PITP #06

The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, is profound. In verse 2, we read, "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord has spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's crib, but Israel does not know; my people does not consider."

Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity and seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors! They have forsaken the Lord; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, and they have gone away backward. Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head, there is no soundness in it. But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores have not been closed, neither bound up, nor 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. 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 like Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Now, this passage of Scripture opens in such a powerful way. We read that this is the vision of Isaiah, something that he saw. Many of the prophets in the Old Testament were called seers; they saw something that others didn't. In fact, if you read back in 1 Samuel, you remember that right as the nation of Israel was getting ready to crown their first king, Saul, he went out to find his father's donkeys. He and one of his servants couldn't find a couple of these donkeys. As they were going back to Saul's father's house, his servant said to him, "Hey, let's go into this city because there's a seer in this city. Perhaps he can tell us where the donkeys are." The seer was the prophet Samuel, who was the judge, the last judge over the nation.

Thus, we see this title given to various prophets in the Old Testament because they saw something that others didn't see.

Not all of them had visions. Some of them just received words from the Lord, like Jonah, as God spoke to him and told him to go to Nineveh and proclaim the judgment over that city. We read of Amos, who was a fig picker from the city of Tekoa. God spoke to him through a basket of fruit, specifically a basket of plucked figs. This illustrates that God is able to speak in various ways, as we see in the Old Testament.

The author of the book of Hebrews stated that God, in past times, spoke to our fathers by the prophets in many diverse ways. But in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He made the heir of all things. In the Old Testament, God spoke through these men, these prophets, many of whom saw visions. You can read of Daniel's powerful visions, Ezekiel's rather odd visions, or Isaiah's graphic visions, as God reveals to him the great things He was about to do. Isaiah primarily spoke to the southern tribes of the nation of Israel.

You may remember that in Kings and Chronicles, after the third king of Israel, Solomon, the son of David, came Solomon's son, Rehoboam. The people of the nation had been under Solomon's reign and had been treated cruelly. They came to Rehoboam and said, "Listen, we would like for you to be nicer to us than your father was." He consulted his counselors, who advised him not to listen to the people. When he went to the people, he said, "You think my dad was bad? I'm going to be much worse." As a result, the nation split into two, leading to a civil war. This division created the northern ten tribes and the southern two tribes, Benjamin and Judah.

By the time Isaiah became a prophet to the nation, many kings had come and gone in both the northern and southern kingdoms. You can read about the history surrounding the book of Isaiah in both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. If you'd like to jot this down as a note for later reading, look through 2 Kings chapters 15 through 21 and 2 Chronicles chapters 26 through 33. These passages show the history and events occurring during the time that Isaiah was the prophet in the nation of Judah, the southern tribes of Israel. He had a long reign, so to speak.

He had a long leadership as a prophet. God used him for a great many years. In fact, he prophesied during the reign, as we read in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 1, during the times of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. All of these four men were kings of Judah.

Now, there are many Bible students who believe that Isaiah also prophesied during the reign of King Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. It is believed that it was during the reign of Manasseh that Hezekiah was put to death. He was killed because of his message and his ministry. Tradition holds that Isaiah was killed by being placed in the middle of a tree, and they sawed him in half. You can read in Hebrews chapter 11 about the men and women of faith in the hall of faith, and it speaks in Hebrews chapter 11 about those who were sawn asunder. Many people believe that this was referring to Isaiah.

This was a man who was killed because of his message and his ministry. He was also ridiculed, mocked, and persecuted because of the message that he brought, as is the case with many of the Old Testament prophets. As you read through the books of prophecy and the historical accounts of these books, you find that many of these men who brought the message of God were not well received. They were persecuted because of the message they delivered, and often they were killed because of it. In fact, if you wanted to get a life insurance policy as a prophet, it was kind of hard to come by because their lives were often rather short.

We read the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz. We don't really know much about his father, Amoz. Some people believe that Isaiah was of the royal family, which is why he had the access that he did to the kings of the nation of Judah. He was given great access to come in and speak with them.

This book opens in a very powerful way, as God essentially stands as the prosecuting attorney against His own people. We read the courtroom open up here in verse 2, where it says, "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth." It is as if God stands up before His people, the children of Israel, specifically the nation of Judah, who are sitting in the seat as defendants. God is the prosecuting attorney, and He stands up and declares to the jury, the heavens and the earth. He says, "Listen up. The Lord has spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me."

I have tended to them. I've taken care of them. Over the last couple of weeks, we looked at God bringing His people, the children of Israel, out of bondage, out of Egypt. In such a tender and powerful way, God brought His people out of the slavery that they had been in for over 400 years.

After He brought them out of Egypt, as you read through the book of Exodus and also through the book of Numbers specifically, you'll see that God took care of His people. Even though they were, well, how would we say this? The biggest complainers on the earth. As they were in the wilderness, they constantly cried out, saying, "God, where is the food? Where is the water? How come we're in this wilderness?" It was just constant complaining and murmuring.

In reality, as you read through the book of Exodus and Numbers, you see that it was basically like any child on the way to the promised land. They constantly asked God, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? I have to go to the bathroom. Can we stop here and get a treat?" It was just this constant murmuring, bickering, and complaining. Yet, God faithfully and graciously brought His people to the promised land. Once He brought them into the promised land, He fought their battles for them. If you read through the book of Joshua, you will see that God took care of His people as they came into the promised land. He was to be their King, their leader, and He was going to lead His people through the judges that He set over them.

However, they constantly rebelled and turned away from God to the point where they finally called out, saying, "We don't want God to rule over us any longer. We want a king." So, God gave them a king and had given commands for that king in the book of Exodus, as well as in Deuteronomy and Leviticus. But their king did not follow the commands of the Lord. In fact, most of their kings completely departed from God.

As you will find as you go through the book of Isaiah, so goes the leader, so goes the people. God says to His people, "Your leaders cause you to err." You see that these kings turned away from God. It wasn't just the kings and the princes; many of the prophets began to prophesy falsely, and the priests ruled by their own power and strength. Whether it was the politics of the nation by the king or the religion of the nation by the prophets and priests, they all turned away from God and led the people astray.

By this time, which is now 2,700 years ago, 700 years before Jesus came, the northern ten tribes of Israel were completely filled with idolatry.

Filled with sorcery, the northern ten tribes had departed from God completely. They never had a good king. In contrast, the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin occasionally had a good king. As you read through their history, you find that sometimes they would have a king who did right in the eyes of the Lord, one who would tear down the high places. However, for the most part, their kings were wicked and evil, leading the people astray. They caused the people to err and turned them away from the Lord.

Now, God looks at His people, whom He had nourished and tended to, and whom He had brought up like children. They had rebelled against Him and turned away. Notice this indictment against them in verse 3. God uses a very interesting illustration: "The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's crib, but Israel does not know. My people do not consider." Even the animals, the brute beasts of the world, know who their master is and where to go to find food. They know where to turn when they're hungry and where to seek satisfaction. But the children of Israel did not know. They had no idea where to go or what to do. A significant part of that had to do with their wicked leadership and the way they had turned their hearts away from the Lord.

God calls out to them in verse 4, saying, "Ah, sinful nation." I want you to underline that word "ah," because in some of your Bibles, it may say "woe." "Woe" is a better translation. It can be defined in many different ways, but the definition that I like, which fits very well with the book of Isaiah, is that judgment is certain or judgment is coming. God says, "Woe, sinful nation. A people laden with iniquity. A seed of evildoers." These are the same sorts of words that other prophets used when they spoke to the children of Israel.

In fact, the last prophet of the Old Testament, a man by the name of John the Baptist, used very similar words when he said, "Brood of vipers, who told you to flee from the wrath that is to come?" How many of you remember reading that verse in the New Testament? That "brood of vipers" speaks of the same thing here: "seed of evildoers," "children that are corruptors." They have forsaken the Lord, provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger, and have gone away backward, or literally, they have backslidden.

God says, "My people have backslidden." The prosecuting attorney stands up here in Isaiah chapter 1 and declares to the heavens and the earth, to the jury, as His people, the nation of Judah, are seated in the defendant's seat. He declares His indictment against them in verses 2 and 3, stating that they had turned away from the Lord, that they had rebelled against Him, and that they had even now caused the Holy One of Israel to be filled with anger towards them.

However, in a sense, the prosecuting attorney cries out to them as if he is a loving father in verse 5. He asks, "Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick. The whole heart is faint. From the sole of your foot, even to the top of your head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been closed up, neither bound, neither mollified with ointment."

God pleads with His people here. He declares their sin to them in verses 2 through 4, but now in verses 5 and 6, He pleads with them, saying, "Oh, I don't want to see you go through this judgment. I don't want to see you there wounded and bruised and filled with sores." The picture of these sores is like that of a leper. We know that leprosy, in the Scriptures, is a type of sin; it is an indication of sin.

Leprosy is a very interesting disorder and disease. It attacks the nervous system. In fact, you wouldn't really know by looking at someone that they were a leper when they initially came down with leprosy because it was, for the most part, an internal disorder. As leprosy would attack a person's nervous system, they would begin to lose feeling in their fingers, toes, hands, and feet. When they would stub their foot on something or cut their foot open, they wouldn't know that they had been injured because they didn't have the pain being sent by the nervous system to the brain.

Over a period of time, they would find that they had become gangrenous, and sometimes they would lose a finger or a toe. It has even been said that in the middle of the night, as they would sleep, rats would come and begin to gnaw on their extremities. But because they had no feeling, they didn't know. Oftentimes, these lepers would become disfigured and maimed. Here, He speaks of a leper, someone who has these sores, but He says they have not been mollified with ointment; they have not been bound up. Now, who is the one who was to bind their sores and their wounds?

Well, it's the great Shepherd of Israel. It's our great God and Father. He is the one who desires to bind us up when we're bruised and broken, when we have all sorts of sores. Yet, they had turned away from God, and so there was no one to bind them.

He says in verse 7 that your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire. Your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, overthrown by strangers. These words that Isaiah speaks come from a vision that he sees, but these things have not yet come to pass. In fact, when Isaiah was given this vision, I believe, as you read through the Book of Isaiah, that this prophecy and this vision in chapter 1 came during the time of King Uzziah, just prior to King Uzziah dying.

On the surface, the nation of Judah looked like everything was okay. They were profiting greatly in their communities and had some sort of relative peace under King Uzziah because he had been a strong king, and for the most part, he had been a good king. However, the sad fact is that when we get to Isaiah chapter 6, we find that Uzziah dies. The way in which Uzziah dies is a very sad thing because the Bible tells us in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles that this king, who had been a good king and had done a lot of great things, led his nation in prosperity. Towards the end of his life, we read that his heart was lifted up with pride.

He desired to go into the temple like one of the priests, like one of the Levites, and offer incense to God. He felt that he was being held back and didn't think it was fair that they were keeping him from what he really wanted to do. He was the leader of the nation and had great power, but there was one thing that the king could not do: he could not act as a priest. Yet, this king said, "I want to act as a priest. I want to do the work of a priest."

So, he went into the temple, bringing incense in his hands. He was going to offer incense to God, and no one was going to stop him. One of the interesting things about him is that he must have been a very strong and forceful man because, as you read through Kings and Chronicles, you see that there were a number of priests who withstood him and tried to stop him from going in, but no one was going to stop him that day. No man, that is. Because you see,

It was as he came into the temple courts that the priests looked and beheld Uzziah. There on his forehead began to be a sore of leprosy. They had to carry him out; they had to force him out of the temple because no unclean person could come into the temple courts. No king, nobody, even if they were a king, could come in if they were a leper. The sad fact is that he died because of his sin from leprosy.

Now, Isaiah doesn't speak much about that. He just tells us in Isaiah chapter 6, verse 1, "In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up." The backstory, the rest of the story, is given to us in Kings and Chronicles. From the surface, the nation looked good politically because of prosperity. Religiously, as we'll see here in chapter 1, they had everything going on.

But Isaiah, in the midst of this, sees a vision of the nation of Israel completely desolate, their cities burned with fire, their land devoured by strangers in their presence, everything being desolate and overthrown. He saw, I believe, the vision of what would come to pass in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37. This was the vision of the nation of Assyria, led by King Sennacherib, coming into the land of Judah and completely devastating every single city but one. What city did he not destroy? Jerusalem.

Let us read on. Verse 8 says, "The daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city." What Isaiah sees here is everything else destroyed around the city of Jerusalem. He says that the daughter of Zion, the city of Jerusalem, is left like a garden, a lodge, and a garden of cucumbers.

Now, what does that mean? Well, use your imagination for a moment and think about cucumbers. How do cucumbers grow? Do they grow on big, beautiful, stout trees? Giant, majestic trees with these wonderful cucumbers hanging from them? No, they don't. Any of you who have grown cucumbers know that they grow like this funky-looking little shrub on the ground that goes all over the place.

Now, if you were wanting to hide and position yourself in a place where no one would find you...

Would you camouflage yourself in a field of cucumbers? I don't think so. But this is the vision that Isaiah sees. He sees the nation of Judah completely decimated and destroyed, with all that is left being the city of Jerusalem, like a lodge in the middle of a garden of cucumbers, like a cottage in a vineyard—unprotected and surrounded as a besieged city.

Then he says in verse 9, "Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a small remnant, we should have become like Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah." If it were not for God, the nation of Israel, that people there in the southern nation of Judah, would have been completely consumed, completely wiped off the face of the earth. Isaiah notices this. He recognizes that here is Jerusalem, the only lone city left, everything else destroyed. He states that if it had not been for God, they would have been completely consumed like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Now, how many of you remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? God begins to talk about Sodom and Gomorrah in this passage, and we will consider that story in just a moment. He says in verse 10, "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom, and give ear unto the law of God, you people of Gomorrah." God calls His people—those that had the temple, those that had the city of Jerusalem, those that had the law of God as given by Moses—and says to them, "You are like the rulers of Sodom and the people of Gomorrah."

We know who Sodom and Gomorrah are from Genesis chapters 18 and 19. You'll remember that Abraham was called by God out of Babylon, out of Ur of the Chaldees. He came and began to live in the land of Canaan. After a short time, he went down into Egypt because there was a famine in the land. He was then booted out of Egypt and returned to the land of Canaan.

However, he and his nephew Lot found that they were having contention in their family. Abraham said to Lot, "Listen, you go your way, and I'll go my way, and we will be able to dwell safely in the land." Lot chose for himself the plains of the Jordan, down near Sodom and Gomorrah, before God destroyed the cities. Those cities were exceedingly wicked, and the cry of those cities went up to God. I believe that the one who was crying out to God on behalf of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was Lot himself when he began to live there. He first set up camp.

Outside of Sodom, Lot was initially found in the surrounding area. However, later on in Genesis, he is seen in the city of Sodom, and eventually, he is sitting at the city gates of Sodom. He had become something of a leader, a ruler in those cities. The Bible states that he was righteous, and we believe that he is the one who called out to God on behalf of the city.

At the end of Genesis chapter 18, God tells Abraham, "I'm going to go check out Sodom and Gomorrah. The cry has come up to me because of Sodom and Gomorrah." Consequently, a couple of angels went down to the city of Sodom. When they arrived, they were taken into the house of Lot, primarily for protection, as the men of Sodom and Gomorrah were exceedingly wicked.

We will not delve into the specifics of their wickedness tonight, but I do want to highlight what led to their destruction. In Ezekiel chapter 16, we often think that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed solely because of their wicked lifestyle. However, I believe that the book of Romans illustrates that such a lifestyle is the result of a sinful life and a wicked heart.

So, what was the sinful life of the people in Sodom and Gomorrah? Ezekiel chapter 16, verse 49, provides the answer. God, through the prophet Ezekiel, states, "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her heart and in her daughters. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy."

What God reveals about Sodom and Gomorrah is that they were a proud people, filled with gluttony and laziness, who did not take care of the poor. All these traits stemmed from a wicked heart. God declares that as a result of this, He judged them. They were haughty and committed abominations before Him. Therefore, He took them away as He saw fit.

God describes them as haughty, proud, idle, gluttonous, and lacking in love for their neighbors. Consequently, He decided to judge them. In Genesis chapter 19, we read about that judgment, where God essentially poured flaming brimstone from heaven upon them, leading to their destruction in one day. The smoke of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities rose up as a testament to their fate.

Of the south, there were five cities that were destroyed; the smoke of them rose up to heaven like a furnace. Because of their wickedness and their sin, God speaks to His people in the nation of Judah—the ones that had the priesthood, the ones that had the law of God, the ones that had the line of David and the temple. He says to them, "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom, and give ear unto the law of God, you people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices?"

In verse 11, He asks, "Why do you offer all of these sacrifices unto Me?" says the Lord. "I am full of your burnt offerings of rams and of fat-fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bulls or of lambs or of goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand to tread My courts? Do not bring any longer your vain oblations. Incense is an abomination unto Me. The new moons and the Sabbath, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with. It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates. They are a trouble unto Me, and I am weary to bear them. When you spread forth your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; and when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Why? Because your hands are full of blood."

Now remember, these are the religious. These are the people who believe themselves to be righteous. They offered all their sacrifices, observed the feast days and the fasts, and celebrated the new moons and all these different Sabbaths. They offered incense to God and had religious worship, but because of their wickedness, God says, "I don't want it." Their worship had become wicked before God; their sacrifices had become sin. Because of their wicked hearts, God said, "Everything you do to Me, even though you go to the temple, even though you go to church, it is wicked to Me, and I will not receive it." He says, "Even if you cry out to Me, I will not hear your prayers."

But then He calls to them in verse 16, which is the call of every Old Testament prophet—the call of repentance. "Wash and make clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. Seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless."

And plead for the widow. Come now and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. He says, "Come near to me. Stop turning your back to me. Draw near to me. I'm not looking for all your sacrifices of bulls and goats. I would that you would come and wash and make clean."

Now, how does one wash and make clean? The Scriptures make it very clear that only God can make us clean. As you'll find in the book of Isaiah, all of our righteousness, all of our good works, are as what? Filthy rags before God. So even if our good works are unrighteous before God, what can we do to possibly make ourselves clean? The only thing we can do is be cleaned by God.

And so He says, "Wash, make clean, put away the evil from your doings, lay aside all that stuff, draw back to me, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, and judge the fatherless." Come, let us reason together. This great verse, verse 18, is a wonderful memory verse if you'll take the time to memorize it: "Let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins be red like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. Would you note that verse, verse 19? There are blessings in obedience. It is not the works of the law that will save us. There is no possible way that you and I, by our righteous works, by our good deeds, can ever save ourselves. However, God has given a promised blessing: if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Turn to me, God says. Turn to me and be clean. Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Reason with me. Even though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. And if you're willing and obedient, you'll be blessed. But if not, the sword will come. If you rebel against me, then the curses of the law will come.

There are blessings in the law, as stated in Deuteronomy chapters 28 and 29, and there are curses in the law. The same passage. We talked about those blessings and curses when we looked at Deuteronomy 28 and 29 and Leviticus chapter 26 a couple of weeks ago. There, in those passages, we see that God promises a blessing to those who will obey and follow.

But He promises war, judgment, and a curse upon those who will rebel. He says in verse 21, "How is the faithful city become a harlot?" How is it that the city that was once dedicated to God and so faithfully given over to Him is now a harlot? Seeking after every false god under every tree and on every high place, they sought all these false gods. It was full of judgment and righteousness lodged in it, but now it is filled with murderers. It was a good city, God says, but now it is filled with murderers. The silver has become dross. The wine is mixed with water. The princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves gifts and follows after rewards. They do not judge the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come unto them.

Verse 23 tells us that the leaders of the nation were given to bribes. They were given over to bribes. They loved gifts and loved people to give them certain rewards. As a result, they did not bring forth right judgment. Therefore, in verse 24, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty one of Israel, "Ah, what's that word again? Whoa. I will ease me of mine adversaries and avenge me of my enemies." Notice that now He calls His own people His enemies and adversaries. Those who once followed Him have now become His enemies and adversaries.

In the New Testament, we are told in the book of James that those who are friends with the world make themselves enemies of God. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Here, these people had made themselves friends of the world, and so God has now made Himself an adversary, an enemy. He says, "I will turn my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy dross and take away thy tin."

You see, in verse 22, He said, "Your silver has become dross." Now He says, "I will purge away the dross." How does a refiner purge the dross? By fire. He carries that precious metal, whether it is gold or silver or whatever it may be, and puts it into the refining fire. As He does, the impurities come to the surface, and He cleanses them away. But it is always the fire that takes away the imperfection. Fire in Scripture is always related to trial and tribulation. So here, God says, "I'm going to bring the fire," but that fire was going to be...

For the purpose of purification, I want you to note this. If you're taking notes tonight, God's judgment and God's fire are always for the purpose of purification. He has already promised that there would be a remnant left, as stated in verse 9 of chapter 1. Unless it had been for the Lord, keeping a very small remnant, they should all be destroyed. But God is so faithful and gracious; He always brings forth a remnant from the judgment because His judgments are for purification.

He says to this people, "I’m going to purely purge away the dross and take away thy tin, all of your alloys. I will restore thy judges as at the first and thy counselors as at the beginning, and afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city." You see, what comes after the judgment? A purified people. He says, "I’m going to come and bring the fire to purge away the dross and take away thy tin, and then will come these restored judges. The city will once again be called a city of righteousness and a faithful city."

Zion shall be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness. The destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed. They shall be ashamed of the oaks which they have desired and shall be confounded for the gardens that they have chosen. This is a reference to all of their idolatry because it was in the groves that they would go and worship their false gods, and in these different gardens that they would build, especially upon the high places.

For you shall be as an oak whose leaf fades and as a garden that has no water. The strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as the spark; they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them. He speaks of a fire that is not quenched, which is going to come and bring judgment.

Why are we looking at this? You may look at this passage and think it is a heavy passage, and you'd be right. It is a heavy passage, and contextually, it was spoken to the people of Judah 2,700 years ago because they had turned away from God in rebellion towards witchcraft and idolatry—from the king all the way down to the commoner, from the priest all the way down to the congregant. Every single individual in the nation had become unrighteous.

Before God, they had mingled themselves with the ways of the world. As a result, God says, "I am going to judge you." Even though you're my people, even though I've called you, even though I've tended to you, and have taken care of you like a father and have loved you, I will judge you.

Yes, the context of this is Israel 2,700 years ago, but it has application for America in the year 2009. If God would judge His own people, the nation of Israel, whom He called through Abraham, would He not judge America? As He judged Sodom and Gomorrah, He says, "I will judge my own people, the nation of Israel." They thought they had a privileged position; they believed that God would never do anything bad to them because they were His chosen people.

There are many people in our nation, and not just in our own nation but in this world, who think the same way. They say, "God will never ever judge me because He's a loving God." Amen, He is a loving God! He is good; He is awesome! But He is also righteous and holy. Because of His righteousness and holiness, He doesn't just overlook guilt. These people were a guilty people, just as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were.

The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was right out there in the open for everybody to see. You didn't have to look very far to find it. However, the sin of the nation of Judah was hidden. It was done in such a way that it was almost justified, as if to say, "Hey, you know, it's still okay," and God still loves us. Although He loved them, He would judge them.

Billy Graham once said, "If God does not judge America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah." I do believe that judgment will come, and in some ways, it has already come upon our nation. I don't say this to scare you, or maybe I do; I don't know. But I say this to bring us back to this verse in verse 16.

You see, it's the good news that God has given to us: "Wash and make clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment; relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless; plead the case of the widow."

Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword.

You see, this was the call of the prophets of old, and this is the call of the preachers throughout church history: turn to God while there's time. Turn to Him; He is gracious, He is merciful, He is long-suffering, desiring to pardon, not willing that any should perish. But He is also just, holy, and He will judge sin.

We live in a nation today that is not very dissimilar to Judah 2,700 years ago. It is a nation that is a lot like the nation of Israel during that time, which had received such great blessings from God and had been so wonderfully taken care of by a loving Father. However, they had departed from the Lord. Our nation, in so many ways, has been abundantly blessed by God, has it not? It has.

As we look around, I think it would be an extreme strain to say that this is a nation that serves God. There is a remnant, and there always is, as you see in this very book. There is always a remnant that does serve, seek, and follow God. But the fact is that the overwhelming majority have departed from the Lord.

In their departure from the Lord, they are not hiding their sin anymore, like the people of Judah. There comes a point where they parade their sin, openly letting it out for everybody to see.

Turn, if you would, just a few chapters over to chapter 5, verse 1. God says, "Now I will sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved has a vineyard in a very fruitful hill." Isaiah says God has a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. He has fenced it, gathered out all the stones of it, planted it with the choicest vine, built a tower in the midst of it, and made a winepress therein. He looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth...

What? Wild grapes! God planted this vineyard; He tended it, He planted it, He protected it, and He was looking for fruit from the garden. But nothing but wild grapes, or poisonous grapes, came.

Now, oh inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray, between me and my vineyard. God says, "What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, it brought forth wild grapes." God says to Judah, "What should I have done more than I've already done?"

Now go to, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. Because it brings forth wild grapes, even though I've tended it so well, I'm going to tell you what I'll do. I'll take away the hedge thereof; I'm going to remove its protection, and it shall be eaten up. I will break down the wall thereof, again removing its protection, and it shall be trodden down. I will lay it waste; it shall be no more pruned nor digged, but there shall come up briars and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain not upon it.

Now notice this verse 7: For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah, His pleasant plant. He looked for judgment, but behold, oppression; and for righteousness, but behold, a cry. God says, "Listen, I planted this great vineyard. I've taken care of it, but it's rejected me; it's turned away from me. So I'm going to remove its protection."

Remember what we looked at in Isaiah 19 last week as we talked about God moving upon a nation for judgment? He removes the things that they trust in, and He removes their protection. When He does, the enemy is able to come in like a flood.

So once again, here we see God removes the protection from this land, and as He does, the enemy comes in and eats it up and destroys it. He's not able to bless it. God no longer comes in and weeds that garden, prunes it, tends to it, or gives rain to it to water it.

Then notice what God says in verse 8: "Woe unto them that join house to house and lay field to field, that there be no place that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth." He says, "Woe to those, certain destruction upon those, that build up this great land for themselves so that they can isolate themselves from everybody else, that lay field to field so that there's no place for them to be alone in the midst."

Of the earth, mine ears said the Lord of hosts. Of truth, many houses shall be desolate, even a great and fair one, without inhabitant. Yea, ten acres of a vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an omer shall yield an ephah.

Now notice what He says here, because I find this very interesting. I have been drilling into you for weeks and weeks that the prophetic passages of the Old Testament have application for us today. Basically, verse 8 speaks of real estate investing and trying to build up the greatest riches that you can in real estate. Notice what happens when they do this. What did He say there in verse 10? In my ears, the Lord of hosts has said, "Many houses shall be desolate," which means empty. Do we see that in our own nation today?

We are given to trying to build up everything in this economic wealth through real estate, and now we have this fallout, foreclosure, and all these empty homes. God's word stands true again. In verse 11, He says, "Woe to them that rise early in the morning that they may follow after strong drink, that continue until night till wine inflames them."

The harp, the vial, the tabard, and the pipe are present at their feasts, but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of His hands. God says there is certain destruction in verse 8 for those that seek all the wealth they can from real estate, and everything comes falling apart. They reap nothing back from their investments.

Then in verse 11, He says, "Woe to those that rise up early so that they may become intoxicated and party all night long." In verse 12, "Therefore my people are gone into captivity because they have no knowledge, and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst."

Therefore, hell has enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure. Their glory, their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoices shall descend into it. The mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eye of the lofty shall be humbled. But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified.

In righteousness, then shall the lambs feed after their manner. Notice now comes a remnant. In the waste places of the fat ones, shall the strangers eat.

In verses 11 through 17, we read about those who rise up early only to live for pleasure, to be intoxicated, just to party all night long, to party like it's 1999 or 2009. Woe to those! Certain destruction will come upon them because of it. The people go into captivity.

Verse 18 states, "Woe unto them that draw iniquity." Notice this: they draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin, as it were with a cart and a rope. They say, "Let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it," and "Let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come that we may know it." Verses 18 and 19 speak about people who don't hide their sin but carry it behind them in a parade with a cord and a cart. They don't try to hide it or keep it secret; they expose it so everybody can see it and parade it around. All the while, they speak up to the heavens and say, "Where's God? I thought He was going to judge this kind of stuff." Obviously, there's no God because He hasn't shown up. Do we see these things in our nation?

Verse 20 says, "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." Are there any in our nation that call wickedness good? They say it's okay. They put good for evil and evil for good. They claim that the good word of God is evil; it's hate speech. They say, "Don't speak it." They assert that the wickedness of murder through abortion is okay.

Verse 21 states, "Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight." Woe to those who are professors of great wisdom that deny God.

Verse 22 continues, "Woe to them that are mighty in drinking wine and men of strength to mingle strong drink." These are the ones who justify the wicked for reward and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him. In verse 23, where it says they justify the wicked for reward, this is speaking of judges, leaders, and rulers. He says, "Woe to those that are mighty in drinking wine."

That are mighty in drinking strong drink and being able to mix all the drinks and cocktails. There was a study done a number of years ago, and it found that the city in our nation that consumes the most alcohol is Washington, D.C.

Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness and their blossoms shall go up as dust. Verse 24 speaks of complete destruction from the root to the blossom because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. You see, when a person disrespects, disregards, and contemns the counsel of God through His word, these are the things that follow. Because they have cast away the law, verse 25 states that the anger of the Lord is kindled against His people. He has stretched forth His hand against them and has smitten them. The hills did tremble, and their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is outstretched still.

I always find that interesting when I first read that: for all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is outstretched still. The picture is of God ready to strike. He's already struck once, but He's ready to strike again, and judgment will come. He will lift up an ensign to the nations; He’s going to lift up a banner to the nations from afar. He will whistle or hiss unto them from the end of the earth, and behold, they shall come with speed, swiftly. None shall be weary, none shall stumble among them, none shall slumber nor sleep. Neither shall the girdle of their loins be loose nor the latchet of their shoes be broken.

Whose arrows are sharp and all their bows bent, their horses' hooves shall be counted like flint and their wheels like a whirlwind. Their roaring shall be like a lion, and they shall roar like a young lion. Yea, they shall roar and lay hold of prey and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. In that day, they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea, and if one looks unto the land, behold, darkness and sorrow.

The light is darkened in the heavens. In verse 26 through the end of chapter 5, the Lord is ready to strike again. He lifts up a banner to the nations and says, "Come and get it!" All their enemies come with speed; none of them stumble as they run. They are coming so quickly that they don't even have time to set up tents or take off their belts in the night. Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are bent. They are coming ready to strike. The hooves of their horses are counted like flint, which means they are coming with great speed. The wheels of their chariots whirl like a whirlwind, and they roar like a lion as they come. No one shall be able to take the prey from their mouths.

These are scary words that God speaks to His people, the people He called by His name. These things had not yet come to pass; Isaiah spoke of them years before they would happen. He was speaking of the coming Assyrian judgment upon the nation of Judah and Benjamin. At that time, King Uzziah was king, and that invasion would not come for years until King Hezekiah was king. God ultimately would spare a remnant from His people, but judgment would come. Although it would be in the form of a nation that would come and destroy them, it was still the judgment of God, and it was still His hand prepared to strike because they had departed from the Lord. None of them would be guiltless.

There was only one way to find shelter, and that shelter would only be found as they turned to God with repentance. If they would turn to Him with repentance, then He would indeed restore them. He promised that He would purge away the dross and remove all the alloys. He promised that their sins would be as white as snow if they would be willing to turn to Him. If they would merely be willing and obedient, they would eat the good of the land.

The sad fact is that when you get to Isaiah chapter 36, you find that such would not be the case; they did not turn to the Lord. I believe that our God is raising up in our nation today people to give a very same call.

To this nation, turn to the Lord. There is refuge found only in Him. Will He judge America? I believe, in some ways, He already has, and He is. Will He completely judge America like He did the people spoken of in this passage? I don't know if He will, but the fact is this: the book of Hebrews tells us that it is appointed unto all men that we will die once, and then comes judgment. Every one of us will stand before this God that speaks in the book of Isaiah for judgment. One day, we will all stand before Him, and the books will be opened. The Scripture says there is described a book of life, and oh, that you, that I, that all those we come in contact with would be written in the Lamb's book of life and not in the books that record all the deeds that you and I have ever done.

Oh, that on the day of judgment, when we stand before God, we stand with Jesus by our side, and He says, "forgiven." That is the great, glorious message of the Gospel that you and I have been given. We've been given words of eternal life. This whole world abides under the judgment of God because of sin. They are not guiltless; nobody is guiltless. You're not guiltless, I'm not guiltless; nobody in this entire world is guiltless before God. The law shows us all as guilty before God, and there is only refuge found in one. He is calling to us to come; He is calling to this world to draw near to Him and to find the forgiveness that only He can give because He is the only way.

Why do I share this with you tonight? Because it is my desire that God would raise up from within this church men and women who will boldly proclaim these truths, even though they may mock you and look down at you like they did at Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Obadiah, Amos, Haggai, Zechariah, Zephaniah, and Malachi. All these different prophets were chided, mocked, and looked down upon. Some were beaten, some were bruised, and some were killed, but they still spoke the word of God. Why? Because God is a God of love, and He does not desire that any would perish. God sent these men with that same heart of love.

To go and preach this truth, we must repent and turn to Him. There was a group of people that came to Jesus one day while He was in Jerusalem. As men often do, they tried to shift the focus of sin onto others. They asked, "What about those guys who died in the temple courts? What about those upon whom the tower fell?"

Jesus responded in Luke chapter 13, saying, "Unless you repent, you will likewise perish." You see, man is always trying to shift the focus onto somebody else. It's like when you try to share your faith with someone, and they say, "What about the pygmies in Africa? What about Hitler? He was more wicked than me." They are all trying to shift the focus around, claiming, "I'm better than that guy." Yes, you may be right, but unless you repent, you will likewise perish.

A day of judgment is fast approaching, and we have the words of eternal life. One day, I, along with you, will stand before God, and we will be judged for every idle thought, word, and deed. Oh, that when we stand before the Lord, He will look at us and say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." I have no doubt that you and I, as we know Christ tonight and as He has taken care of our sins by the work He did on the cross 2,000 years ago, will be with Him in eternity forever.

But oh, I want to be able to give Him a good report when I stand before Him on that day. Don't you? I want to be standing there with multitudes of people who have also accepted the Lord because of us, because we shared the truth of the Gospel with them.

Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians, at the end of chapter 2, that this was his hope. He knew he was going to heaven; he knew he would eternally be with God. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, look at what he says in verse 19: "For what is our hope, our joy, or our crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and our joy."

Paul knew he was going to heaven because of the work that Jesus did on the cross, but he said, "This is what I'm hoping for; this is what I'm rejoicing in: that you will be standing there with Him."

On the day of Christ, right next to me, that's what I'm looking for. Though they say you're crazy, though they say you're foolish, though they say you're stupid, may we continue to preach Christ crucified. It will very likely get more difficult to do so in our nation, but may we never back down. May we stand strong among the witnesses of these men and women who died in faith.

You see, Hebrews 11 describes the men and women of faith of the Old Testament, but Hebrews chapter 12 says something very interesting in the first verse we read. Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds or in your souls. You have not yet resisted unto bloodshed, striving against sin.

Tonight, you and I are surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses—all those men and women of old who were faithful in Hebrews chapter 11. Seeing that we are surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses, let us press on with endurance and patience in this race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus. There is coming a day when we will cross the finish line, and when you do, you'll fall into the arms of the Lord.

God is coming quickly, and He will come to execute judgment upon a Christ-rejecting and sinful world. But oh, when He comes, may He find many less to judge than He would today, because we have faithfully proclaimed the truth of the gospel to this Christ-rejecting world. Amen.

Let's stand and pray. Father, I do...

I love Your Word. I love that You have spoken to us and revealed to us Your heart. Lord, You have made it clear that You love us and that You desire that none would perish. You've made it very clear to us tonight that You desire that we come into Your presence.

But, Lord, in Your Word, You have also made it very clear that judgment will one day come. You don't want anybody to be ignorant of the fact that this will happen. So, Lord, I pray that as we've looked at this passage in Isaiah tonight, You would plant deeply in our hearts this truth. By Your Spirit, give us boldness to share the truth with those we work with, maybe those we live with who don't know You, and those that we encounter in this community.

Because, Lord, because of the work that You've done in us, we are not willing that any should perish either. We wouldn't wish upon our worst enemy, if we had one, the judgment that You will one day bring. We look forward to Your soon return.

But, God, I pray that You equip this church and give us boldness by Your Holy Spirit as we go from here. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.