Isaiah 1

The ministry of Isaiah as a prophet spanned a period of over forty years during the reigns of four kings. This was a period of great challenge for Israel and Judah. In these sixty-six chapters we sense something of the span of a long life lived by a man of God who spoke words of judgment and hope by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The servants of God who speak in His name do not hide the truth about the sinfulness of His people. Though they are called God's "children", they are also called a "sinful nation" and a "people laden with iniquity." Their problem with sin is not merely a superficial wound, for God says "the whole head is sick." Even more than that, the problem that the unfaithful covenant people have is "from the sole of the foot even to the head." There is no soundness in their body.

If this sounds too severe, or if you want to try to restrict this kind of assessment to the Old Testament, remember that God says in the New Testament letter of Paul to the church in Ephesus that we were not merely sick or diseased, but we were "dead in our trespasses and sins." The life that we have now in Christ has come from outside us. We should be able to relate very well to the words of judgment that we find in the Old Testament prophets. The truth about our sin is something we must embrace in order to understand the truth of the death of the Righteous Servant of God for us.

In order for that Righteous One to come as a part of the covenant people of God, it was necessary that the people of Israel would not be utterly consumed from the face of the earth. Therefore God left "a few survivors." This mercy of God to a few is a powerful picture of the electing love of God for His church, and it is cited by Paul in Romans 9:29 for this purpose. That is not to say that the few who lived through the devastation of Assyrian and Babylonian warfare in the centuries before Christ were all righteous. They were wicked too and in need of the grace of God. It is just a fact that some continued to live longer than others, and became a part of the picture that God left for us to consider. Some died by the sword of the Assyrians. Others lived on and would have future generations. Through Christ, we are a band of unworthy survivors who are eternally grateful for His abounding mercy. Even some that face earthly punishments (and we all will face death unless the Lord returns very soon) are recipients of eternal mercy through the Messiah sent by God.

How should we live now as those who escape the sword today, and who believe that we have been eternally and securely rescued by the blood of the cross? The instruction to us is solid and firm, as it was to the survivors in the days of Isaiah and beyond. "Cease to do evil, learn to do good." Just because we are all guilty sinners before God who have been saved by His grace, does not in any way give us permission to insult His tremendous salvation by continuing to rebel against his commandments. We are alive today. Others are not. There is a purpose to our being alive here on earth. We should do things today for the Lord who saved us.

God speaks to us regarding our salvation. This grace is the great motivator He has given to us, moving us toward a life of greater usefulness. "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." In the day of Isaiah, the central act of our deliverance through the the cross of Christ was still hundreds of years into the future. Therefore, he speaks of it as a thing that is yet coming. "Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed by justice." We know that our Redeemer has come, and the man of perfect righteousness took our unrighteousness upon himself and was given the justice we deserved. Now the whole Zion of God, all elect Jews and Gentiles, have been redeemed by justice, since the mercy of our Lord had determined to count His justice as ours.

It is still the case that rebels and sinners may be consumed in this life according to the plan of God. Today, in light of the marvelous eternal mercies of God in Christ, let us soften our rebellious and hardened hearts. Let us hear the words of the prophet who calls us to a resurrection life even now, for their are labors of gospel love that God has ordained for us today as the Israel of God.