Too many pastors and people believe that the ‘Old’ Testament is just that, old. Old as is no longer relevant, interesting, insightful, helpful, or meaningful to the ‘church’. Since even they believe that God does not change, they live and worship as if He has. God alone defines worship and God alone condemns false worship. Let us study what God told Isaiah.
Isaiah 1:1-9 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. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for Jehovah has spoken, I have nursed and brought up sons, and they have rebelled against Me.
Hezekiah was the king that did right before God, but his son did not. Josiah succeeded this son. Just like Hezekiah’s son did not do according to his earthly father, God brought them up, blessed them, gave them the thrones from which they disobeyed Him. They rebelled against the God who gave them breath and life. This is not a reality only for Israel and Judah but also for us today.
The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.
Even ‘dumb’ animals (those who cannot speak), know their master. The master who cares for them, feeds them, shelters them, provides for them. This master also requires obedience from them. Their lives are devoted to serving the needs of their master.
Woe, sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, sons who corrupt! They have forsaken Jehovah; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger; they have gone away backward.
Can you really say that this is not an accurate description of the world today, especially in the U.S.?
Why should you be stricken any more? You will revolt more and more; the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it; only a wound and a stripe and a fresh blow; they have not been closed, nor bound up, nor soothed with oil.
People don’t ‘connect the dots’ as they wonder why things aren’t going as well as they want. God’s judgment and condemnation has created needs, wounds, pain, and suffering. But, we always look back to the world for answers and relief, instead of looking deep into our own hearts. People often proclaim, self-righteously that God knows their heart. This is true, but what does God see?
Mat 15:7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
Matthew 15:8-9 "This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
Matthew 15:18-19 But the things which come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it
Your land is wasted, your cities burned with fire. Strangers devour your land right before your eyes, and it is wasted, as overthrown by strangers.
Does this sound like today’s news.
And the daughter of Zion is left a booth in a vineyard, like a hut in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city. Except Jehovah of Hosts had left us a very small remnant, we would be as Sodom; we would be like Gomorrah.
God will always leave a remnant, a small remnant. This should cause all of us to take notice. How small could this remnant really be world-wide or just in the U.S.?
We all know that the true church is not as large as the sum of all who attend church, or self-affirm that they are ‘christian’, or who own a bible, give money to causes, live a moral life, or are sincere.
Are you truly one of God’s small remnant?