Isaiah 1:1

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim, each one having six wings. With two, he covered his face, and with two, he covered his feet, and with two, he did fly. And one cried unto another and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory." The posts of the door were moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." One of the seraphim flew unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from off the altar. He laid it upon my mouth and said, "Lo, this has touched your lips, and your iniquity is taken away, your sin is purged."

Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I, send me."

Let's pray. Lord, as we just finished singing, "Holy, you are holy." We see this passage before us in Isaiah chapter 6, where Isaiah saw You seated upon the throne, and he heard the voice of these mighty burning ones in Your presence crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord. The whole earth is full of Your glory."

Lord, You are awesome in power. You are holy, three times holy, separate from sinners. In Your presence, we recognize, as Isaiah did, that we are sinful and in need of Your touch, Lord. Your touch, which is able to purge our iniquity and take away our sin. We thank You that You have done that tonight in Christ. I pray as we begin this study in the book of Isaiah, that You would speak to us by Your Spirit.

Lord, that you would help us to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church in the last days. As Isaiah saw visions and heard wonderful things from You, Lord, would we also hear You speak by Your Spirit. Teach us, we pray, in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

Many times when people consider the book of Isaiah, their mind goes to this passage in Isaiah chapter 6, a glorious passage. No wonder that people would think on this heavenly scene where Isaiah sees the Lord. Now, we're not going to go in depth on chapter 6 tonight because that would be getting a little bit ahead of where we're at with chapter 1. But I did want to begin here because it's important as it relates to the man Isaiah and the call that God gave to him.

There, as Isaiah saw the Lord and recognized his own sinfulness in the presence of the Lord, he cried out as a result of his sinfulness. The Lord, by this coal from off the altar there in heaven, took away his iniquity. Then he heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Who will go for us? Whom shall we send?" He said, "Here am I, Lord, send me." God's call and commission to Isaiah came in the next verses, in verse 9.

In Isaiah chapter 6, verse 9, God said, "Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed."

God says to Isaiah, "This is the call that I have for you. I want you to go and speak to a people that aren't going to listen to you, a people who are not going to receive your word. You are going to preach to them about the work that I'm going to do amidst them, which is a work of punishment, a work of judgment. Their hearts are going to be hard to it. Their ears are going to be heavy to it. They're not going to listen to what you have to say."

One of the old Puritan preachers said of Isaiah's call that God had called Isaiah to preach the people of his day to hell.

A heavy call. A heavy word that God gave to him to bring to the people. To a people that were called of God but would not listen to the Lord and heed His call.

Now I want you to consider for a moment. Imagine that the Lord gave you the same call. You're going to go and preach for the rest of your life. Isaiah was fairly young when he received this call. It was in the year that King Uzziah died, which was at the very beginning of Isaiah's ministry. At a fairly young age, God said, "I want you to go and preach, and no one's going to listen to you." For the large part, a very small group will listen, but mostly they are going to reject My word and your word being spoken.

What would be your response if God told you that you were going to preach these people to hell? Most of the people that you will speak to are going to die in the position of being stubborn and obstinate towards the Lord. I would assume that your response, my response, would probably be very similar to Isaiah's response. Notice what he says in verse 11: "Then I said, 'How long, O Lord? How long do I have to do this for? You want me to go and speak and teach and preach, but how long am I going to do this?'"

And He answered. God answered, "Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, until the houses be without a man and the land be utterly desolate. And the Lord has removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land." God says, "Well, I don't know that you're going to like the answer to that question, Isaiah. How long do I need to give this message, God?" And God says, "Until the land that you love so much is destroyed and the people that you long for, that they would hear My voice, until they are taken captive and killed. That's how long."

It would almost be disheartening to hear that, wouldn't you think? If God said to you in this day, in the year 2009, "I want you to go and speak the message that I'm going to give to you, but most of the people that you speak to are not going to listen to you and they're going to end up in hell."

He gives him one small glimmer of hope in verse 13, where he says, "But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return and shall be eaten as a teal tree and as an oak, whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves, so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof."

God says, "Isaiah, only a tenth, only a small remnant is going to continue following after me. But for the most part, they're going to go to hell. And you are going to be the one that I call to preach to them in the midst of this wicked and perverse generation."

I don't know how long it's going to take us to get through the book of Isaiah. At the Bible College, we do it in 14 weeks. I guarantee that's not going to happen here. There are 66 chapters written over the span of at least 60 years. Isaiah's ministry is one of the longest of the Old Testament prophets and yielded one of the largest books of the Old Testament, definitely the largest of the prophetic works. As a result, it is in a position or in a place in our Bibles that we call the major prophets.

Now, a lot of times when we think of the prophetic books of the Bible and we hear "major" and "minor" prophets, we think of baseball and the major and minor leagues. We might assume that the major prophets were the really good batters, but that's not the case. It really has to do with the length of the book. Isaiah is the first of the prophetic books as they are laid out in our Bibles, and it is the longest of the prophetic books of the Bible. God spoke so much through this prophet; he is one of the most quoted prophets in the New Testament. You will read in the Gospels, "As Isaiah the prophet said."

It is very important when studying the prophetic books of the Bible to recognize the historical context in which they lived and to which they were speaking. I have a homework assignment for you, just as I do for my students at the Bible school when we go through the book of Isaiah. I would like you to read through 2 Kings, chapters 15 through 21, and 2 Chronicles, chapters 26 through 33. This is the historical backdrop to the book of Isaiah, and it will make a lot of the book of Isaiah make more sense.

How many of you have read through some of the prophetic books of the Old Testament and felt a little shocked and in awe, wondering what in the world is going on, especially if you read the book of Ezekiel? I have found that if you take the time to read through and study the historical books, it greatly enhances your understanding of the prophetic texts.

That are in context with what is being said in the prophetic books makes a lot more sense. I would encourage you, exhort you over the next week or two, to read through 2 Kings 15 through 21 and 2 Chronicles 26 through 33. See what was happening during the time that Isaiah was preaching and speaking, because it is very powerful.

As I have been praying about teaching through the book of Isaiah here at the church, I have held back from teaching it here, even though I have been doing it for the last three years at the Bible school. I must preface our study in the book of Isaiah by saying that many of the things we will see as we go through this book are really going to challenge your way of thinking. For some of you, myself included, you may be offended by the words of the prophet of God when you see what God was speaking to His people in the region of Judah, specifically in the city of Jerusalem, 2,800 years ago, and how it corresponds to our own nation in the year 2009 here in America.

God's message for His people was very heavy. The nation of Israel was filled with greed, immorality, drunkenness, pride, idolatry, and adultery. Many of the sinful practices had become the hallmarks of the nation of Israel, the people who were to be governed by God. God was positioned to strike them; He was about ready to judge them. He was already beginning to strike them in a punishing sort of way.

If you look at Isaiah chapter 5 briefly, in verse 25, the very last portion says, "For all this, God's anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still." We will see that phrase used a number of times in the first half of the book of Isaiah. The picture is this: God is saying, "I've already spanked you, and I'm ready to do it again," because you have not been disciplined by my discipline. You have not received what I am seeking to speak to you. They would not hear it through the words of the prophets; they had hardened their hearts to the word that God was speaking to them. Therefore, He would have to speak a little bit more forcefully through His actions.

The things that we are going to see as we go through the book of Isaiah are so far from politically correct that it is at times difficult for me to even share them. In a Bible college setting, I have to admit it is a little bit easier. It is kind of a closed situation here. This message is being recorded, and it is going to go on TV. It is very far outside of the politically correct stream of thought. If you are ever planning on running for political office, you may not want to be associated with this study. They are going to bring up a tape someday, years from now, and say, "This is the church that he sat in for 20 years." I guarantee it. The message here is heavy, especially as it applies to and relates to our own nation.

We read in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 1: "The vision of Isaiah." Isaiah saw something in his day in the form of a vision, and God spoke to him through it. He saw something that other people did not see, as did many of the prophets who were contemporary with him, or prior to his ministry, or just thereafter. Because of the visions that these prophets saw or the words that they received, they were often called seers by the people of their day.

As you read through the book of 1 Samuel, you will see that Saul, before he was anointed king, and one of his father's servants went looking for a couple of donkeys that had gone astray. When they had not found them, his servant said to him, "Hey, let's go over into this city because there is a seer who lives there, and maybe he can tell us where these donkeys are." A prophet lived there. God spoke to His people through these prophets. Most of the time, His message was to call them back to Himself because they had departed from Him. God was going to strike them; He was going to judge them. Yet God never moves with judgment without first revealing what He is going to do to His people.

God always tells His people first why He's going to judge them and why He's going to punish them. He does not just arbitrarily judge people. A lot of people have that misconception about God. They figure that God is up in heaven, especially in the Old Testament, angry and ready to strike at any moment. They think He is just looking for an opportunity to pour road tar out of heaven upon a city. But that's not what we see as we study through the Old Testament. God is constantly calling out to the people that He's going to judge, both His own people in the nation of Israel and even those of other nations.

As we will see in chapters 13 through 23, God repeatedly calls out to the Philistines, to the Babylonians, to the Assyrians, to the Moabites, and to the Canaanites. He calls to them and says, "I'm going to judge you." Really, it's a call for them as well to turn. Remember that God sent the prophet Jonah to one of the most wicked nations of the time, to the city of Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrians. He would say, "In 40 days, you're going to be toast." At the word of the Lord by the prophet Jonah, what did the people of Nineveh do? They repented. They turned to the Lord. So, God always calls out to His people before He pours out judgment upon them.

The Scriptures say in Amos chapter 3, "Surely I do nothing unless I reveal my secret to my servants, the prophets." God would speak to Isaiah and tell him, "This is what I'm going to do." Here we see that it was a vision that He gave to him. We're not told much about Isaiah; we're only told that he was the son of a man named Amoz. Again, there's not much that we know about Amoz in the Scriptures either.

However, we are told the time in which Isaiah spoke and who he primarily addressed his message to. It says there, "The vision which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem." At this time, around the year 740 BC, the nation of Israel had been divided in two by a civil war. Remember, King Saul was the first king of the nation of Israel, followed by King David. After King David came his son, King Solomon. Following Solomon, the nation was split under Solomon's son, Rehoboam.

Many times, people are confused when they read through Kings and Chronicles. It's kind of like a racquetball tournament or maybe a tennis tournament, as it bounces between the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin and the northern ten tribes. One moment, you are reading about King Jehoshaphat, and in the next sentence, you are reading about King Ahaz. It just bounces back and forth, leaving you wondering, "Where am I in the midst of this?" Has anyone ever been confused by Kings and Chronicles? Sometimes, it’s even helpful to take out a pencil and paper and write down which kingdom is being discussed—the northern kingdom or the southern kingdom.

When we go through the book of Isaiah, we will see that the primary bulk of God's word through the prophet Isaiah is directed toward the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with their capital city being Jerusalem. The people of Judah had many kings from the time of Saul until the time that Isaiah spoke. Some of those kings were good, while others were bad. In contrast, the northern ten tribes also had many kings at the same time, but all of those kings were wicked. Every single one of them followed after false gods, acted wickedly before the Lord, and did evil in His sight.

As a result, the northern ten tribes would be the first to be judged and taken into captivity by the Assyrians. This event occurs during the first half of the book of Isaiah, around 722 B.C., when the Assyrians came through, destroyed the northern ten tribes, and led them away captive. The Assyrians continued their march down into the region of Judah and almost overtook all of Judah. The scriptures say they came up to the neck of the people of Judah, surrounding the city of Jerusalem. If it were not for God's hand of protection, they would have been completely wiped out.

All of this will take place in the 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah. When we reach Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, we will see how God miraculously defends His people—not because they were good or perfect, but because of the covenant He had made with them. In the latter half of the book of Isaiah, chapters 40 through 66, the voice or tone of the book will shift. We will see that God is speaking about the coming Babylonian invasion that will destroy Jerusalem.

It wouldn't come for another hundred years after Isaiah's death, but it would come. In 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would arrive in August of that year. He would destroy the temple, the first temple, and lead the children of Israel, the nation of Judah, back into captivity in Babylon.

We read 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. We are given the exact time period in which Isaiah spoke. Uzziah died in 739 B.C., and ultimately, Hezekiah died in 680 B.C. The book of Isaiah covers that period of time and probably a little bit more. According to tradition, Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, is the one responsible for the death of Isaiah. Rabbinical tradition holds that Isaiah, in his later years, when he was probably in his 80s, was placed inside a hollowed-out log and cut in half by the order of Manasseh, the king of Jerusalem, Judah.

Ultimately, it was a result of Manasseh's wickedness. He was the most wicked king that the southern tribes had ever had, and it was because of his actions that the children of Israel went into captivity in Babylon for 70 years. He is also believed to be responsible for Isaiah's death, as tradition holds. In fact, some believe that Hebrews chapter 11 speaks of the death of Isaiah, where in verse 37 it mentions some who are sawn asunder. Some people think that this is a reference to Isaiah, although his name is not mentioned there.

God speaks to His people through the prophet Isaiah in verse 2, saying, "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 do not consider." God calls the people of Jerusalem to listen.

Hear, O Israel. Hear, O heavens, give ear, O earth. Listen up. The word "hear" there is the very same Hebrew word that is found in Deuteronomy 6, verse 4, the Shema. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is what? One God. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.

How many of you have heard that passage of Scripture before? The word "hear" there is the Hebrew word Shema, and that's why it's called the Shema. This same Hebrew word is used in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 2, where God says, "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth." He's calling to the heavens and the earth to listen up.

That word "hear" doesn't mean to just hear something going by, like a siren passing in the night. The word is much deeper than that. It means to hear and to listen, and after hearing and listening, to obey. To act upon what you've heard. So God is speaking, as it were, here in this passage to the heavens and the earth, and He's saying, "Listen up." He is calling out to them as though they were the jury in a great courtroom.

Imagine, if you would, that God is entering into a courtroom here in Isaiah chapter 1. The heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, are in the jury box. God is the prosecuting attorney against His people, the nation of Israel, there in Judah and Jerusalem, who are in the defendant's chair. God stands up as the prosecuting attorney, turns to the jury, and says, "I want you to listen up."

Here are God's opening arguments in verse 3: "The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's crib, but Israel does not know. My people do not consider." Have you ever heard that derogatory phrase, "You are as dumb as an ox" or "You are as stubborn as a donkey"? If you were to say that to the nation of Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem, 2,800 years ago, that would have been a compliment, is what God is saying here.

He says, "The ox, the stupid ox, knows his owner. He knows the one who feeds him." Now, I don't have an ox, but I have a 125-pound St. Bernard. He knows his owner, and he basically acts like an ox. He knows what's going on when the owner opens the door and grabs the food bowl.

He wants to follow you around and slobber all over you. The ox knows his owner; he knows who's going to feed him. The donkey, even the stubborn donkey, knows his master's crib. But the nation of Israel, the people of Judah and Jerusalem, did not know, nor did they consider.

In verse 4, God speaks to His own people and says, "You are a sinful nation." If we had not heard His address, we might have assumed that God was speaking to the Philistines, the Canaanites, or one of the enemies of the nation of Israel. Yet, He says to His own people, "You are a sinful nation." This reminds me of what the Apostle James tells us in the Book of James: God is not a respecter of persons.

Even though God loved Abraham, who was called the friend of God and followed Him by faith, and even though Abraham had a covenant with God and his seed were called God's chosen people, God made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. He blessed them abundantly by giving them the promised land and protecting and providing for them. Now, He says to them, "You are a sinful nation, a nation laden with iniquity."

When I think of the word "laden," the first picture that comes to my mind is a beautiful grapevine laden with fruit, ready to be harvested, ready to be picked. Yet, the nation of Israel, instead of having fruit towards God, had fruit of wickedness—vile fruit, laden with iniquity, seed of evildoers.

Remember, Jesus used very similar language in the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew chapter 12, verse 34, He called the people of Israel a "brood of vipers," the offspring of snakes. Now, He says here, "a seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors." God even looked at the children in the nation of Israel at this point in time and said, "Even your children are corruptors."

A lot of times, when we think of children, we think of innocence. Yet, God says, "No, even your children are sinful in My eyes." Why?

They have forsaken the Lord. They've departed from God and provoked the Holy One of Israel. By forsaking God, they have provoked Him to anger because they have gone away backwards. We see the heart and passion of God here for His people when He says, "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me. They have departed from Me."

As a result of their departure from the Lord, they reaped the consequences. If you read through the later chapters of Deuteronomy, God tells His people that if they follow Him faithfully and obey Him, they will receive the blessings of the land. He goes over and over again about all the different blessings they will receive. However, He warns that if they depart from Him, rebel against Him, or are stubborn towards Him, then the curses will come.

As a result of the nation of Israel departing from God, they were reaping very physical consequences: famine, economic collapse, war, death, pestilence. All these different things were the result of their departure from God, as we see in the book of Isaiah.

God continues with this passionate call in verse 5. He says, "Why should you be stricken anymore?" It is as if God turns from speaking to the heavens and the earth, which are in the jury box, and now, with a passionate plea, He turns to Judah in Jerusalem, who is in the defendant's chair, and asks, "Why would you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick. The whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been closed, neither bound up, nor mollified with ointment."

There is Israel, sitting there beaten, bruised, battered, and sick. God calls out to them and asks, "Why? Why will you allow yourself to continue to be stricken in this way?" Their bruises have not been bound up, closed, cleaned up, or mollified with ointment. The only one who is able to do that is God. Since they have departed from God and rejected Him, they are not receiving His blessings.

He says, "Your country is desolate" (verse 7). "Your cities are burned with fire. Your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers." Then, look at the poetic language.

Isaiah uses here in verse 8. 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.

Isaiah, as he looks at the nation that is desolate and being destroyed because they had rebelled against God and contemned the counsel of the Most High, says that as they have departed from the Lord, they now sit open to attack. In verse 8, he compares them to a lodge in a garden of cucumbers. If you were seeking protection, if you were seeking to hide from an enemy, would it be a good place to hide in a garden of cucumbers? How many of you have ever grown cucumbers or seen cucumbers grow? They do not grow like beautiful, majestic trees with cucumbers hanging down. No, they grow like little piddly things on the ground. That would not be good protection. That would not be a good place to hide.

God, through the prophet Isaiah, tells the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem that because they have departed from Him, they have no protection. They are like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city. They are open to attack and vulnerable because they have turned away from Him. Isaiah continues, saying that unless the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, if it had not been for God protecting a remnant in the nation of Israel, we would have been completely consumed like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Most of you know and understand the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis chapter 19, where they were completely destroyed by God. Yet, in His grace and mercy, before He poured out judgment upon them, He sent a righteous man by the name of Lot to call out to them, but they would not repent. Although I don't think Lot's intentions were the best when he moved down to Sodom and Gomorrah and pitched his tent towards Sodom, God had him there for a purpose and used him to be a witness to the people, but they rejected his word. Nobody would listen to him.

Not only did Lot witness to the people of Sodom, but he also cried out to God because of the wickedness of Sodom, which caused him great grief every single day to the point...

Where the word came up to the Lord from probably Lot's lips as he prayed to God, God said, "I'm going to go down there and check it out and see if it's really as sinful as Lot says it is." So, the Lord sent two angels to the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. You know the story from Genesis chapter 19. The only one that survived, the only one that was saved, was Lot and his two daughters, who turned out to have been corrupted by the city of Sodom as well. The city was destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven as God destroyed it because of their wickedness.

But surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servant, the prophet. God spoke to them and said, "Listen, judgment is coming." When Lot told his family members, his sons-in-law who lived in Sodom, that judgment was coming, they laughed at him and said, "You're foolish, old man. You're stupid." And Sodom and Gomorrah were consumed.

In verse 10, God says, "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom, and give ear unto the law of God, you people of Gomorrah." Isaiah uses an illustration in verse 9, saying that unless God had protected a remnant in Jerusalem, we would have been destroyed and completely consumed like Sodom and Gomorrah. God says, "Let's use Sodom and Gomorrah for a moment because the city of Jerusalem has become like Sodom and Gomorrah." He says, "Hear the word of the Lord. Listen up, Shema. Hear, listen, and obey. You rulers of Sodom, give ear to the law of God, you people of Gomorrah."

To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? says the Lord. "I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I delight not in the blood of bullocks, lambs, or he-goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand to tread My courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me. The new moons, the Sabbath, the calling of assemblies—I cannot away with it. It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons, your appointed feasts, My soul hates them. They are a trouble unto Me. I am weary to bear them. And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide My eyes from you. Yes, when you make your many prayers, I will not hear because your hands are full of blood."

The nation of Israel, as we will see as we go through the book of Isaiah, had a major sin at this point in time: the sin of idolatry.

When we hit Isaiah chapter 40 through the end of the book of Isaiah, we see that God is constantly coming against the foolishness of idolatry. It is absurd to go out into the woods, cut down a tree, use half of it to make a meal and warm yourself, and then form the rest into a god, bowing down and saying, "Thanks for making me warm and feeding me."

The nation of Israel, including Jerusalem and Judah, was worshiping false gods under every green tree, in every valley, and in every high place. They had places of worship dedicated to Molech, Baal, and Asherah. We will discuss these gods further as we go through the book of Isaiah. All the while, the people took pride in the fact that they had the temple in Jerusalem, the priesthood, and the law. They continued to go to the temple on the Sabbath, observed the feast days, and fasted at the appointed times. They even observed the new moons. Yet, for the rest of the week, from Sunday through Friday, they were fornicating under every green tree and on every high place.

God says to these people, "I don't want your worship anymore." Essentially, what God conveys in verses 10 through 15 is that their worship has become wickedness. There comes a point in an individual's life when God looks at their worship and declares that it would be better if they didn't go to church because they are heaping sin upon sin. Every sacrifice they brought before God was sinful, and every bit of worship they offered to Him was wicked. God states, "I don't even want it anymore."

During the time of the prophet Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets, God expressed a wish that there was a Levite who would simply go up to the temple and close the doors. This sentiment is similar to what God was saying to the people in Isaiah's time. He asks, "What purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? Why do you keep offering these things?" It is a waste of their time, energy, and money to come and offer these things to Him because they do not mean it. God declares, "I am full of your burnt offerings. I do not want them anymore."

In the blood of bullocks, lambs, or goats, God questions, "When you come to appear before me, who has required this? I don't want this. This is not what I required of you when I gave you the law." Yet, the people of Jerusalem took pride in the fact that they worshiped God at the temple. God says, "I don't want it. It's for this very reason you are coming and treading my courts. For this very reason, I’m going to judge you."

The people respond, "Well, what do you want us to do, God? I thought you told us to offer sacrifices. I thought you wanted us to bring you these wave offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings. I thought you wanted us to observe these feast days and celebrate the Passover, tabernacles, and trumpets. And now you're telling us not to do this? What are you, bipolar? Who do you think you are, God? What is it that you require of us? What is it that you want from us?"

In verse 16, God replies, "Wash. Make yourselves clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good. 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 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, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it."

Here, we see God revealing very clearly what will happen. If you do this, then this will happen. If you do that, then this will happen. It is a conditional statement. The Old Testament and the New Testament are filled with these conditional statements: if-then. If you will be willing and obedient, you will be blessed; you will receive the good of the land. But if you rebel, if you refuse, then you will be devoured—devoured by the sword.

God has spoken it to you; this is His word. Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets. God never punishes a people without first explaining to them why and giving them an opportunity to repent. This is a very important concept for us to understand. Perhaps you may want to put it down in your notes: God never judges.

God never punishes a people without first telling them what’s going on. He is our example as a heavenly Father. A very practical application of this for those who have young children is that if you're going to discipline your children, make sure you tell them why you're disciplining them and what the purpose of it is.

There’s an important aspect to this because if you take the time to actually explain it to them, it will give you a chance to cool off. You can compose yourself before you discipline, as a lot of times we react and discipline in anger. God is not like that; He is the perfect heavenly Father. He tells us that if we are willing and turn to Him, He will remove our sin. What a great promise!

Many people seem to think that the Old Testament man was made right with God by sacrifice. That’s not true. The Old Testament reveals that man could approach God by sacrifice, but he was not made right with God by sacrifice. He could come before God, have fellowship with Him, and enter into the presence of the Lord through sacrifice. However, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him as righteousness.

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land—the blessings of obedience. Come, 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. How will that come to pass? Well, in about six years, we will get to Isaiah 53 and see.

God questions the people in verse 21: "How has the faithful city become a harlot?" At one point, the city of Jerusalem was full of judgment and righteousness; it was filled with justice. But now, the place is filled with murderers. Was it because they had murdered people? Yes, that may be part of it. But remember when He said back in verse 15, "When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. When you make many prayers..."

I will not hear, for your hands are full of blood. In one sense, the sacrifices that the nation of Israel, the people in Judah and Jerusalem, were offering to the Lord, God was viewing their sacrifices as murder. Your hands are full of blood. Your worship, because of your sin, is like the wickedness of murder to me. The city is full of murderers. The silver has become dross. The wine is mixed with water. That which was pure, that which was right, that which was righteous, is now tarnished and destroyed.

The princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves gifts and follows after rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come unto them. This was not the dregs of society in Jerusalem that had departed from the Lord. It wasn't the little people; it wasn't just the poor that had departed from the Lord. We're talking about the leadership here—the leaders of the nation. When we read that the princes are rebellious, this is talking about the judges, the leaders, the cabinet members of the king there in Jerusalem. The leaders of the nation were companions of thieves.

We don't see that in our nation? Everyone loves bribes. Everyone loves gifts. And don't just say, "Well, it's the Democrats," or "It's the Republicans." No, it's both on either side. Our own congressman a couple of years ago, Duke Cunningham, is in federal prison today. Why? Everyone loves gifts and bribes. They follow after rewards. They're seeking what they can get. They're not there to serve; they're seeking what they can get. They judge not the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come unto them. This speaks of a lack of justice in the nation, 2,800 years ago in the city of Jerusalem.

What was it that brought about the judgment of God upon the people? The very same things that we're seeing in our nation today. My question, as I go through the book of Isaiah, every single time I teach it at the Bible College—and we're going to hear it a lot here on Wednesday nights—is, has God changed? The very last book of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi, makes a point to tell His people, "I am the Lord, I change not." And that's a very sobering thought, especially as we get into the chapters.

In Isaiah chapter 10, God tells the people of Jerusalem and Judah that the Assyrians, who are coming to destroy the northern ten tribes and will almost destroy them, are the tool in His hand for judgment. A physical nation, an army, was the tool of God to bring about judgment upon His own people. This raises a question: could God not say to us, "They are the tool in My hand for judgment"?

In verse 24, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares, "I will ease Me of My adversaries and avenge Me of Mine enemies." It is important to note that the first "Lord" is lowercase, while the second "Lord" is capitalized. The first refers to the Master, Yahweh, the Commander of armies. Remember who it is that is speaking.

God then says to His own people, "I am going to rid Myself of My enemies." Who does He identify as His enemies? His own people in Judah and Jerusalem. He states, "I will get rid of My enemies. I will do away with My enemies." He continues, "I will turn My hand upon you and purely purge away thy dross and take away thy tin." Earlier, in verse 22, He mentioned that their silver had become dross and their wine was mixed with water. They had become tainted and impure.

God's intention is to refine them. It is essential to recognize two key points. First, God never punishes before He first tells the people He is punishing that He is going to do it. Second, throughout the book of Isaiah, we see that God's punishment is always for the purpose of purification. His judgment is purposeful, and there is a reason behind it.

It's not just an arbitrary judgment where He's simply saying, "I'm so sick and tired of you. I'm so angry at you. I'm going to smack you upside the head." That's not what He's doing. He says, "I am going to purely purge away your dross and take away your tin, and I will restore thy judges as at the first."

Remember, He said, "Your princes are rebellious; they are companions of thieves. There is no justice, there is no judgment, right judgment in the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem." He continues, "So I'm going to bring back the right judges. 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."

So what will be the result of God's punishment? Restoration. The purpose of punishment is purification. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and their converts with righteousness. The destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

God knows who He is going to judge. He is very strategic and specific. He says, "I'm going to destroy the transgressors; I'm going to remove the sinners. They will be consumed." For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which they have desired. This is a reference to their idolatry.

Remember, I said that the primary sin of the nation of Israel prior to the Babylonian captivity was their idolatry. He says, "When I judge them, they will be ashamed of the oaks." They used to worship these false gods in the groves or under the trees, and so they are going to be ashamed of the oaks which they desired. They shall be confounded for the gardens that they have chosen.

For you shall be as an oak whose leaf fades and as a garden that has no water. The strong shall be as tender, and the maker of it as a spark. They shall both burn together, and none shall quench them. God says, "I'm going to come; I'm going to judge." And no one is going to quench it when I come.

These are sobering words—a heavy proclamation that Isaiah was given. I believe that God has given the church today a heavy word for our nation.

And for the world, I do believe that we're living in the last days. I don't know when the Lord is going to return, and I don't know who the Antichrist is. What I do know is that God has promised to come again. When He first came, He came as a lamb. When He comes the second time, He is coming as a lion. The Scriptures say a sword shall go forth from His mouth, and He will destroy the transgressors. The destruction that He speaks of is complete; it's total. This is similar to the destruction we will see of the nations that are spoken of in Isaiah chapters 13 through 23.

God made good on His word through the prophet Isaiah at the first, and He will fulfill His word at the last. Knowing that Jesus came as a lamb the first time to bring redemption and grace, we understand that He will come a second time at the end of days to bring judgment upon all wickedness and ungodliness, upon those who suppress the truth in ungodliness. He will pour out wrath, as the Scriptures say, upon them.

Knowing that this is what is coming, we have a word for the people of this world: judgment is coming. You need to repent because God offers grace. 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. How? By the work of the Messiah prophesied here in the book of Isaiah.

We will read about it quite a bit, as Isaiah has much to say about the branch, the root out of dry ground, about the one who is the son given, the child born of a virgin, the one who will have the governments upon His shoulders. He is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. The book of Isaiah speaks more about Him than any other Old Testament book. He is the only shelter from the storm; He is the only refuge from the wrath of God.

And the wrath of God will come again one day. God is speaking to this nation, even though the United States is not Israel. We are not spiritual Israel; we are not a godly nation. But God, because of His grace, just like He spoke to the Philistines,

Just like He spoke to the Ninevites and the Canaanites, He is calling out to this people to repent and turn to Him. If we don't, we will experience the judgment of God, and I believe we are already experiencing it. We are already seeing it, and I will show you in the book of Isaiah proof that we are experiencing the judgment of God and the removal of His protection.

When the Lord removes His hand of protection, the enemy is able to come in like a flood. Read the book of Job. Remember, God set a hedge of protection around Job, and then He removed it, saying, "All right, you can go in." When He removed it, the enemy came in. The enemy's methods are normal things; he is not very creative or original. He uses the same tactics over and over again because they are effective.

What we are seeing in our nation—the economic collapse, terrorist attacks, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, hurricanes—are the very same things that were seen in the Old Testament as the judgment of God. When God removed His hand of protection from Job, what was the very first thing that Satan used to destroy his family? A tornado. That may seem like just a normal, physical thing, an earthly thing, but it was the enemy, our adversary, the devil, coming against Job's children after God removed His hand of protection.

We might say, "Well, it's just a war in the Middle East." No, it is a spiritual war manifested in the physical realm. The book of Isaiah opens our eyes to the spiritual realm, allowing us to see behind the curtain and recognize that there are spiritual things happening behind the scenes.

Our legislative branch last week stuffed a hate crimes act into a defense spending bill and quietly passed it. Our president signed it into law last Thursday night. This is a spiritual war, a spiritual battle, and we need to recognize that we are in a war. We need to live as if we are.

Now, that doesn't mean I am telling you to go out and buy guns and ammo; I know Eric would be upset about that. But that is not what I am saying. You should take up the armor of God because we are in a spiritual battle. It is a war, and it is time that we live accordingly.

Like soldiers, we must recognize that this is what is happening in our nation today. The war is becoming physically apparent. It has been behind the scenes for millennia; it is always there. There is a spiritual battle always going on, but now we are getting a chance to see it manifest itself in the physical realm. This reality scares people. I receive questions every single week from individuals who are frightened by what they see occurring in our nation. It is not my intent or aim in any way to add to fear or anxiety through the teaching of God's Word.

However, may we recognize, as God opens up the veil so we can see into the spiritual realm, that there is something spiritual happening here. But hey, God is still on the throne. Amen? He is still in control. What did Isaiah see in the year that King Uzziah died? He saw the Lord on the throne. When everything seems to be falling apart here, may we remember that the Lord is on the throne.

When Stephen was being stoned to death in Acts chapter 7, what did he see? Jesus standing before the throne. This reminds us once again that God is in control. Everything here on earth may seem to be falling apart, but He is on the throne. We will see this as we go through the book of Isaiah. I encourage you to invite your friends to come out and study with us as we explore this book.

I also encourage you to read through the book of Isaiah and study it on your own. Some of the topics we will move through quickly, and you may wonder why we didn't stop to discuss them. This is so you can take the time to dig into the Word and study to show yourself approved. Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, so that you may be able to stand, because we are living in an evil day. We are at war, and we must recognize that there is an enemy who goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He is on the prowl in the United States of America today.

Seeking whom he may devour. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. The train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings. With two, he covered his face. With two, he covered his feet, and with two, he flew. One cried to the other and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord; the whole earth is full of His glory." Remember that. He is in control. He is on the throne, and He is speaking to our nation today as He spoke to Jerusalem and Judah 2,800 years ago. He is saying, "Repent. Judgment is coming."

The towers have fallen. The Pentagon was on fire. Wall Street has come crashing down, and oh, it has recovered. It will probably crash again. Katrina hit, terrorist attacks, earthquakes. For all this, His anger is not turned away, and His hand is outstretched still. Don't miss the message. The Lord is speaking.

Let's stand and pray. Father, I thank You for Your word, although it is at times hard to struggle with. I pray, Lord, that You would take this that was shared tonight, and if anything is of me and not of You, that You would weed it out. Get rid of it. May it be burned to chaff. But, Lord, may Your word endure forever. We know that it will.

Wherever Your word goes, as we read in Isaiah 55, it will not return void. As we leave here tonight and take Your word in our hearts and hopefully upon our lips, Lord, would You cause it to bring forth fruit? As it goes out on the internet, on TV, or wherever it goes, Lord, would You use Your word to bring about a harvest of life?

May it not be that only a tenth of this nation is considered a remnant. But, Lord, thank You. We know that though there may only be ten righteous, You would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah for the ten. We thank You.

We thank you for your grace. We thank you that you do not arbitrarily judge, that you are not a loose cannon ready to fly off the handle and destroy. But, God, you speak tenderly and lovingly, calling your people back and calling them to repentance before you bring about judgment.

Though there may be punishment and judgment here in our nation, may it purify. May there no longer be any dross. May it not be wine mixed with water. Work a work in our days that we would not believe, though it were told to us. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agree, saying, Amen.