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Making Sense of the Book of Isaiah By Henry Jaegers

by Henry Jaegers
07/11/22
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Making Sense of the Book of Isaiah

By Henry Jaegers

Lesson 6

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VywS_7MoZDWLy13yWoLxd8qvpx8Zp_uj/view?usp=sharing

THE CONFRONTATION

THAT LEADS TO CORRECTION

And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.  Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;  Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.  Come now, and let us reason together, saith 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.  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:  But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.  How does the faithful city become a harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.  Thy silver becomes dross, thy wine mixed with water:  Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. (Isaiah 1:15-23)

In this section, several things become obvious as we give attention to the details. The first thing that comes to mind is the great love of God involved in seeking to restore his

backslidden people. Aren't you glad God doesn't turn his back and walk away when we do so to him? Remember Adam?

He hid from God, but he soon discovered that they could not hide God from them. If we are God's children, we are not engaged in activities that would destroy our relationship with him; he doesn't give us up to destruction.  And maybe some, when it comes to the stubborn and disobedient who refused to acknowledge God. But God does not give us up to destruction. Instead, he delivers us up to the consequences of our neglect as the only means to bring us back to himself.

Do you remember, that we mentioned in the previous lesson, God must use harsher measures about the degree of the hardness of our hearts. So, before us, we see the love of God in operation as he sets forth his discipline to complete his work of restoration. That may not be obvious at first, but as we continue throughout the book, it seems to be emerging. It is a picture of God's method of bringing us back into fellowship with himself.

The next thing I would like to consider in these verses is the method that God uses to restore us when we have fallen.

Notice first, that the darkness precedes the light. Israel is sinning against God, and because of their disobedience, they are automatically the losers in this battle. And until we discover that, we are on the losing side when we forsake the Lord; we must experience something to wake us up.

I perceive that the nation of Israel has not yet discovered that they had chosen to involve themselves in behavior that leads to destruction, and for them to realize how far they have fallen, they must experience a time of silence. This silence means coming to a  time when nothing is happening. All their activities whether good or bad, bring them no enjoyment in their inner emptiness. Because they are God's children, they can feel the pain of being rejected by God. Again, the world can never know this rejection, because they never experienced the joy of his presence

This activity is clearly stated in the book of Judges. There is a pattern throughout the book. We are told, "in those days there was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his own eyes. Another verse goes along with that in Proverbs 29:11, which says ‘without vision, the people perish”. What that means is, that when there is no prophetic vision from God, the people cast off restraint. When there is no law or rule over them, they must face the consequence of their so-called freedom from restraint.

This is where the children of Israel are finding themselves once again. Remember the cycle in the book of Judges? First, an apostasy took place, and then God sent an oppressor upon them. Eventually, the oppression became so bad that they cried out to God for mercy, and finally, God sent a deliverer, and they found rest once again until the next "Falling Away.”. And there were many of those delivers (or Judges) God used to bring them back to himself. But it was not long before the cycle was repeated.

And in the verses before us, we have the picture of a loving God confronting his people. He tells them what is going to happen because they have forsaken him, but when they return he is going to be there.

Then in verse 18, he calls them to consider his offer of mercy to them. Here are the words: "come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord. Though your sins are as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, and though they are red like crimson they shall be as wool.". Here is a message of hope for them. God, in  His love, is calling them and giving them a reason to return.  He promises that He will forgive them and restore them. And he also tells them what will happen once they are leaving. He tells them that he will restore them to the land as they turn their heart back to Him. How can we not love such a God as this, who shows us such mercy when we need it the most?

But then he asked the question that they must think about for themselves. How could they do this to me? How is it that the privileged children had turned their back on my goodness? It seems as though God himself was surprised by their action. How could the favored daughter of Zion fall so far?

God continues his word to them and tells them what they must experience before they are ready to turn back to him. And when they do, he will be there for them.

In our next lesson, we will complete this great message with the promise of God concerning his intention of good that he has for them. Meanwhile, is there someone given these words that finds you thinking that God has forsaken you, and left you because of your backsliding? Satan is always available to discourage us and keep us from turning back. If we listen to him for too long, we will become confused and begin having doubts about God's goodness, as Eve did at the time when she faced temptation. Consider the darkness that you may be facing. It may be a pathway to experiencing the welcoming arms of a loving father.