Isaiah 1:10-17 Devotion

Isaiah 1:10-17 Text

10Hear the word of the LORD,You rulers of Sodom;Give ear to the instruction of our God,You people of Gomorrah. 11"What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?"
Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. 12"When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? 13"Bring your worthless offerings no longer,Incense is an abomination to Me, New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies--I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. 14"I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. 15"So when you spread out your hands in prayer,I will hide My eyes from you;Yes, even though you multiply prayers,I will not listen Your hands are covered with blood. 16"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight Cease to do evil,17Learn to do good; Seek justice,Reprove the ruthless,Defend the orphan,Plead for the widow."

Devotion

Here we see the comparison of Israel to Sodom and Gomorrah as complete. Many tend to think of homosexuality and wanton sexual sins when they think of those cities but as seen last week this was not their root problem, but rather a symptom. As was pointed out in the previous entry it was their failure to fight for justice and righteousness in society that led them far from God. Here we see the same with the people of God.

Could it be that all of my outward acts of worship are a stench in God's nostrils? Could it be offensive to Him when I raise my hands with closed eyes while singing loudly in church? Could it be that my service to Him in the church and community is considered by Him as worthless? Well . . . yes. It was the case for Israel and is the case for some so-called Christians today.

God took no pleasure in all the acts of Israel's worship. Note that their church worship gives Him no pleasure, is an abomination, and He cannot endure it. He is weary of it. In fact, He will not hear their prayers. Why? Because their hands were covered with blood. They were not protecting the widows and orphans and the ruthless were allowed to run rough-shod over the helpless. This reminds us to put no confidence in how we feel regarding our acts of worship-- singing, Bible studies, quiet times, prayers, etc. It could be that all these things mean nothing at all to God.

Many times we think God is angry about our wrong actions. . . and He does hate sin. However, let us not forget that often Jesus wants us to focus on what we are not doing that we should be doing as the main offense to the Lord. In other words, it is not what I am doing so much but what I am NOT doing. What has the Lord called you to do that you are not doing? In the case of Israel here it is to do justice and righteousness. The problem is that we often talk of these things, and even teach them. But it is doers of justice and righteousness that God is looking for.

Again, we have a way out if we are failing at this point. Verse 16-17 tells us all we need to know to get on track: Wash, repent, and do good. That is the summary of what it means to follow Christ. Wash in His blood, turn from your sins, and begin to do good-- practicing justice and righteousness-- which always includes serving the helpless and needy. How are you doing in doing on behalf of others?