Chapter 1

In the first verse of this chapter, Isaiah tells us that the visions given to him, and recorded by him, were not given him in a single showing; but were given at different times over a time period covering at least parts of the reigns of four kings. We would not think that the time of their being given would span the entire reigns of all four. For that would encompass about one hundred, thirteen years. Since no one knows Isaiah’s age, this may have been the case; for with the LORD all things are possible. Yet it seems likely that it began in the later years of the reign of Uzziah, and continued into, but not necessarily through that of Hezekiah. Jotham reigned sixteen years, and Ahaz reigned sixteen years. So, without question, these visions were given over a period of more than thirty-two years.

(Verse 2) Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me.

Isaiah’s first call is to both the heavens and the earth, including all that dwell in both. They are called to hear and consider, because the message is that spoken by the LORD, and is therefore worthy of consideration by all created beings and things. The LORD’S declaration is, “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me.” This message itself shows that, although God did not create man and give him complete freedom to do as he pleases, He does give him some autonomy and, within certain parameters, freedom to choose a course of action, Though He will call man to account for all of his actions. In this situation His reference is to Judah and Jerusalem though it also includes the whole nation of Israel, the nation which He chose, delivered from the Egyptian bondage, and nourished, not only through the long journey to the Promised Land, but even up to the time of this declaration. Remember that He made choice of Israel before Israel even existed except, as the Apostle Paul tells us, “in the loins of Abraham.” For it was Abraham whom He chose, and to whom He made the promises. This is all set forth in chapters twelve through forty-five of Genesis. The remainder of Genesis tells of the Israelites in Egypt until the death of Joseph. Through the next four books of the Bible we are shown God’s wonderful works in delivering Israel from the Egyptian bondage, leading, protecting, and nourishing them through their wilderness journey, and bringing them to the land He had promised Abraham and his seed after him. A continued study of God’s word will show how by His great power He “nourished and raised up” these children, and developed them into a great kingdom in the days of David and Solomon. Then comes the sad story of their rebelling against Him, and deteriorating to the level they had reached in Isaiah’s time. Of course, they continued their rebellious ways until they reached the point at which they are today. But let us not sit back and point the finger of condemnation and scorn at them. For we have followed, and are following the same path.

Before there was a nation known as “The United States of America,” a few people from England and other locations in Europe, driven by a desire for freedom to worship God according to His word, came forth, and established settlements along the eastern shores of this, to them, “new world.” No one would argue that every one of them came for the purpose of worshipping God any more than that every individual among the Israelites was a sincere worshipper of Jehovah. The seeds of rebellion will always be found among any group of people until our Lord returns and takes away all sin. Nevertheless, a true desire to worship God was the motivation of many of them. And in spite of the many hardships they suffered, the LORD blessed them to find freedom to serve Him. When one studies the rise of this nation from the few little settlements established on the eastern coast of this continent to the world power it was at the end of World War II, he can not fail to see the hand of God at work in the matter, just as it was in the rise of Israel from the Egyptian bondage to the great glory of Solomon’s reign. True enough, Israel suffered many reverses during the time of her rise, and all of them because of her disobedience. The same thing can truly be said of the experience of our nation. From the time of Solomon until the Diaspora, Israel was on the decline, with only a few times of respite, when God would deliver them from the bondage of their enemies. Some will say that our nation is still the greatest and richest nation in the world. Yet it takes only a glance to see that the wealth of this nation is built upon credit. Only a foundation of sand! Our trade deficit with other nations runs into many billions of dollars. It is also costing us an untold amount to try to police the world. And, by our doing that, we are losing whatever respect other nations have had for us. We are trying to force our ideas upon all other nations, while at the same time, we either cannot, or will not, enforce our own laws at home. The worst part of the whole scenario is that, as a people, we have become morally bankrupt. We hypocritically try to destroy the people of other nations who are producing drugs for sale to our people who demand them, while we make no headway toward lowering the demand for drugs. If we would shut off the demand, the supply would dry up for lack of profit. Throughout our nation, and even in some of what are called “Christian” Churches, great effort is being made to make homosexuality acceptable, and even so called “same sex marriages” are by some considered honorable. All who have ever read the Bible know that God long ago condemned such. Murder, theft, rape, incest, violence of every kind, and all other evils are running rampant throughout the country. Comparatively few parents know, or apparently, even care, where their teen-age children are, or what they are doing, until some tragedy occurs. Then the cry is, “I do not know how my child could be involved in such a thing. He, or she, never had anything to do with such.” For those whose children have already reached this point, it is a bitter thing to realize, but the only thing you can do for them now is to pray that God will turn them back to the way you neglected to teach them in the first place. Without His intervention it is too late for your teaching. But to those whose children are still in their arms, now is the time to begin teaching them the truth in love, and showing them by your actions that you believe what you teach. Many years ago, when my children were small, an old black man made a statement to me that I pass on for your consideration. “While they are little like that, they get on your nerves. But when they get older is when they get on your heart.” If there is to be any worthwhile future for our nation, it is in our children. They must have the truth taught to them. And the teaching must begin early in life, and continue all the way. Remember that, to teach the truth effectively, it must be reinforced by example. The LORD said of Israel , “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me.” Surely, the same thing can be said about The United States of America.

(Verse 3) The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider.

Most farmers we know today do not have a beast of burden on their place, such as an ox, an ass, a mule, or a horse. They use tractors for their farming operations. If they have horses or mules, they are mostly for show. But when I was a child, we used mules and horses to pull our wagons, plows, and other farm implements. And even today, in some parts of the world, people still use oxen or donkeys to do their plowing and hauling. No doubt these animals get tired of working all the time, and would like very much to go wherever and whenever they please. Yet I have never seen one of them that did not recognize his master, or one that did not know where his master’s crib was, especially at feeding time. I have worked with some mules and horses that were a little contrary about doing what I wanted them to do, but never one that didn’t know where to find his feed trough at mealtime. The LORD says that these “dumb animals” are wiser than Israel . They know their owner and his crib; “but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider.” Even though God is their owner, not only because He created them, but also because He redeemed them from Egypt’s bondage, led them to Canaan, fed and protected them all the way, and built them into a great kingdom. Yet they do not know Him, nor do they consider that He is the source of every good thing they have ever had, and that had He not fed and protected them, they would long before have perished in the wilderness, or even back in Egypt . Such is the LORD’S appraisal of Israel .

And does this not also describe our nation, and what is worse, many who claim to be Christians, but are so caught up in an effort to be “politically correct” that they do not know which way to turn? It is high time that we all take stock of the situation, and consider the proposition Elijah set before Israel , in I Kings 18:21. “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, ‘How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him.’” Inasmuch as it is altogether by the grace and power of God that our nation arose to the position it held before the start of the decline, we are in dire need of a return to His principles for the governing of our nation. How much more should we, who believe that it is only by His grace and mercy, given us in His Son, Jesus, that we are redeemed from our sins, repent of all our faults, failures, and sins, turn back to Him, and honor Him as God! There is no other hope for either our nation, or for us as individuals.

(Verse 4) 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.

This is a terrible indictment against the nation God had chosen, nourished, and brought up. The whole nation is sinful. The people are loaded down with iniquity, and are the seed, or descendants, of evildoers. This evil did not just start with the present generation, but with generations before, so that it is of long standing. They are children that not only are corrupt, but even worse, they are corrupters. They corrupt everything they attempt to do. They have completely forsaken the LORD, and in so doing they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger.. The LORD has declared Himself a God of mercy, and slow to anger. But the evils of the people have gone on so long that He is finally provoked to anger. They have not just simply strayed from His teachings, but have “gone away backward.” That is, they have deliberately turned directly against His commandments, as if to try to show Him that they will do as they please, in spite of Him. There is no more dangerous course for a man, or for men, to follow.

We look upon this, and say, “ Israel had committed terrible sins against God. He would surely be justified in bringing them to utter destruction.” But, in all honesty, does not Isaiah’s description of them fit us exactly as it did them? Our government is advocating the murder (abortion) of all unwanted babies. We have thrown truth out the window. Even our president lies to the courts, to congress, and to everyone else, and when he is caught, nothing is done about it. With complete disregard for law and order he hinders lawful investigations, and almost everyone thinks he has the right to do so. In perfect harmony with the last clause of verse 4, some churches are even taking those whom God has long ago condemned, and trying to place them in positions of honor, sometimes even as gospel ministers. This is indeed going “away backward.”

(Verses 5 through 9) Why should ye be stricken anymore? Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. 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 certainly not with any joy that we read this declaration against Israel . Neither is it any pleasure to us to realize just how closely our experience and situation as a people compare to theirs. The LORD says that, further punishment will be counterproductive. Instead of causing repentance, it will only bring on more rebellion against Him. The problem is that the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint, or weak. This also certainly fits our nation. Our leaders have so long tried to please everyone except the LORD, that, they are themselves so confused they do not know which way to turn. One outstanding example of this is that, while congress pretends to open its sessions with prayer, it forbids prayer in our schools. So surely the whole head is sick. The churches and spiritual leaders, “the heart,” have become so weak that few, indeed, have the courage to stand forth and declare the word of God, lest they be found to offend someone. Certainly the Lord has instructed us to, as much as possible, live peaceably with all men; but not at the expense of catering to them when they are denying His word. Today almost everyone seems to think that he must be “politically correct,” Had the Apostle Paul done that, “The Acts of The Apostles” would never have been written. Because there would have been nothing done worth writing about. And had Jesus done that, He would not have been crucified, and you and I would still be hell-bound, because there would be no Savior. Our whole nation is as one who has been bruised and wounded all over, and because of neglect, the wounds have become badly infected. There may be a cure for these wounds; and there may not be. There is at present no indication of one. The description given in verse 7 is very graphic. “Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.” Someone will surely say, “That cannot be applied to us. We have not been overthrown by strangers, and our cities are not burned with fire.” One must remember that, since this is only the beginning of Isaiah’s prophecy, and it was given to him over a period of possibly fifty or more years, it did not at this time literally fit Israel either. Yet God speaks of it as if already done, because He had determined it, and no one could change it. It actually comes nearer fitting our nation than it did Israel at that particular time. For the past several years there has been in many places great concern about the Japanese, and other foreign interests buying up much of the prime real estate in our cities. At the same time we are constantly hearing of great fires in our cities, as well as in rural areas also. And many of these fires are the work of arsonists. In many areas the desolation is already great. One can hardly keep track of all the big protests that are being organized against one thing or another. And many of them turn violent. How long can such continue, before breaking forth into open warfare? In verse 8 Isaiah gives a description of “the daughter of Zion ,” which refers not to Israel as a whole, but to the true worshippers of God among them. “And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.” This picture might not be so clear to one who knows nothing about grapevines or cucumber vines. But grapevines that are not kept pruned will grow so fast and so extensively, that they would soon completely cover a cottage, or small house. And a “lodge,” such as he mentions is nothing more than a few bushes cut and leaned against the fence, or against each other to provide a temporary shade in a garden. In a garden of cucumbers that has been neglected, such would soon be so covered by the vines that it would not be recognizable. So both of these metaphors have the same meaning. The LORD’S people are so hidden away as to be completely unnoticed by the passerby. Further, they are always under siege by the enemies of the LORD. In fact, the situation is so bad that, had not God, in His grace and mercy, “left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom , and we should have been like unto Gomorrah .” This description may not fit us perfectly today, but neither did it fit Israel perfectly at the time of Isaiah’s receiving the vision. But look at Israel from the beginning of the Diaspora until now; and you will see that it surely fits in all details. This also can come upon us, if we follow the same path they took. Were it not that God in His mercy left a small remnant of Israel , there would be no Israel today. By His mercy that remnant still survives. Surely then we should take to heart what the Apostle Paul has told us. (Romans 11:17-21) “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, ‘The branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.’ Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.”

(Verse 10) Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom ; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah .

Here the LORD addresses the rulers and the people of Israel by names not at all complimentary to them. He calls their leaders, “rulers of Sodom ,” and the populace, “people of Gomorrah ,” because of the sinful and rebellious state to which they had fallen. If we but look around, we will find that such an address very adequately describes us as well. So, instead of smugly patting ourselves on the back for our “faithfulness to the LORD,” and pointing the finger of accusation at Israel for her short comings, let us “take our medicine” as this applies to us, and “Hear the word of the LORD” and “Give ear to the law of our God.” The only benefit we can derive from this by applying it to Israel , is as an example of what we can expect if we continue to follow our present course.

(Verses 11 through 15) 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. 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.

Of course, we could sit back in our self-righteousness and say, “All of that applies to Israel , because of their sins, and their thinking that they could bring sacrifices to the LORD and make an atonement for their sins and shortcomings. We don’t offer sacrifices today. And we don’t have the special services at the new moons, and do all the ritual things Israel did. So there is no way this could apply to us.” If that is our attitude, we might as well throw away the entire Bible, because we have no love, nor even respect for God. And all our pretending (for that is all it is with such an attitude as that) is worthless. True enough, this was written to a people that practiced a service based upon sacrifices, burnt offerings, blood offerings, and special assemblies. But remember that these were commanded by the law of God. Yet for them to be acceptable to God, they had to be offered in faith; not just ritualistically. We should consider this in the light of how it can apply to us today. First, however, let us look at a conversation between Samuel, the prophet of the LORD, and Saul, the king of Israel , who had just returned from an excursion upon which God had sent him. To fully understand the conversation, it is necessary to consider several verses. (I Samuel 15:17-23) “And Samuel said, ‘When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel , and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel ? And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, “Go and utterly destroy the sinners of the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.” Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?’ And Saul said unto Samuel, ‘Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD thy God in Gilgal.’ And Samuel said, ‘Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? BEHOLD, TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, AND TO HEARKEN THAN THE FAT OF RAMS. FOR REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF WITCHCRAFT, AND STUBBORNNESS IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath rejected thee from being king.’” As has been pointed out before, we do not attempt to hold to the practice of offering sacrifices to God as did the Israelites. We believe that the Christ has fulfilled that of which those sacrifices were the type. Nevertheless, we do often try to change the word of God from what He literally says to an interpretation that we think is better. How can this be? Do we not believe that He knew what He was saying? Do we think we know better than He what will work in our present situation? Today we usually follow “I believe” more than “Thus saith the LORD.” Just to use what many would consider as one of the least examples of this, and indeed one that most would consider unimportant, consider this. (James 4:13-16) “Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, ‘If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that’ But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.” The immediate answer to this is, “There is no need to say that. Everyone knows that only the LORD has control of the future.” That is nothing but a “cop out.” The truth is that everyone does not know this, and the real reason many do not say it is that they do not believe it. Another reason is that they think others will think them “strange” if they say such things. They are afraid they will not “conform” to modern fashion. But consider what the Apostle Paul says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2) As said before, many consider this as unimportant, even frivolous. But since it is a direct statement, and will cost us so little to do it, why is it so neglected? There are many other things, which we neglect just as badly, and probably for the same reasons. We think the Lord did not mean that we should take His word exactly as He said it, but should interpret it in the light of what He should have meant. That is exactly what Saul thought about the matter. But his changing from the literal message to what he thought ought to be done was rebellion, and is as the sin of witchcraft, even if he did intend to sacrifice the sheep and oxen to the LORD. God had not required sacrifice, but obedience. We seem to think that we can interpret the word of the LORD to suit ourselves, or even to suit someone else, and it will be all right, if we are very liberal in giving to the church, which is about the equivalent of what Saul intended. Make no mistake about it, I am not advocating that we should live in a nice modern house, and attend church in an old, almost rotted down log cabin, or clapboard shack. Certainly, our meeting house should be one of which we would not be ashamed. But some go to an extreme, for nothing but vanity. I once knew of a large church in a fair sized city. This church was planning a new building. Their building committee, on instruction from the church, told the architect, “You are free to design the building as you think proper for its use, with one exception. That is, that we must have the tallest steeple in the city.” This was done, and within a few months after they had completed their building, another church about a block away from them built a new building with a steeple taller than theirs. This, obviously, is going too far. Sometimes churches plan to have some special meeting. No matter how able the ministers are in their locality, they feel that they must invite some minister, who is no better than those who can be found locally, but who lives quite a distance away. Since he comes quite a distance, everyone is expected to dig a little deeper in his pockets to contribute to his expenses. One might think, “Surely, the Lord will be pleased with my sacrifice.” While thinking this, he forgets that just a day or so before, he passed a man on the street, who asked for a “hand-out” that he might get a bite to eat. Instead of contributing to him, he passed on by, thinking, “It is his fault that he is begging. If he would get a job he would not have to beg. I doubt that he is worthy of help. He probably wants the money to buy liquor, or drugs.” Would it not have been more pleasing to God for him to feed the hungry stranger, even if it left him with nothing to give to the big meeting? Our Lord has told us, “Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not away.” (Matthew 5:42) He did not tell us to judge the worthiness of the man. If such a question arises in our mind, it can be settled with one question. “Am I worthy of what my Lord has done for me?” We all know the answer to that question. I certainly have no objection to planning a meeting, preparing for it, and, if necessary, making some sacrifices for it; but not at the expense of disregarding the commandments of our Lord. He has commanded us to give to the poor just as surely as he commanded Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites and everything they owned. Of course this is not the only thing in which this principle works. There is a multitude of ways in which we are disobedient to our Master. But no amount of sacrifice on our part will exonerate us. He has promised chastisement, and that we shall receive. At the same time, His Apostle John has told us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9) Not only did Saul disobey the commandment of God, but he aggravated the situation by declaring, “Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me.” He was just like so many of us today. He considered the word of the LORD, and decided it needed interpretation instead of literal application. When we do that, all of our sacrifices are in vain. The LORD asks, “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me?” He tells us that He does not want any more of them. Then He asks another question, “When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread My courts?” In short, the message is, “If you are going to change My word to fit what you want to do, don’t come into My courts, because I have not required this at your hand, nor invited you to do it.” He continues, telling us to bring no more such sacrifices, because even our solemn meetings have become a cause of weariness unto Him. So, when we pray, He will hide His eyes, and refuse even to listen to our prayers. “When ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” Many times I have mentioned some small item of the practice of the church to some brother as not being exactly as the scriptures set it forth. And invariably I get the same answer. “I know that is not exactly as the scriptures set it forth. But we have practiced it so long that I believe it is all right the way we do it.” Does it not seem reasonable that, if God had not purposed it to be done as it is set forth in His word, He would have told us a different way, or said, “Do it any way you see fit?” He did neither. There is only one right way to obey the LORD. That is to do exactly what He says, as He says do it. If we do not do so, our hands are “full of blood.” We have dishonored the blood our Lord has shed for us.

(Verses 16 through 20) 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 be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be 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.

Even in the sad state of decline to which Israel had fallen, the LORD gave them instructions concerning how they might avoid being destroyed by the chastisement He had purposed because of their disobedience. Everything in these verses was said to Israel , God’s chosen nation. Will it not also apply to His chosen people, whether Israelites, or Gentiles by nature? We believe that it will. In order that we might profit by these instructions, let us consider it applicable to the church of our Lord today. In the previous fifteen verses we have seen a description of our disobedience and the LORD’S disgust with it. He has declared that He can put up with it no more, and therefore He will no longer even hear our prayers. In spite of our evil condition, He commands us, first of all, to wash ourselves, and make ourselves clean. Certainly He is not talking about regeneration. That is done only by the power of God through the Holy Ghost; not by us. This cleansing is something that we must do. He tells us that to do this, we must put away the evil of our doings from before His eyes. Obviously, the only way anything can be put away from before His eyes is to be made to no longer exist. His next words explain how we are to do this. “Cease to do evil; learn to do well.” Someone will immediately cry, “But we can’t cease from doing evil. We sin every day, and will as long as we are in this old body of flesh.” That has been used as an excuse so long that many believe it to be the truth. But listen to the Apostle Paul. “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find  then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:20-25) As anyone can readily see, the key to this is our delighting in the law of God. If we delight in something, that is what we will strive to do. And while striving to keep the law of God, if we slip and fall short of perfection, as all of us do, we are not in the sight of God considered a sinner, but His child who is striving to do His will, but because of weakness is falling short. Thus we are judged to be serving with our mind the law of God. The “flip side” of this, as the expression is often used, is that if one is doing evil because it is his delight to do evil, he is not covered by this. When God gives us a commandment, He does not leave us without the ability to obey Him. When He says, “Learn to do well,” He does not leave us to wonder how this is to be accomplished. It is noteworthy that, although this was said to Israel at a time when they were by God’s law required to offer sacrifices to Him, there is not a word said about such in this commandment. According to this commandment, to do well is to “seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” The first thing we are to do is to seek judgment. That is, we are to seek to know what God has judged, concerning every situation we have to face. This is very similar to our Lord’s commandment in Matthew 6:33. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.” Then He says, “Relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” The oppressed, the fatherless, and the widow, are three characters of whom our Lord has repeatedly told us to be mindful. We are to do everything we can to comfort and relieve those who are oppressed, and lighten their load. We are to make every effort to see that no one takes advantage of the fatherless, and do everything possible to relieve them. In the time of this writing, it was not at all uncommon for a woman to be left a widow, with no knowledge of her late husband’s business. In such a case, creditors, and sometimes, pretended creditors, would swoop down like vultures, and take away everything her husband may have left her, leaving her at the mercy of the world. As Our Lord once said to the Pharisees and scribes, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” (Matthew 23:14) To plead for anyone, in the sense of this text, is to take up his cause as if it were one’s own. So thus we are to plead for the widow. Having instructed us as to how we should wash and cleanse ourselves, the LORD now says, “Come now, and let us reason together.” The world would like us to believe that this is said to every man in the world. But the only people addressed so far, are Judah and Israel , the Lord’s chosen people. He does indeed address them once as “ye rulers of Sodom ,” and “ye people of Gomorrah .” But the context shows that the reason for this is that they would have been just like Sodom and Gomorrah , if the LORD had not left them a very small remnant. This whole chapter is written to the LORD’S remnant, which also represents His people even in our day. So now He calls them, and us, to come and reason together. That is, we are to listen to His counsel, which is reasonable. He declares that in doing this, though our sins be scarlet or crimson, they shall be made white as the snow, or as wool. He now sets a proposition before us that is based strictly upon “IF.” Make no mistake. He already knows whether we will follow His counsel, or our own evil ways to which we have become accustomed. Nevertheless He sets before us the choice of obedience or disobedience, with full disclosure of what will be the consequences of each. This is indeed reasoning together. “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured by the sword.” That is, if we are obedient and willing to follow what He has already told us in verses sixteen and seventeen, He will spare us, give us peace, and cause the land to be fruitful unto us. On the other side of the proposition, if we continue on in the evil ways we have adopted, we cannot expect to escape the terrible destruction He has declared. The consequences of either side are not what may take place, as the result of the course we follow, but what WILL take place. “For the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” What He declares is not what may be, but what MUST be. He has indeed given us a choice, but whichever course we choose, He has declared the outcome. And it cannot fail.

(Verses 21 through 24) How is the faithful city become an harlot! It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease Me of Mine adversaries, and avenge Me of Mine enemies.

This first declaration is not a question, but an exclamation of horror, that this city, once so faithful, the “wife of the Great Jehovah,” has turned to others instead of her Husband. She is no longer following the law of her Husband, but has turned to others. Remember that, just as Israel is often spoken of as the “wife of Jehovah,” so is the Church “the bride of the Lamb.” Therefore what will fit one can also be applied to the other. In our use of “the church,” we make no reference to any denomination as such, but to all, who claim to be Christians. So, in the church today we find that judgment is no longer based upon the word of God, which is the only true judgment, but upon sociology, political correctness, and extreme tolerance, all of which constitutes total abandonment of the judgment of God, the only true Judge. Every few days another “great minister” will make a public declaration that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of fables, and that all its precepts are completely outdated and no longer beneficial in this “enlightened age.” Surely, “the church” has become a harlot, following after everyone and everything except the One she calls her “Husband.” She is filled with murderers. Those who crucified our Lord only crucified the man, Jesus, while these today are attempting to destroy Him, Who is “both Lord and Christ,” and is now seated in the heavens. Many so called “gospel ministers,” although they will not go so far as to openly declare the Bible false, are teaching doctrines that are directly contrary to what is taught therein. One outstanding example of this is the doctrine of materialism that some are teaching. Throughout The New Testament our Lord and His disciples taught that life in this world is a time of persecution, poverty, and suffering, for those who will follow the Lord. And we are commanded to neither love nor seek material wealth of any sort. Now we have preachers publicly preaching, “I believe that God delights in giving material wealth to His children here in this world.” If this is true, would it not follow that those who serve Him most faithfully would be given more material wealth than those who were less faithful? If so, where was He in the days of the apostles, when they were so ill-treated, as they followed His commands? Certainly, we realize that He can, and sometimes does call men with material wealth into His service, but they are few, and far between. He can give great material wealth to any one of His servants, as He may see fit. But examples of such are extremely scarce in the scriptures. However, now many love gifts and follow after rewards. And they refuse to do what He told us in verse seventeen. Many years ago I heard a man, who was considered as a very able minister, as he was preaching, say, “Our brethren tell us that we ought to serve the Lord because we love Him. But I like to serve Him for the reward.” At that time this was a completely isolated case; no one in the congregation sanctioned that statement. But today, there would be a chorus of “Amen” throughout the congregation. Keep one thing firmly in mind. If we are serving for the reward, we are serving ourselves, not the LORD. Because of all these things the LORD says, “Ah, I will ease Myself of Mine adversaries, and avenge Me of Mine enemies.” Surely a great destruction is purposed. He has told us how to avoid it. But will we do it? This certainly is the lesson for us today, although this whole chapter is a vision “concerning Judah and Jerusalem ,” as Isaiah tells us in the first verse.

(Verses 25 through 27) And I will turn My hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

There are many today, who claim that God has abandoned Israel and Judah , and has replaced them with the gospel church. For such a claim there is no scriptural evidence. Instead, throughout His word, in both the Old and The New Testaments, He has shown both Judah and Israel as types of the gospel church, insofar as His manner of dealing with them is concerned. Therefore, if He does not fulfill His promises to them, we cannot expect Him to fulfill His promises to the church. He here promises that, after He has, to His satisfaction, avenged Himself on His adversaries and enemies, who are leading Israel and Judah astray, He will “turn His hand upon” them. That is, He will turn away from the chastisement He has placed upon them, and purge away all their dross and their tin, the elements that defile them as dross and tin defile silver, and restore their judges and counselors as He established them in the beginning of their being a nation. This He has not yet done. But He has promised; and He will perform. They, not He, desired a king, because they were not satisfied with what He had given them, and they wanted to be as other nations. This is, surely, a prophecy of the restoration of Israel , just as He repeatedly promises through His prophecies. After this is done, and not before, Jerusalem , or Zion , will be called, “The city of righteousness, the faithful city.” As a look at her history will clearly show, this has never yet come to pass. So it must be yet in the future. Because “ Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. “ This very definitely looks forward to her restoration.

(Verses 28 through 31) And the destruction of the transgressors and the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens ye have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall burn together, and none shall quench them.

In verse twenty-eight Isaiah tells what shall become of the transgressors, sinners, and those who forsake the LORD, who are among Israel . There have always been those who are “of Israel , but are not Israel ,” just as there are those in the church, who are not Christians. Such among Israel shall be consumed. He then begins a direct address against those who shall be thus destroyed. Idol worshippers were very strong in choosing groves of trees, especially oaks, in which to set up their altars, and maintaining gardens as centers of worship. So they shall be ashamed of, or rather, brought to shame because of, these oaks, and put to confusion because of these gardens. They shall themselves be as dying oaks, and gardens destroyed by drought. Those among them that appear so strong shall be no more than tow, the refuse of flax straw, and “the maker of it,” or those who support them, as a spark. “And they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.” So Judah and Israel shall be not only restored, but purified by the destruction of those among them who cause them to err.

(Verse 1) The word that Isaiah the son of Amos saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem .

Compare this to Chapter 1, verse 1. Although in Chapter 1 he told us the time span in which the visions of this “word,” or prophecy, were given, the address of it is the same as here given. It is concerning Judah and Jerusalem . We did attempt to draw some parallels between them and us today. We believe such to be worthwhile, and we may continue this practice from time to time. At the same time, however, we do insist that the address of the “word” is to Judah and Jerusalem , just as Isaiah has declared it to be.

(Verses 2 through 5) And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem . And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

This excerpt gives us a little foreview of Judah and Jerusalem ; not at the time it was shown to Isaiah, nor even during their captivity, neither yet in the Diaspora. Rather it leaps forward, over all these things to the time described by the prophet Zechariah in Chapter 14 of his prophecy. From Chapter 14, verse 16, through the remainder of that chapter Zechariah gives a description of that time. Today the traditional interpretation of this is to change its address from “ Judah and Jerusalem ” to “The Gospel Church,” which is the same change the Nazis followed, and maintained as one of the fundamental principles for their “Final Solution.” It is also one of the fundamentals of every anti-Semitic group in the world. By making this change, they say that God has forever cast off the Jews, and has made every promise spoken to them no longer applicable to them in a literal manner, but applicable instead, in a spiritual manner to the “gospel church.” Although we certainly recognize that our Lord Jesus was crucified at Jerusalem, and that the gospel was first preached there, and from there spread to other parts of the world, making a wonderful parallel with the statement, “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem,” verse 4 is by no means yet fulfilled. For evidence of this one only has to look at the “gospel church” of today. By the term, “gospel church,” we do not single out any denomination, but include every assembly made up of people professing to be Christians. Certainly, it is true that Jesus taught total non-violence, even to the point of refusing to defend ourselves when attacked by another, “But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” But more wars have been fought by people who claimed to be Christians, than we can readily count up. Looking back to what is called “The Civil War” of this nation, we find that much of the hatred that produced it was fanned by men who were considered gospel ministers. Many professed Christians have, through the ages, tried to destroy the Jews, only because God had sent upon them judicial blindness so that they could not believe in our Lord Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” A majority of the Germans, at and prior to World War II, were professed Christians. Yet they carried out, as far as they could, Hitler’s “Final Solution” against the Jews. A majority of the European nations involved in that war, together with the United States of America , claimed to be “Christian Nations,” but did they stop learning war? Or have they done so yet? Of course they have not. What is worse, the churches are often squabbling among themselves about one thing or another. Preachers get up in their pulpits, and try to stir up antagonism against other churches and the doctrines they support. No, my friend, we have not, even spiritually, beaten our “swords into plowshares, and our spears into pruning hooks.” Neither have we abandoned the study of war. We need to learn what our Lord told John when he wanted to stop one from casting out devils in the name of the Christ because he did not follow with them. Jesus said, “Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in My name, that can lightly speak evil of Me. For he that is not against us is on our part.” So this prophecy looks to a time yet to come.

This brings us back to the fact that this is not a description of the gospel church, but a picture of what God is going to do for Judah and Jerusalem “in the last days.” As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 11: 26-27, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, ‘There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is My covenant with them, when I shall take away their sins.’” The apostle knew that, at the time of his writing, God had not taken away their sins, although Jesus had come, had died, and had arisen from the grave. But he also knew that God had declared a day when He would do so. That day, or time, is the one of which Isaiah speaks here. It is the time when all Israel shall be saved. That is, in that day all Israel shall be made to believe in Christ Jesus the Lord. This embraces all Israel of that day. There is nothing retroactive here. Those of Israel , who have died in unbelief, are just as Jesus told them in John 8:24. “For if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.” In that time “the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains.” Time after time, in the writings of David and the other prophets, they refer to Mt. Zion as the mountain of the LORD, or the holy mountain. Although in physical height it is not the highest mountain, even in Israel , to the Jew, in honor it is the highest mountain in the world, because it is the one chosen of the LORD that His name might be there. For many years it has not received such great honor. But in the time here prophesied it “shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” Zechariah 14:16 says, “And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” Certainly, then shall many people say, “Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths.” Not only so, but then “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem . And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” The literal fulfillment of this is so wonderful that one can find no excuse for the almost universally taught denial of it that we hear today. To try to take this away from literal Judah and Jerusalem, and apply it to the gospel church, is simply to say that God did not know what He was talking about, and needs man’s wisdom to determine what he did mean. Those who follow such doctrine, evidently do not believe that God is able to do what He says that He will do. I, for one, am fully persuaded that He not only is able to do, but also WILL do, exactly what He has said. Let me exhort you as Isaiah said to the house of Israel , “Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.” His is the only true light.

(Verses 6 through 9) Therefore Thou hast forsaken Thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves with the children of strangers. Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots; their land is also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made: and the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.

Having told Judah and Jerusalem what the LORD is going to do for them, and for many nations, “in the last days,” Isaiah describes their present condition. Then he takes up a prophecy of the punishment the LORD is going to bring upon them in the interim for their sins and iniquities. First, he addresses the LORD, and declares that He has forsaken, or left, them because of their sinfulness, which he also describes. The first thing he says is that they are “replenished,” that is, supplied, or influenced, “from the east.” They have received the “Eastern Mysteries” for their doctrine instead of the laws of the LORD. As the result of this, they have become soothsayers and practitioners of magic like the Philistines, who have always been their enemies and the enemies of the LORD. They “please themselves with the children of strangers.” That is, they take wives of, and give their daughters in marriage to, the people of the various tribes of Canaan , which God had forbidden them to do. They have turned from seeking the LORD to the pursuit of worldly wealth, which they have so heaped up that there appears to be no end to it. As if this were not bad enough, they have filled the land with idols. And instead of worshipping the LORD, Who has so long taken care of them, they have turned to the worship of these idols, even the things that they have made with their own hands. This idolatry is practiced by all, both small and great. Since they have so completely turned away from God to idols, Isaiah prays, “Therefore forgive them not.”

Although this was surely concerning Judah and Jerusalem , it seems almost as if the prophet were addressing us today. Let it be understood that I certainly feel that we should try our best to maintain an attractive, well designed, and well kept, building in which to meet for the worship of our God. Yet, when I look at all the great buildings called “churches” throughout our land, with many of them having so much expensive ornamentation that serves no functional purpose except to show how much wealthier are those who attend services here than they who go to the church across the street, or down the road; and I hear the daily reports of the evils that are so prevalent in our modern society, I wonder if the prophet is not describing us today. And with that in mind, I have to repeat what Isaiah said in verse 5. “O _ _ _ come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.” We certainly had better wake up, and take stock of where we are and where we are heading. Although Isaiah asks that, with such prevailing conditions there be no forgiveness, we yet desire forgiveness, and pray to the LORD that He will forgive us, and turn us back to His ways.

(Verses 10 through 18) Enter ye into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols He shall utterly abolish.

Since there is coming such a day of the wrath and vengeance of God, let all that fear Him hide themselves. “Enter into the rock, and hide yourselves in the dust, for fear of Him, and for the glory of His majesty.” Certainly, the LORD Himself is the Rock of refuge for all that fear Him. So it is to Him that all must go for protection, just as it was for Judah and Jerusalem . Some of our brethren might want to criticize our saying that this warning should also be given to the wicked. But review again Exodus 9:19-20. Although the Israelites were the ones to whom God sent the warning of the great plague of the hail, there were also some of the servants of Pharaoh who feared the LORD enough that they, hearing this warning, brought in their cattle and servants from the field to a place of protection, and so were spared the damage brought upon most of the Egyptians. So it may also have been in Isaiah’s day; and so it might be in our day. When the great “day of the LORD” comes to bring down all those who are haughty and exalted in their own minds, it is time to enter into the rock, and humble ourselves down even into the dust, that we might hide therein. And since that day can so easily come without any prior notification, we who fear the LORD should always strive to keep ourselves thus humbled , and protected in the Rock. That, we can do only by following Micah’s instruction in Micah 6:8. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy GOD.” In Ecclesiastes 12:13, Solomon says the same thing in slightly different words. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” So, before this great judgment comes upon them, Isaiah tells Judah and Jerusalem , and, we believe, by extension us, what to do to be protected from it. Then he tells us the severity of it. Remember that this also must take place before the wonderful blessings of verses 2 through 4 will come to pass. All these judgments that he says will take place before the wonderful time of peace shown in verses 2 through 4 are for the purpose of bringing Judah and Jerusalem to exactly the same place Jesus told His disciples they must be brought before they could enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:1-3) “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”’” Obviously then, those who will enter into that wonderful time of such great joy and peace of the kingdom must be brought down from their lofty and exalted opinions of themselves and their importance, and made humble as little children before the LORD. This applies equally to Judah and Jerusalem as addressed by Isaiah, and the gospel church, as addressed by our Lord in the quotation from Matthew. Since both must be brought down from their own self-importance, to the humble, unpretentious, attitude of the little child before entering into the kingdom of heaven, the remainder of the present text is very applicable to both. Isaiah says that, that day shall have the effect of humbling the lofty looks and haughtiness of man so that only the LORD will be exalted in it. It will be upon every one that is proud, every one that is lofty, and every one that is lifted up. And he shall be brought low. Only God will be exalted in that day. He is the eternal God, the Creator of all things, and it is only fitting that He be exalted. All the loftiness of man is only pretense, and therefore it must be stripped away. In verse 13 the reference to the cedars of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan is metaphoric. These were the biggest trees of the entire area. So in the illustration they stand for the greatest among men. Therefore even the greatest men shall not escape, but like everyone else they shall be brought low. In this manner, certainly with God there is no respect of persons. The high mountains and the hills that are exalted have the same connotation as the cedars of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan , and shall receive the same treatment. The high towers and fenced walls are representative of whatever, other than the LORD, the people have been trusting for defense. They also shall be destroyed. Tarshish (or Spain ) was known for its seagoing ships and its maritime commerce; but so far as being any help to them, that too will be destroyed. All the pleasant pictures, or beautiful things, that they have been receiving from these ships, and in which they have so much rejoiced, will go the way of all the other things he has mentioned. They will delight in them no longer. Isaiah repeats what he said in verse 11. His words are slightly different, but the message is still the same. Then, in verse 18 he declares, “And the idols He shall utterly abolish.” That which is abolished is made non-existent. So God will make those idols non-existent. They shall be no more. In that wonderful kingdom the only object of worship is the Eternal God.

(Verses 19 through 22) And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles, and the to bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

This, of course, is only a continuation of the message begun in verse 11. Here Isaiah declares the result of those things the LORD is going to bring upon men. In verse 10 he instructs Judah and Jerusalem , (the inhabitants thereof,) to enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, for the fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty. That is, He calls upon those who do fear the LORD, and who respect His majesty, to humble themselves now, before He brings His judgments upon them. Those who do not fear Him, will yet be forced to do so, “when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth.” This judgment is already ordained; and those who do not believe it will suffer its consequences when the LORD brings it to pass. Compare verses 20 and 21 to Revelation 6:15-17. “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?’” Many today will tell you that the Lamb, our Lord Jesus, is so meek, gentle, and loving, that He would never execute any harsh or violent judgment upon anyone. They forget that He Himself said, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father Which hath sent Him.” Also the same One Who is called “the Lamb of God,” is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah .” So the wrath of the Lamb is also the wrath of the Lion. Therefore, when He arises to shake terribly the earth, all the unbelievers, those who have refused to humble themselves before Him, will be made to flee to the rocks and the dens of the mountains for cover. But nothing can hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. This arising and shaking of the earth have no reference to the earthquake that accompanied our Lord'’ crucifixion, nor to His arising from the grave. But they are His bringing of judgment upon the world. Because of this, Isaiah counsels Judah and Jerusalem , and, no doubt, all believers, thus: “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” Since he cannot help us, we had best abandon him, and turn to God only.

(Verses 1 through 5) For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable.

Here Isaiah tells some of the things God will bring upon Judah and Jerusalem . The first thing he mentions is a famine, a famine of both food and water. Although this was addressed to Judah and Jerusalem , and did come upon them, can we not find in this a lesson for ourselves? We boast that it can’t happen here. We produce so much that we can feed the world. A hollow boast! Just take a look around you. Today we are importing fruits and vegetables, and meats, at an alarming rate. Many of the fruits and vegetables have had so much insecticide, (which we have already banned in our country,) used in the production of them that they are dangerous to our health. Many of our meats, both imported and domestic, are so contaminated with dangerous bacteria that our officials are regularly issuing recalls on them to try to protect our health, while some of them are produced on feed that has been enhanced with chemicals to promote faster growth; and no one knows the long range effect of these. Should it become necessary to discontinue the use of these artificial means of production, there could easily soon be a shortage of food. Our water supply, not just for our country, but for the whole world, is fast becoming so polluted that much of it is dangerous. Even the bottled water that has become so popular as a substitute for our polluted waters of the streams, springs, and wells, has recently come under heavy criticism for its impurity. Where will it end? It could easily end in our whole water supply being cut off. So, obviously we are by no means immune to this, even from natural means. Certainly we are not immune to it as a judgment of God.

He then says that He will cut off the mighty man, the man of war, the judge, the prophet, the prudent, (wise,) the ancient, the captain of fifty, the honorable man, the counselor, the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. Notice that the first two here mentioned are the mighty man and the man of war, the very ones upon whom Judah and Jerusalem depended for protection from their enemies. The LORD will cut them off so that their enemies may overrun them, for this is one of the judgments He has prepared for them. He will also cut off the judge, the prophet, the wise man and the ancient. The judge is, of course, the one who presides over the court, and declares the law in regard to whatever matters may come before him. The prophet is he whom the LORD sends to declare His message to the people. So God will cut of both, leaving them with neither a court of equity, nor one to tell them what the LORD will bring upon them. In Judah the cities and villages, so far as their day to day activities are concerned, were governed by the patriarch system. That is, their elders, (ancients, or old men,) together with those considered as wise among the people, had their “seats in the gate” of the town to decide what was best for the town. They also will be cut off. Even the captain of fifty, a low ranked officer of the army, is to be taken away. Also the honorable man, the counselor, the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator shall also be cut off. “The honorable man” not only indicates a man who is honorable, but one who is by his fellow citizens recognized as such. And such character would give him some influence in the community. Nevertheless, he will also be cut off. We often apply, and rightly so, the term “counselor” to an attorney, because he is an advisor, or gives advice. Yet it can also be properly applied to an advisor who is not an attorney. In either case, he will no longer be found, and neither will the eloquent orator, or speaker. There will be none who will be able, by eloquent speaking, to persuade the people to follow the truth. The cutting off of all these will open the way for what the LORD next says.

“And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable.” Whether we consider these “children” and “babes” to be so by reason of actual age, or in understanding makes very little difference. The result is the same, total chaos. This is the condition God said He would bring to pass in Judah and Jerusalem ; and so it was. As we observe all the uproar that has been, and is now, concerning the presidential election, we see the ruling of children. Both parties have put out, and are putting out, so much divisive propaganda, and arousing so much hatred among the people that it is doubtful that either candidate, if declared the winner, can accomplish anything worthwhile during the next four years. Both candidates and their supporters have acted, and are acting, like children, greedy for whatever they want, and not caring how they get it. I seriously fear that, because of all this, verse 5 will be literally fulfilled upon us, as it was upon Judah and Jerusalem .

(Verses 6 through 8) When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer, for in my house is neither bread nor clothing, make me not a ruler of the people. For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of His glory.

In every country, and in every society, there always seems to be someone, who is trying every means at his disposal to become king, or leader, of that entity. And usually one seeking that position will make great promises of what he will do for the people, if they will only let him be their leader. Here we have a directly opposite situation. No one wants the job. The utter ruin of Judah and Jerusalem is so clearly apparent that no one wants to be the ruler during their downfall. If a man’s own brother should come to him, asking that he take the job, his answer will be, “I will not be an healer.” That is, “There is no way I can correct, or heal, the situation. I have neither food with which to feed them, nor clothing to cover them.” The situation is past remedy. The ruin has already set in on both Jerusalem and Judah . Since there is nothing he can promise them, He does not want to be a ruler just to watch their continued destruction. So he says, “Make me not a ruler of the people.” It is apparent that the judgments of God are being meted out to them, and so, effectively, Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen. Calamity is so close upon them that it can be counted as already finished. So choosing a ruler in the hope of averting destruction is utterly worthless. The reason for this is, “Their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of His glory.” Both their words and their actions were contrary to His teachings. They seemed to be deliberately trying to show the LORD that they did not need Him, thus provoking the eyes of His glory. All Israel , and especially Judah and Jerusalem , are the people whom God made choice of in Abraham, brought out of the Egyptian bondage, led through the wilderness, and in spite of all their murmurings and backslidings brought into the land of Canaan , and built up into a great nation. With this background, If He, because of their sins, placed such a heavy judgment as this upon them, there is a great question staring us in the face. “What do you suppose He will do to us?” We cannot deny that it was His wonderful blessings to us that raised us up to be such a great nation that, at the end of World War II we were the greatest nation on the face of the earth. From about that time, we have not only politically and socially turned away from God, but even many of our churches have become so entangled in Satan’s snare that, they have ceased to teach the Holy Bible as the word of God, and are now teaching that it is no more than a book of legends, fables, and mythology, and a matter of superstition instead of the truth. If this is not “against the LORD,” and if it does not “provoke the eyes of His glory,” What would do so?

(Verses 9 through 12) The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom , they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

The brazenness of the people of Judah and Jerusalem was such that it alone was sufficient witness against them. They had neither repentance nor shame for their evils. Instead, just as the people of Sodom , they openly declared and flaunted their sins. If our nation today is not doing the same thing, I confess I do not know how it could be done. If we could overlook the ungodly shows that are being aired on TV, at all times of the day, it still remains that almost every commercial uses some reference to sex or violence as a part of its appeal. Even our news reports are filled with such. It is getting harder and harder for any man who preaches the word of God to obtain, or hold a spot on TV. In most churches, the gospel of our Lord is being watered down lest it offend homosexuals, sex addicts, abortionists, (murderers,) or other evil doers. Many preachers will not solidly declare what the Holy Scriptures say, lest they offend someone who does not believe them to be the truth. This can have only one final outcome. “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for he shall eat the fruit of his doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” This needed no explanation and no interpretation to Judah and Israel . Neither should it need any for us. It is a very simple declaration of what the LORD will do for both the righteous and the wicked.

(Verses 12 through 15) As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of His people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat My people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? Saith the LORD God of hosts.

When the LORD says that He will “plead,” let none think that He means that He will beg for anything, or anyone. Rather, it is as the prosecuting attorney stands up to plead his case against the accused. He declares the charge, cites the law under which it is made, and presents the evidence. That is all the pleading he is required to do. Then the judge weighs the charge, the law, and the evidence; and declares the sentence. In God’s court, there is no jury, and no appeal to a higher court. So, since He is the Prosecutor Who pleads the case, and the Judge Who declares the sentence, what escape is there for the guilty? Isaiah declares that He “standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.” What has brought this on is the fact that “children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.” And these leaders cause the people to err, and destroy the way of their paths. Political office is not the proper place for either children or women. Sometimes even those who, by reason of years are adults, are still children in wisdom. And they also are detrimental to the people, when placed in leadership roles. The LORD will also enter into judgment with the ancients, or elders, and the princes, of His people, because they have busied themselves, not with ruling wisely, but with robbing the people, even the poor. The LORD brings upon them the charge of beating “My people to pieces,” and “grinding the faces of the poor.” At this point, He does not say exactly what their punishment will be. But, surely, it will be substantial. And there will be no escape for them.

(Verses 16 through 24) Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. In that day the LORD will take away the bravery of the tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, the chains and the bracelets, and the mufflers, the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, the rings and the nose jewels, the changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, the glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the veils. And it shall come to pass that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

Although Isaiah has used many words to describe these “daughters of Zion,” women who profess to be the people of the LORD, but have turned from Him to seek after sensual men and the things of the world, and though they are adorned with fancy clothing and ornaments that are so dear to the world, and are used primarily to attract lewd men, all shall be taken from them. They shall be stripped of all these things, and made naked; “the LORD will discover their secret parts.” That is, they shall be shown up for what they really are, with nothing left with which to cover their sins. No longer will they have their sweet smelling perfumes, but will have a repulsive odor. They will have lost their beautiful hair, and become bald; and even their faces will have lost their beauty. This is their reward for turning away from the LORD to the ways of the world. As we have repeatedly said, this message was addressed to Judah and Jerusalem . But will it not equally apply to us, seeing that we are walking in the same path they followed?

(Verses 25 and 26) Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate will sit upon the ground.

This is the picture of desolation that has been upon Jerusalem from 70 AD to the present time. Although since 1948 there has appeared to be some movement toward the re-gathering of Israel , it still seems to be in the stage of the assembling of the dry bones of Ezekiel’s prophecy. I long for the day when “the Son of Man” shall prophesy to the wind to come and give them breath. Then, indeed, the world shall see things it has never seen before, and does not even believe can come to pass. But God has declared it; and so it shall be.

(Verses 1 through 4) And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach. In that day shall the Branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel . And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: when the LORD shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

It is truly amazing how many gospel ministers of the present time try to take this chapter completely out of context, deny that it has anything to do with Judah