Chapter 1:
Isaiah was written by Isaiah the prophet. Tradition says that he was the cousin of King Uzziah. He prophesied for at least 58 years (739-681 BC). Isaiah's name means, "God is Salvation" pretty fitting seeing as his ministry mainly consisted of telling Israel to turn back to God, and that they could only receive salvation from Him.
Isaiah is writing in a time when the nation of Israel is in political turmoil (in 722 Israel will go into captivity to Assyria) and in Spiritual decline. Nobody follows God anymore.
In Isaiah chapter 1, Isaiah paints a picture of Israel being God's children. He claimed them as His own and He raised them, but they have turned away.
Verse 4 says "They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged."
Israel had chosen sin over God, and it put up a barrier between them.
We can be just like Israel. Our sin will always separate us from God. That's the reason that Jesus came. He came to break down the wall of separation! But we can still try and rebuild it.
Christian, be careful. Stand firm in your faith and don't allow sin to divide you from your Creator.
God challenges Israel on this sin, He asks them why they're continuing in it. Don't they see what it's doing to them? Their country is being laid to waste because of these decisions.
They need to turn back to God, but that isn't what they do. They decide that the best course of action to fix this problem is to make a bunch of sacrifices. They're giving offerings left and right, but it isn't helping. In verses 11-15, God says that He is sick of their sacrifices. Not because the sacrifices are bad, but because their attitude is incorrect. In verse 13, God calls them "vain offerings". They aren't helping anything.
The problem that Israel has is one that we face all the time. Israel was trying to fix their problem with doing "spiritual" things. Today it might be seen in someone feeling guilty about sleeping with their girlfriend, so they go to church that week.
I've coined this "Churchianity".
We think that all of our problems will be solved if we can check everything off on our Spiritual checklist.
The problem with "Churchianity" is that it deals with the actions without dealing with the heart.
It fixes the symptoms without ever addressing the cause.
Now understand me here, I'm not saying that these are bad things to do!
The problem was not that Israel was making sacrifices. They were commanded to do that.
Israel's problem was that their heart wasn't lined up with their actions.
In verses 16-18, God shows Israel what a correct response looks like.
"Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil..."
"Cease to do evil, lear to do good;"
You see, God was going beyond Israel performing the correct actions, to them changing the way that they were living. He calls them to stop living in sin. To turn back to Him.
Verse 18 is beautiful.
"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."
God's promise to Israel is that if they will turn from their sin and turn back to Him, He'll make them clean. He'll wipe their sins away.
Verse 19 adds a condition. It starts with the word "if". Israel has to do something.
"If you are willing and obedient." Not just willing, and not just obedient. You have to follow God with the right attitude.
God continues through the rest of the chapter painting a picture of what Israel's sin has done to it. God promises that their sin will be dealt with, but those who turn back to God, and repent of their sin will be redeemed.
It's the same for us today. If we look at the course of our lives, it isn't hard to see where sin took us, and (if we're saved) what God has redeemed us from.
However, there is a choice to be made. Will you follow God? Will you repent of your sin, and turn to Him with your whole heart? He wants to wash you white as snow, if you'll let Him.
If you don't want to do that, you can see how it will go for you in verse 28.
"But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed."
The choice is yours.
