Isaiah 1

Isaiah was a very special prophet. He wrote more books than the book of Isaiah since 2 Chronicles 26:22 says “now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first to last, the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, has written”. The other book that Isaiah wrote is a book of Vision which is in “the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel” (2 Chronicles 32:32). It records the deeds of devotion of king Hezekiah. The prophet was a contemporary of Hosea but we do not see any meeting between them recorded in either works or mention of each other. The history is written in triplets in Isaiah 36-39, also in 2 Kings 18:13 and 2 Chronicles 32:1. The original was probably Isaiah himself and the copies were done in the exilic period after 586 BCE judging from the degenerative character of the copies, misreading of characters, omissions, supralinear error corrections placed in the wrong order of the sentence, acoustic misperceptions or slips of the ear, the hand, the eye, the tongue, and lastly slip of the mind (memory). When the original is there, it means the Bible is not in error but the additional slip-ful copies are illustrative how the punishment of their sins to go in exile also involved the degeneration of the quality of the scribal process for the Word of God. The Holy Spirit had a lesson or function for the doublets or triplets of annals of history. Isaiah knows about the Investigative Judgment in heaven. “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth” (v. 2). They are called to be witnesses in the heavenly court. God is not involved in an executive judgment by fire during the court-case. He speaks to the remnant and says that “sons I have reared and brought up but they have revolted against Me” (v. 2c-d). An ox walk to his owner approaching but the remnant Israel “does not know, My people do not understand” (v. 3). It is not ethnic Israel that is God’s focus, it is faithful Israel, regardless of race and background. They can include Moabites, Ammonites, Hittites, but they are faithful to God. The remnant became weed “sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly” (v. 4a-d). They have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him (v. 4f-g). God gave them corrective punishments or discipline in the past “where will you be stricken again, you continue in rebellion?” (v. 5a-b). The whole head is sick and the heart is faint (v. 5c-d). It is a wound “not pressed out or bandaged nor softened with oil” which is a reference to medical practices in Isaiah’s day (v. 6d). If the chapter is written after the 723 BCE event of the fall of Samaria then verse 7 is applicable to this situation, the land is desolate, cities burned with fire, fields are devoured by strangers. The daughters of earthly Zion is left in Jerusalem like a shelter in a vineyard, like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field (v. 8a-b). After the disaster of the removal of wicked Israel to Assyria, Isaiah says that unless “the Lord of Hosts had left a few survivors [remnant seed] we would be like Sodom” (v. 9). The exiles, both in 723 BCE and 586 BCE were not just historical imperialism colonialism but punishments from on high. The remnant seed remaining behind after the exile of 723 BCE is addressed by the Lord “hear the Word of the Lord” and then He calls the remnant weed “Sodom” and “you people of Gomorrah”, a derogatory name (v. 10). The person who forsakes God and rebel against Him is deserving the same punishment that Sodom and Gomorrah got in ancient times, the extinction by fire. Isaiah knows very well the eschatology or End-time events but as a historian in the palace he focused on the earthly remnant seed and weed in his early life. The books he wrote before 723 BCE survived only in citations in Isaiah proper and 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings. The exile in 723 BCE was a wake-up call in the ministry of Isaiah. With more than 70% of the remnant gone for punishment, Isaiah had to reboot his thinking about the earthly remnant, about the meaning of spiritual Israel for God and the role of eschatology became a living reality for him. Through the destruction and pain of those years, it was eschatology that held out the best solution for this earth and its history. The remnant weed has a wrong way of worship. They do everything according to the book in the right order, the right way, the right form but their hearts are far from God. God has no interest in sacrifices (v. 11a-d). Their presence in the earthly sanctuary is “trampling of My courts” (v. 12b). “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me” (v. 13a-b). New Moon time services, Sabbath services, the calling of assemblies for worship “I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly” (v. 13c-d). God dislike their new moon and appointed feasts “they have become a burden to Me” (v. 14a-b). “I am weary of bearing” (v. 14c). Because their hearts are not right the Lord says about their prayer: “when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you, yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen” (v. 15a-d). The reason is that their hands is covered with blood for they are violent. The list of their sins are mentioned. They are to wash themselves, clean themselves, remove evil, cease to do evil (v. 16a-b). Isaiah then go through a list of sins that is also dealt with later in 58:6-7 “learn to do good; seek justice; defend the orphan; plead for the widow” (v. 17) which is what they did not do. The Lord wants the remnant weed to approach Him and though their sins are as scarlet they will be white as snow (v. 18c-d). “If you consent and obey you will eat the best of the land” (v. 19). That land is heaven. However, if the attitude is one of refusal and rebellion, “you will be devoured by the sword” which means they will eventually burn to extinction in hell (v. 20a). The faithful remnant city “has become a harlot” (v. 21a). The city who was full of justice, righteousness but now are filled with murderers (v. 21c). There are economic problems and false practices “drink diluted with water” (v. 22); their rulers are rebels, companions of thieves, loves to bribe, chases after rewards, do not defend the orphan, nor the widow’s plea (v. 23). This is an elaboration of Isaiah 1:17 and also Isaiah 58:6-7. Isaiah seemed to have been educated in the comparative literature of the Ancient Near East. This ethical formula for the Ideal Kingship one can also find in outside biblical sources. It can be seen on the cylinders of Gudea ca. 2154 BCE, the year Ishmael of Abraham was born. This heathen devoted governor of Lagash wrote how he was a shepherd to the people, just, taking care of the orphans and widows. This was written in Sumerian so Isaiah may have known a couple of languages of the Ancient Near East as a palace historiographer. In the eschaton God says “I will be relieved of My adversaries and avenge Myself on My foes” (v. 24b-c). God will smelt away their dross (v. 25). For the remnant seed however, the Lord will restore the judges as before and counselors as at the beginning and after this new earth and new heaven, “you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful city” (v. 26) referring to the New Jerusalem in heaven. Heavenly Zion will be redeemed with justice and the repentant ones of the faithful remnant or remnant seed “with righteousness”. That will be at the Second Coming. However, after the millennium, which follows the Second Coming event and removal of the remnant seed from the remnant weed, the remnant weed will be “transgressors and sinners will be crushed together and those who forsake the Lord will come to an end” (v. 28b). This end is the eschatological end of history and starting of eternity with the new heaven and new earth recreated by God. No evil exists after this point in time. Time stops also there. In the Hell event the remnant weeds will be ashamed of conditions that Isaiah also alluded to again in Isaiah 65:3 and 66:17 namely that they made cultic practices in nature “you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen” (v. 29a-b). To enjoy nature as God’s creation and to enjoy it with cultic or sacred feelings to nature, are two different opposing ways of enjoying nature. The remnant weed in that time of the Hell will “be like an oak whose leaf fades away or a garden that has no water” (v. 30a-b). The strong man and his work “shall both burn together and there will be none to quench” meaning not that they will burn eternally but that the extinction of them will be eternal and none can rescue them from this Hellish fire. Isaiah also alluded to the same thought later in 66:20. Let no one say that Isaiah is historical in his first chapters but eschatological from chapter 40. Isaiah is alluding to the eschaton from chapter 1 already.

Dear God

We also worship from time to time absent-mindedly running through the motions of prayer, singing and speaking without focusing on You. Teach us to focus on You without pauses and longing for You without emptiness. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Koot van Wyk, (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Kyungpook National University, Department of Liberal Education, Sangju, South Korea; conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia