Forgiveness Available

“These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.” ^{[Isaiah 1:1]}

 

“Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the Lord says: The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.”- Isaiah 1:2 ^{New Living Translation}

                  Isaiah prophesied at the time when the original nation of Israel was divided in to two kingdoms; Israel & Judah. Israel had been sinning against the Lord in great measure and Judah was heading in that direction. Thru Isaiah, God lays out the sins Israel has been guilty of. They were perverting justice, oppressing the poor, turning to idols instead of seeking their God and seeking military aid from heathen nations rather than turning to God for help. These were gross sins to the Lord and He let them know it. In spite of their many sins, the people could still have a special relationship with God, but sadly, they needed to suffer discipline and judgment to bring their restoration to fruition.

                  The first 15 verses tell what the Lord is anger at them about. They were even sacrificing children to false gods. Makes one think of abortion today. Although that is done largely out of convenience, like another method of birth control, it makes these viable humans nonessential and thus expendable. Could the judgment of our own nation be far away? 

                  The lesson to be learned here is that even though the Jews were living in disobedience, there was still hope for redemption. We see this in vv.16-19, where it starts out “Wash yourselves and be clean!” … “Give up your evil ways.” … “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.” This portion of scripture ends with this caveat: “But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Heed this word today. Are you living a rebellious existence right in front of God, thinking you may turn things around at any moment and come back into God’s good graces? Foolish thinking. We don’t know what will happen in the next moment and do not know what the next day will bring ^{[Proverbs 27:1]}. 

                  As a side note, Israel’s behavior is the very reason why God did not intend for them to have King’s like the other surrounding nations. The moral roller coaster ride Israel took throughout their existence bears out God’s concern. Redemption is available to all, but a change must occur that is representative of that change. We must emulate Christ in our daily walk. Plain and simply. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries