Today, I am reading and commenting on  Isaiah 1-4.

Last year when I wrote about this passage I noted that three of the four kings under whom Isaiah prophesied are recorded as “doing what was right in the eyes of God.”  Nevertheless, Isaiah prophesied woe against a sinful nation.  In particular, Isaiah prophesies against people who were making offerings to the Lord, people who claimed to be doing as God commanded.  Isaiah condemned their offerings and their righteous assemblies, even though they followed the letter of God’s law in doing these things.  Often when I read the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets I see them condemning a society which sacrifices its children, practices sexual promiscuity, and rejects God.  In today’s passage, Isaiah was condemning those who thought they were serving God.  He warns that we have brought disaster upon ourselves by parading our sins for all to see.  Isaiah tells us to seek justice, defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless, and plead the case of the widow.  First, I want to point out that many of those protesting in the streets today fail to fulfill what Isaiah commands because they put themselves in the place of those for whom Isaiah says we should advocate (this isn’t about advocating for yourself).  Second, when Isaiah says to defend the oppressed, he is not referring to some anonymous group.  No, he means defend specific people who are oppressed, people who you know by name.  You cannot address any of these issues in general, you must find specific cases and do what is in your power to make them right.  That means giving food to a hungry person, paying the heating bill for someone who might otherwise be cold.   Or, to put this another way: if you don’t feel called out by this passage, you are one of the people Isaiah is condemning (if you DO feel called out by this passage, you may be one of the people whom Isaiah is condemning but you are on track to receive the forgiveness he promises that God has for those who turn to Him).

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.