Bible Studies

Making Sense of the Book of Isaiah By Henry Jaegers Lesson 4

by Henry Jaegers
07/08/22
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Making Sense of the Book of Isaiah

By Henry Jaegers

Lesson 4

The Extent of Her Wickedness

What God Sees! Verses 9-14

Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.  Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.  To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs or he-goats.  When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?  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.  Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.  (Isaiah 1:9-14)

As we approach the remaining portions of chapter 1, it does not appear that mercy is the dominant theme. As was mentioned previously, the severity of these words is because their hearts are hard and further exposure is necessary to help them to see the error of their ways. To gain a clearer picture of what God is saying, I would like to examine the verses and comment on them. First, there is good news from God to begin.

Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

It is inconceivable, that a merciful God would punish the people without allowing them to change. And throughout this book of Isaiah, I believe that this is the dominant principle contained throughout the remainder of the book.

So, let’s begin by confining ourselves to this subject of worship. We will examine the verse to discover what God is seeing, and what He has to say.

And one good example of this is found in Revelation chapters 2 and three, as God addresses individual churches. And although he is addressing the church as a whole, he remembers also those who were faithful and trying to hold the line. They are “the faithful ones”. And there is always that small group, who are often outnumbered by the larger, who are overlooked, but the good news is that God remembers them when no one else does.

 So, God is saying, that if it were not for the small remnant, the whole would be destroyed. The presence of the remnant gives them hope that there is time to change.  And that is good news.

But, unfortunately, God has something different to say to the rest.

But I cannot move on without giving further consideration to this “remnant”. And this may be the best time to talk about it.

This subject caught my attention several years ago while I was doing a study in the book of Malachi. The book of Malachi was written to people corrupted by a priesthood and a history of that is found in Nehemiah chapter 13. These people have become self-satisfied in their form of religion and halfhearted in their devotion to God and it is to this condition Malachi speaks.

After declaring the judgment that God has towards the people, there is a reference to “a small remnant” who have not been caught up in the fray but are those to whom God gives his promises of blessing.

To get some idea of how important this group of people is, I went through my concordance, and what I discovered, was this reference is made too many times for me to be able to count throughout the Old Testament. As I mentioned, they are a small group among many who have not defiled their garments and have not been caught up in the flow of mediocrity. And as I consider this reference to this group of people, it applies not only to the backslidden children of Israel but to the modern church today. And there is a great need for Christians to be “people of the word.” And what I mean by that, is they have received enough insight to determine what is truth and what is not. Through their understanding of the true intention of what God means by what he said in his word.”. Because what is happening can only be recognized by those who understand the teaching of God's word.

In Revelation chapter 7, we are told of a remnant chosen from the tribes of Israel, set apart by God and sealed as a means of protection from the wrath of God which is to come. They are 144,000 in number, chosen from the tribes of Israel. And although it may seem that 144,000 is a large number, it is comparatively small compared to the whole nation of Israel which claims to be the chosen seed of Abraham. We are not given a great deal of information as to who they are, but my personal view is that they are a select group from among the nation of Israel who wholly chose to be faithful to God and is chosen because of this. These are the remnant that we are talking about, as found in the Book of Revelation.

Now back to Isaiah. God is saying if it were not for the presence of these faithful servants, God would judge the whole of them for their sin.  The warning, in a subtle sense, is also an invitation to turn back from the direction they are taking. The remnants are the example and the light that leads them back to God. Destruction is never in the plan of God for his people, but if they continue to harden their hearts, there is no other option.  These unfaithful Israelites are on the “Broadway” which leads to destruction because of their inactivity. Jesus reminds us, that it Is the narrow way that the remnant has chosen that leads to life. It is not a matter of choice. The uncommitted are already on the broad way as sons of Adam. The narrow way is the way that the remnant has chosen

As we close, I ask, “Are you living on the broad way? The opportunity for life is extended from our Loving Lord.