0476. 468. Israel’s Sinful Condition
468. Israel’s Sinful Condition
As Described in Isaiah 1
1. Israel was Rebellious in soul. “They have rebelled against Me” (Isa_1:2). Not only had they gone against His word and authority, as the word “rebelled” implies, but they had wounded Him to the heart by their baseless ingratitude. The clenched fist is the outcome of a baseless soul.
2. Israel was Ignorant in mind. “Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider” (Isa_1:3). The blight of ignorance had affected the mind of their understanding, and a want of consideration of the Lord and others was the outcome. Ignorance is always inconsiderate.
3. Israel was Sinful in life. “Ah! sinful nation” (Isa_1:4). Not only were they full of sin which made them sin to the full, but they were a failure in everything, for the word to sin signifies to miss the mark, to be a failure. They illustrated the Divine saying, “He that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul.” We miss ourselves, and others, and life’s opportunity if we miss God. We are no good if we miss the Supreme Good!
4. Israel was Weighed in character. “A people laden with iniquity” (Isa_1:4). The back of their being was heavy with iniquity, and yet for all they had done in burdening themselves, there was nothing of practical value, as the word “iniquity” suggests, for it means faultiness (the word is rendered “fault” in Psa_59:4) arising from perverseness. The sin of perverseness is a breaker up of everything. When we have the twist of ill-intent, we shall have the whole being wrongly bent, and have to bend to the load of consequences.
5. Israel was Evil in conduct. “A seed of evil-doers” (Isa_1:4). The evil-doing proves the doer is evil. The word “evil-doer” signifies to treat in an evil manner, hence, to break up things, to be one who brings calamity and injury to others. When one is a waster he is always a wrecker. To be a cesspool of iniquity is to be a breeder of disease, and thus to contaminate.
6. Israel was Corrupt in transaction. “Children that are corrupt” or as the R.V. “deal corruptly” (Isa_1:4). The Hebrew word is stonger than the previous one, it means to mar anything, and to make it good for nothing. The word is translated “waster” (Isa_54:16), “destroying” (Jer_51:1), and “battered” (2Sa_20:15). A destroying wind which kills the sensitive plant is a fit simile of one who mars another to his destruction. A waster is always a woe-begetter.
7. Israel was Apostate in act. “They have forsaken the Lord” (Isa_1:4). The word means to leave, and to leave destitute. It is rendered “leave” in Gen_44:22, and “left destitute” in Gen_24:27. To be a traitor and unfaithful is to be guilty of the blackest sin of Hell. To be untrue to the truth we know to be true, is to be baseless beyond forgiveness.
8. Israel was Provocative in speech. “Provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger” (Isa_1:4). Wilson says to provoke means to treat with contempt, joined with hatred and malignity. Heart-murmurings, slumbering discontent, grumbling speeches, and a chafing spirit are always displeasing to the Lord. Words are like thistledown, they cause mischief in the garden of the soul, and sting others to their hurt.
9. Israel was Insulting in attitude. “They are gone away backward” (Isa_1:4). To turn the back to the Lord was a direct insult to Him, but to have “gone away,” or to be “alienated” (margin), or estranged from Him is to add injury to insult. The words might be paraphrased, “Ye have turned your back to Me and have treated Me as if I were a stranger.” To deliberately cut one without cause is to be guilty of bad manners and an arrogant temper.
10. Israel was Sick in head. “The whole head is sick” (Isa_1:5). “Head” here means the source of things, as the head of a river, and “sick” signifies to be worn down in strength, hence, to be in a condition of weakness and inability. When there is no power in the source of things, how can the rest of the plant perform anything? The want of moral fibre is the doom of any nation.
11. Israel was False in worship. The sacrifices were not a “delight” to the Lord; their oblations were “vain,” their incense was an “abomination,” their assemblies were “iniquity,” their keeping of the feasts was hateful, a “trouble,” and made Jehovah “weary” (Isa_1:12-14). Could any charge be more explicit and pathetic! When rottenness is in the heart, ritual is an offence and a sin to the Lord.
12. Israel was Prayerless in Prayer. “When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make your prayers I will not hear” (Isa_1:15)
By: DR. F. E. MARSH