Isaiah 1:1-20 part one

Hello my brothers and sisters in Christ, may His peace be upon you,

I am going to try something a little different. I decided to read Isaiah 1 today because of one verse that was used on a program I watch. I guess you could say I was lead to this chapter. The more I read of it, the more it resinated in me. I see today in this chapter and I feel compelled to just sit here and ponder God’s word. Sometimes I am guilty of reading too fast, missing what lesson God held for me. I almost did that today. I went to Isaiah 1:19, the verse that my program used, because it seemed to show a way to earn God’s provisions. And, as some of you already know, we are struggling financially, so if this verse held promise to relieve that then I wanted it. To my surprise God would not let me just claim that verse, I was compelled to read the chapter from the beginning. When I had finished with verse 20 I was throughly convicted. Here I am trying to find a nugget for my bank account, and the rest of the chapter dealt with the state of my heart. That sometimes happens when we only hang on to one or two verses and neglect to read the whole thing to find the context. Was my program misleading, did they get the verse wrong? Nope, they were right, however, there were things that the verse was conditional upon, more important things then our wallets. So my next few blogs are going to be rooted in Isaiah 1-20. I am not going to post all of the verses, at least at this point I don’t believe I am. Therefore, if possible, I would strongly recommend you to read through it in its entirety. See what God speaks to your heart. I know that I would love to hear about them.

Isaiah 1 is speaking to the kingdom of Judah, which at the time was struggling with moral corruption. Sound familiar? “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken:” (verse 2) I don’t know if you know this or not, but whenever you see LORD, all capitals, it is representing the name Jehovah, or Jah, Yahweh, it represents the name that God told Moses, it is the I AM THAT I AM. Once I learned this, I really began to take note of it when I saw it. So what Isaiah is saying to the people of Judah is ‘these are the words of God All Mighty, His words’. I know that the entire Bible is God inspired. (2 Timothy 3:16) Yet, it still makes me sit at attention and really tune my ear in when I read LORD. Okay, getting back on track. Isaiah is really stressing that we need to hear, truly hear, what he is about to say. He continues with “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crip; but Israel does not know; My people do not consider.” (Verses 2-3) Wow! I was stunned at that point, for God was talking directly to me. I am one of His children and He is absolutely right. So often we go about things our own way. He has created me, fed me, nourished me, taught me, and I still did things my way. To top it off, today, I was selfishly going to Him for an allowance. Worst off, I am not alone. Quickly my attention left me and was drawn to the world. We live in a corrupt world, with many not even recognizing God’s existence. We aren’t even as wise as the animals who at least recognize their Master. We are rebelling against him daily. Often neglecting His council. And, in some cases Denying Him.

As I mentioned earlier today’s reading left me convicted, realizing that I need to do a better job listening to my Master. As a mater of fact today was the first day that I called Him by that name. Just hearing Master flowing from my lips to God caused my heart to leap. It was like it was screaming out “Finally, Finally she gets it”. Like it was my souls desire to just admit that I was indeed His, and He my Master. Now, I just want to say it again and again. LOL. Master.

I read on to verse 4 “Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters!...” Ouch. He sounds upset doesn’t He? Again, do you see today in those words? I do, it is like it was leaping out of the book into my present world. These words are just as relevant to us as they were to the citizens of Israel. “... They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward.” (Verse 4 continued) At this point, I didn’t have to think on anything, His words were and are crystal clear. They are spoken to us, this day in history, and will continue to speak to history as long as we continue to falsely believe that we have any right to live life our way. I have heard it said before, but today it really hit home. People turn away from God, because they just don’t want to admit that they are not in control. It is hard to relinquish control. It is hard to call someone Master, admitting that you are less of a person, less important then Him, and not at all what it is about. It goes against everything our flesh cries out for. If you don’t believe me give it a try. Try calling God Master, from the heart, recognizing all the implications of what you are saying. It wont be quite as easy as you might think. Then again, for you it may be very easy, you may have already crossed this bridge and are just smiling as you welcome me to the other side. But, if by chance you are like me. Saved, serving, praying, trusting, struggling, and trying to just become better with each passing day, then give it a shot. Call out to God, repenting for being so darn stubborn and willing to serve even if He asks you to go to the Nineveh of your heart.
I am going to stop here for today. I am still heart broken over just how His children are behaving and running the world. Still convicted for my part in it all. I look forward to continuing with you tomorrow.

May God richly bless you as you seek Him,
Ady