sweet smelling savor" instead was a stench to God! Incense is a picture of prayers in Scripture and in Isaiah 1:15 we see God's response to their prayers! The disgusting thing about this rebellious people is that they were also a religious people (Isa1:10-15). They attended the temple services and brought a multitude of sacrifices to the Lord; but their hearts were far from God, and their worship was hypocritical. Abomination (detestable, loathsome) (08441)(toebah) refers to that which is loathsome, detestable, abhorrent. The Greek is even more vivid for the Lxx translates toebah with bdelugma (946) (derived from bdelusso [see word study] = emit foul odor, turn away from something or someone on account of the "stench". A loathing or disgust, abhor in turn derived from bdeo = to stink; see word study on related - bdekluktos) which describes something foul, that which is extremely hated, disgusted, detested or abhorred. The first NT use of bdelugma is in Mt 24:15 which is fitting as it describes the "Abomination (bdelugma) of desolation" (the Antichrist) (cp Mk 13:14). The other 4 uses of bdelugma are - Lk 16:15, Rev 17:4, 5, Rev 21:27. NET Note - Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as "detestable": homosexuality (Lev 18:22–30; 20:13), idolatry ( Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3–8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9–14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23). New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies - NEW MOON (Lv 23:1-44 Nu28:1-29:40 Dt16:1-22 La2:6 Joe1:14 2:15): The references in the Bible to the New Moon celebration include [Ex40:2, 17 Nu10:10 28:1-10; 11-15 Ps104:19]. The law specified that two bullocks, one ram, seven lambs, and one kid were to be offered in connection with this celebration. Grain mixed with oil accompanied the offerings; a trumpet blast introduced this feast. The sins committed and not expiated during the previous month were covered by the offerings of the New Moon. New Moon (Heb. rosh hodesh, “beginning of a month,” Nu10:10; 28:11). The ordinary new moons, i.e., all except the seventh, were raised out of the rank of ordinary days, but not to that of festivals. They may be called demi-feast days. Many nations of antiquity celebrated the returning light of the moon with festivals, sacrifices, and prayers. Some believe that the object of Moses in providing for this occasion was to suppress heathen celebrations of the day. There was, however, a deeper meaning in this observance. The new moon stood as the representative of the month. For an individual day, a burnt offering that emphasized consecration to the Lord rather than atonement was sufficient. But for the month, because of sins committed and remaining unexpiated during the course of the month, a special sin offering for atonement was required. Thus, on the ground of the forgiveness and reconciliation with God thereby obtained, the people might be able in the burnt offering to consecrate their lives anew to the Lord. Mode of Ascertaining the New Moon. As the festivals, according to the Mosaic law, were always to be celebrated on the same day of the month, it was necessary to fix the commencement of the month. This was determined by the appearance of the new moon; for the new moon was reckoned not by astronomical calculation, but by actual personal observation. On the 30th of the month watchmen were placed on commanding heights around Jerusalem to watch the sky. As soon as each of them detected the moon he hastened to a house in the city kept for this purpose and was there examined by the president of the Sanhedrin. When the evidence of the appearance was deemed satisfactory, the president stood up and formally announced it, uttering the words, “It is consecrated.” The information was immediately sent throughout the land from the Mt of Olives by beacon fires on the tops of the hills. The religious observance of the day of the new moon may plainly be regarded as the consecration of a natural division of time. Sacrifices. These were of two types: (1) the usual morning and evening sacrifices, with their grain and drink offerings, and (2) special sacrifices, consisting of two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year, as a burnt offering, with their grain and drink offerings. A goat was also presented as a sin offering, at which time the priests blew the silver trumpets (Nu10:10; 28:11-15). It is evident from the writings of the prophets and from postexilic documents that the New Moon was an important national festival. It was often called a feast along with the Sabbath (Ps81:3; Isa1:13; Eze46:1; Ho2:11), on which all business ceased (Am8:5), the pious Israelites waited on the prophets for edification (2Ki4:23), many families and clans presented their annual thank offerings (1Sa20:6, 29), social gatherings and feasting were indulged in (v5, 24), and the most devout persons omitted fasting (Judith 8:6). I cannot endure Iniquity and the solemn assembly - The very things that should have brought pleasure to God, He cannot even put up with or tolerate! G Campbell