Isaiah 1 Commentary
Come, We Reason Together
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KEY THOUGHT: “Come now, and let us reason together,” [Isaiah 1:18a NKJV]
Kindly read your Bible before going through the commentary!
Isaiah 1 NKJV
Judah Called to Repentance
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
The Wickedness of Judah
2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
And they have rebelled against Me;
3 The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s [a]crib;
But Israel does not know,
My people do not [b]consider.”
4 Alas, sinful nation,
A people [c]laden with iniquity,
A [d]brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.
5 Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.
7 Your country is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 So the daughter of Zion is left as a [e]booth in a vineyard,
As a hut in a garden of cucumbers,
As a besieged city.
9 Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left to us a very small remnant,
We would have become like Sodom,
We would have been made like Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of Sodom;
Give ear to the law of our God,
You people of Gomorrah:
11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.
12 “When you come to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more futile[f] sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you [g]spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of [h]blood.
16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke [i]the oppressor;
[j]Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
The Degenerate City
21 How the faithful city has become a [k]harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord says,
The Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,
“Ah, I will [l]rid Myself of My adversaries,
And [m]take vengeance on My enemies.
25 I will turn My hand against you,
And thoroughly[n] purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her [o]penitents with righteousness.
28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29 For [p]they shall be ashamed of the [q]terebinth trees
Which you have desired;
And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens
Which you have chosen.
30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades,
And as a garden that has no water.
31 The strong shall be as tinder,
And the work of it as a spark;
Both will burn together,
And no one shall quench them.
Footnotes
a. Isaiah 1:3 manger or feed trough
b. Isaiah 1:3 understand
c. Isaiah 1:4 Lit. heavy, weighed down
d. Isaiah 1:4 offspring, seed
e. Isaiah 1:8 shelter
f. Isaiah 1:13 worthless
g. Isaiah 1:15 Pray
h. Isaiah 1:15 bloodshed
i. Isaiah 1:17 Some ancient vss. the oppressed
j. Isaiah 1:17 Vindicate
k. Isaiah 1:21 Unfaithful
l. Isaiah 1:24 be relieved of
m. Isaiah 1:24 avenge Myself
n. Isaiah 1:25 refine with lye
o. Isaiah 1:27 Lit. returners
p. Isaiah 1:29 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; some Heb. mss., Tg. you
q. Isaiah 1:29 Sites of pagan worship
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Song 8 Commentary
Isaiah 1 Commentary
Isaiah’s vision concerns Judah and Jerusalem. Of course, it cannot be one vision! We are talking about many years of ministry spanning the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Again, and as we shall see not too long from now, the prophet shall speak to the nations! Judah isn’t the only audience.
This timeless gem is for humanity!
We have the purpose of prophecy right here in the opening chapter. “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
Of course, Judah failed this test hitherto. Consequently, the land is sick. Wickedness is packaged with suffering.
Judah escaped the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the remnant. The number of the righteous in Judah was significantly higher, and Abraham’s bargaining was a success!
Even without their prayers, the presence of saints can save the nation! But salvation means more time for individuals to turn to the LORD.
There is also a warning for the religious. “Quit your worship charades… monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings – meetings, meetings, meetings.” A frenzy of sacrifices.
The LORD abhors the mixture of wickedness and religious pretense. Religious rituals annoy the LORD when people have rebelled against the LORD.
Yes, the call is national in scope, but everything is personal. The remnant didn’t come together and sign a statement supportive of the LORD. They simply lived their faith.
Equally, wickedness wasn’t always a collective decision. “Your princes are rebellious… Everyone loves bribes.” We are talking about individual decisions. Forget the world, what is your decision? Will it pass the scrutiny of Heaven?
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