By Glenn Metts
Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church, Seymour
Focal Passage: Isaiah 1:10-20
In our focal passage this week, Isaiah had the unpleasant responsibility of confronting God’s people with the condition of their hearts and their worship. As we begin to study today’s passage, it immediately becomes clear that this message is just as relevant for God’s people today.
Indeed, we must take the time to allow God’s Word to permeate our own hearts and examine ourselves in His presence. Let me encourage us all to consider the condition of our own hearts and our worship. There are three things we don’t want to miss in today’s passage.
First, Isaiah confronts God’s people with an honest evaluation of where they are. Consider with me what he says in verse 10. “Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah.”
To shed further light on where they were and the condition of their hearts let’s go back to verse 6. Isaiah writes, “From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, But wounds and putrefying sores…”. That’s hard to read isn’t it? Another verse that caught my attention was verse 7. It reads, “Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire…”. I can’t help but think of our nation and the things we are witnessing in these days. Isaiah confronted God’s people with the Word of the Lord and the truth of the condition of their hearts.
As God’s people today, we would do well to truly examine the condition of our hearts and our churches in light of God’s Word. Repentance should always begin in the house of God and among God’s people. II Chronicles 7:14 teaches a valuable lesson. Listen with your heart to God’s Word as it reminds us, “if my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Secondly, Isaiah admonishes God’s people to examine their hearts and their worship. He says in verse 10, “Hear the word of the Lord.” He says, “Give ear to the law of our God…”. In verse 11 he begins to examine their worship, the sincerity of their hearts and their obedience to the Lord. Could it be that often we just go through the motions as well?
As a pastor, I try to constantly remind myself, as well as our church, to be very aware of entering the Lord’s presence. When we sing, we are to sing to Him and not just sing words on a page or screen. We are to sing with thanksgiving, praise, and intentionally engage our thoughts to worship our Holy and awesome God. When we go to the Word of God, we again engage our hearts and minds to hear the Word of the Lord. Worship begins when we not only read, hear and study the Word, but we put it into practice and live it out in obedience in our daily lives.
True worship is when we worship in spirit and truth as Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4. Dear friend, let me ask, how is your worship? Do you come into His presence with a sense of awe and adoration? Is your heart yearning to hear a Word from God? Are you quick to respond in obedience?
Finally, in verses 18-19, we see an invitation to return to a vital, life-giving and sincere relationship with the living God! God always pursues and extends grace to anyone who would receive! Commenting on verses 18, Dr. David Jeremiah writes, “God is the Judge, and He calls His guilty people to acknowledge their sins before Him.
As a judge, God would rather pardon the sins of His people.” Ultimately, God sent His own precious Son. His blood on Calvary’s cross was the provision for our sins to be washed away. Though our sins were like crimson, we can be cleansed as white as snow. Praise the Lord! B&R