Page 6 - Isaiah Student Worktext

The fact is that God speaks to those who are willing to listen, to those who seek Him out. V. 2 says that
the Lord has spoken, referring to the past, and now He was speaking through Isaiah.

His children have rebelled. Some of us, maybe most of us, have had children who rebelled. God offers
acceptance and redemption…

V. 3 tells us that God’s children have a ‘beast-like’ ignorance of all that God has provided. In fact, it’s
worse—even the ox and the donkey recognize their owner and know where their sustenance comes
from. God purposely led Isaiah to choose the ox and the donkey—neither one noted for ingenuity. Yet
even they knew who provided for them…

He continues the charge against His people Israel in V. 4. They are a brood of evildoers, and even the
children are corrupters.

In V. 5-7, God points out some of the symptoms of the ‘sickness’ of the people of Israel. They are sick,
covered with wounds and bruises from head to foot that are not healing.

In our world today, there are all kinds of things festering, and there doesn’t appear to be any healing
coming soon.

For Israel, ‘strangers devoured the land’ and they were taken into exile. ‘Like a hut in a garden of
cucumbers’, an empty shack in a productive field.

They are compared to Sodom and Gomorrah, cities that were totally annihilated. If it wasn’t for God
saving a remnant, Israel would be just like them.

V. 10-13 describe the empty religious practices. Multiple sacrifices and burnt offerings, incense burning
and assembling together…God says in V. 13 that these things all are an abomination. Not the idea of
sacrificing and assembling, but the reason they did it, which was to hide their true nature.

V. 14-15. God’s soul hates this practice. He will hide His eyes, He will not hear because their hands are
full of blood. It all sounds pretty dire…

V. 16-20 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean and put away evil. Learn to do good and I want you to
notice once again the admonition to seek justice, defend the orphan and the widow and rebuke those
who oppress.

V. 18 is perhaps one of the most beautiful promises of cleansing and forgiveness. ‘Let us reason
together’…let’s talk about this. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. God is
saying come listen to Him, and see the way out of the sins by which we are enslaved.

Even though the stains of sin run deep, He can wash them white as snow, like wool. All this hinges of
being willing an obedient.

There is only one way that God accomplishes this today, which of course is through the blood of Jesus
Christ. God offers this here and He offers it now, and things will go well for us in eternity.

But if you refuse and rebel, death is the result in V. 20

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