March 2 - The Gavel Sounds ... Guilt is Proclaimed

March 2 - The Gavel Sounds ... Guilt is Proclaimed - Isaiah 1:2-31

A hush falls over the courtroom, everyone stands and the Judge enters. He convenes his court.

"Hear, O heavens! Listen O earth! For the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me." (Isaiah 1:2)

The charges are set forth in the next passage (Isaiah 1:3-8). Israel isn't even as obedient animals such as the ox and donkey. They are a sinful nation, loaded with guilt and have turned their backs on the Lord. Not only that, but they have rebelled against the covenant the the Lord made with them.

Isaiah 1:5-6 describes the autopsy of the nation, while Isaiah 1:7-8 describes a ravaged battlefield. His words in Isaiah 1:9 would have shocked the readers. They could never imagine being compared to Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Lord presents His case in Isaiah 1:10-15. Though the people are religious, because of their rebellion, it means nothing to Him. If you read through this passage, take a few moments to identify how these same sins are prevalent in today's society. Can you see how nothing has changed in thousands of years?

But, the book of Isaiah was not written to bring judgment down on God's people. It was written to bring them to repentance. Throughout this book, we will read the Lord's anger, but we will also discover that Isaiah teaches repentance, forgiveness and offers hope.

This is found right away. In Isaiah 1:16-17, the Lord offers ways for the people to repent. Remember, 'repentance' means to turn away. 'Stop doing wrong, learn to do right."

One of my favorite passages (I will have a lot in this book, so bear with me) comes next. Isaiah 1:18, " 'Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be as wool.'"

The word 'reason' in that verse is actually a word that means 'to decide a case in court.' The Lord is offering pardon. All we have to do is be willing and obedient. Can we do that?

The obvious answer looks as if it is 'no.' As you read to the end of the chapter (Isaiah 1:19-31), there doesn't seem to be much hope until punishment is meted out by the judge.

God's people have deliberately spurned their Lord. They made choices to worship other gods and follow after the ways of the nations that surround them. Isaiah is calling out ... pleading with them to repent and to turn back to the Covenant that was established in Exodus 19-20.

And you ... me ... do you see yourself in this chapter? It is so much easier to follow the ways of the world that surrounds us. We worship God on Sunday morning for an hour or two and then turn away from Him during the rest of the week.

Isaiah's words have come down through the eons to call us and plead with us to repent and turn back.