As I read the first verse of the first chapter of Isaiah, I realized afresh that this was not just about “Judah”, but also “Jerusalem” and it’s kings…Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah.
Reading on through those opening verses, you cannot help but catch that this was an expanded period of “revolt” against the Almighty, and God sees the corruption against himself. He compares them to the “ox and the donkey”, assuring Israel that even those two animals have more common sense than “my people”.
The descriptive words that is used are ten in number – revolted, no knowledge, no understanding, sinful, iniquitous, offspring of evildoers, sons of corruption, abandoning the Lord, despised the Holy One of Israel, turned away from HIM! It was enough, as they would say in the “old days”, enough to break God’s mirror.
Thankfully, the last of those Kings, Hezekiah, realized he had to do something to correct the direction of Judah/Jerusalem. Thus, as we proceed through Isaiah, we see him gradually dealing with that corruption until there is an “about face” on the part of Israel.
He questions them about their condition; he stresses that “the heart is faint, from head to foot, no effort whatsoever has been applied to this sinfulness and he likens them to “Sodom and Gomorrah”.
The words of verse 9 are tremendous; “Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a few survivors…” God always has a “few survivors”! Those catch our attention in the next few verses; they are not part and parcel to the corruption that exists in the name of, the imitation of worshiping the Lord! On such He declares that He will be “relieved of My adversaries and avenge Myself on My foes. I will also turn My hand against you, and smelt away your dross as with lye and will remove all your alloy. THEN, I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; after that you will be called the city of righteousness.”
When Hezekiah begins to deal with the things that are against the Lord and His principles of life for his people, and moving toward God, God shows His approval and great things begin to happen in Judah and Jerusalem.
If that picture is not sufficient to jostle the hearts of the leadership in our country, nothing will and God must judge. We have been slipping and sliding for years with little or no opposition from us; the time has come to stand up and be counted!
I am old enough to remember WW2 and the free world on its knees. Obviously, it has not happened since then and until we take a fresh commitment to Him and His Word, the HOLY BIBLE, our deterioration will continue. Let us do what we did in the past! Storm the gates of Heaven in prayer, and dedicate ourselves afresh to the principles of God and His Word. HE said: “ASK and you shall receive!”
-Ted
ETCetera 