Let Us Reason Together

Isaiah 1:18

Introduction.

  1. Did you know that most people are not persuaded by reason or facts?

    1. That even includes you and me.

    2. This has been proven by study after study.

    3. Oh no, I can be. I always have the facts on my side.”

    4. Do you? Do you have a logical, well-thought out reason behind every belief and decision that you make backed by facts and hard data?

    5. No, you don’t. Do you want to know how I know?

    6. Because it takes work and research and time to do all of that, and we, quite frankly, don’t have that much time to make a living, spend time with our family, eat, sleep, and do all this research.

    7. For some people, it’s their job to be steeped in all these facts and information, but for most of us—we just don’t have the time or inclination.

    8. If you’re not convinced by that, just look around at the political climate in this country today especially as we’re gearing up for an election in six weeks.

    9. I don’t say any of this to disparage anyone; this is something we are all affected by.

    10. As long as we know this bias exists, it might help us to account for it in our own lives and to be more gracious toward others who don’t share our views, politically or religiously.

  2. This is not a new problem, however. It goes back at least as far as 700 BC.

    1. Isaiah pleads with his readers to, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18).

    2. The book of Isaiah is filled with sound reasoning, encouraging the Jews to serve God and Him alone.

    3. Many of the prophets make their case for following the true God, but how many of the people listened?

    4. This was true in the time of the NT as well as we’ll see next week.

    5. You see, very few people listened to the prophets, and few people listen to Christ today.

  3. Let’s look at some of the arguments Isaiah makes in Isaiah 1 and see what applications we can take from this.

    1. Background (1:1).

    2. Rebellion (1:2-4, 21-23).

    3. Judgment (1:5-9, 24-25).

    4. Vain Worship (1:10-15).

    5. Repentance (1:16-17).

Body.

  1. Background (1:1).

    1. The kings of Judah.

      1. Here he says he was active as a prophet during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah and that he was sent primarily to Judah.

      2. On the screen, I have the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah.

      3. Isaiah states in Ch. 6 that the Lord called him the year King Uzziah died, so this first chapter likely takes place during the last bit of Uzziah’s reign when Jotham takes over.

    2. Uzziah and Jotham.

      1. Uzziah was a good king, but he became very haughty and proud (2 Chr. 26:4-5).

      2. His pride made him think he should be able to go to God directly instead of through the priests and God commanded, so he went into the temple.

      3. As we was trying to burn incense, the Lord struck him with leprosy, and he was isolated until he died. His son Jotham reigned as co-regent during this time (2 Chr. 26:16-21).

      4. Jotham was a good king, too, but both he and his father Uzziah did not do much to prevent the people from idolatry (2 Chr. 27:2).

    3. Israel’s Northern Kingdom was in turmoil and was about to fall.

      1. We note that at the beginning of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry, Pekah was reigning in the north.

      2. He would soon be assassinated by Hoshea who would take his place.

      3. Hoshea would be the last king in the north before the Assyrian army would come in and wipe them out.

      4. Judah had front row seats to Israel’s downfall.

      5. While faithful Hezekiah was king at around this time, Judah wouldn’t last much longer.

      6. All this plays into how we might read and understand Isaiah’s book, including this first chapter.

  2. Rebellion (1:2-4, 21-23).

    1. Twice in this chapter, Isaiah instructs his audience to hear what the Lord has spoken (1:2a, 10).

      1. But they do not hear.

      2. How important is hearing the word of the Lord?

      3. That’s the first step to being saved, isn’t it?

      4. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

      5. But if they refuse to hear, how can they be saved?

    2. They have refused to hear the one who has taken such good care of them (1:2b-3).

      1. We as human beings have a short memory, but the Lord does not.

      2. You see, He takes care of His people and has always taken care of His people.

      3. He brought them up out of Egypt, and took care of them in the wilderness.

      4. He fought their battles for them, ensuring them victory if they were faithful.

      5. He owes them nothing, but they owed Him everything!

      6. He nourished them, and took care of them, and like an ungrateful child, they rejected it and spurned His love.

      7. It reminds me of how teenagers often behave, and something I’m dreading when our kids get to be that age.

      8. Isaiah provides an example showing that even oxen and donkeys appreciate the hand that feeds them, yet Israel is essentially biting that very hand, the hand of God.

      9. Many of you have or used to have a dog, you know what that’s like. Even farm animals, you know that your pets and other animals in your care appreciate the food and care you give to them…. you know, unless it’s a cat.

      10. But God’s people, they are worse than cats when it comes to that sort of thing.

      11. Has God taken care of us? Oh yes. How do we treat Him? As a faithful dog or worse than a cat? As an affectionate adolescent or a bratty teenager?

    3. Their sins are great (1:4, 21-23).

      1. They are so full of sin and evil that even their children are a corrupting influence!

      2. They have turned away from the God who took care of them, provided for them, fought for them, and brought them victory after victory.

      3. They were once faithful, just, and righteous, but all that has vanished away.

      4. They are now full of harlotry—probably not physical harlotry, though that may be occurring. This is certainly talking of a spiritual harlotry, serving false gods and worshiping them.

      5. But now they murder, steal, give and take bribes, and pervert justice.

      6. What about our sins? We might not be murderers or thieves, but we surely have done things that displease God and separate us from His glory (Rom. 3:23).

      7. He has shown us mercy by giving us time.

      8. What are we going to do with that time? Sin further so that we are judged or do we repent? God’s patience does not last forever, and judgment will come!

  3. Judgment (1:5-9, 24-25).

    1. The prophetic perfect tense (1:5-9).

      1. This tense is something quite unique to the Scriptures.

      2. The perfect tense by itself shows that something that has been completed in the past, so it’s a past tense.

      3. But these things hadn’t happened by the time Isaiah wrote this, and wouldn’t for another 150 years or so.

      4. The prophetic perfect tense depicts something that is so sure to happen that God thinks of it as already having happened.

      5. That’s one of the perks, I suppose, of existing outside of time, being able to see it all.

    2. In hindsight, we know judgment is coming upon Judah.

      1. Later kings like Hezekiah and Josiah might be able to delay it, but it is coming.

      2. Not to mention the fact that, while these kings were good, the people were not.

      3. There is evidence in Jeremiah that even during Josiah’s reign, many of the people did not follow in his reforms.

      4. In fact, they were as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah which were completely destroyed for their depravity all the way back in Gen. 19.

      5. But a remnant, a small number of Israelites would be saved.

      6. We see that Jeremiah records how many were exiled during each of the three deportations at the start of the Babylonian Captivity, only 4600 people (Jer. 52:28-30).

      7. Since the rest were likely killed, this sure was only a remnant that was saved.

      8. We know from other passages that this remnant was saved only because of God’s promise to David, and the Seed (Jesus) that was to come.

      9. This remnant was what was left after the Lord carried out His vengeance and purged away the dross (1:24-25).

      10. It was a refiner’s fire, removing the sin and wickedness from among them, and only 4600 were left.

    3. On the last day, the world will be refined (Matt. 13:36-43).

      1. Not only the world, but the church.

      2. The dross, the chaff, the tares will be burned away, and all that’s left will inherit the glory of the Lord.

      3. Do you want to be among the tares that are burned or the wheat that remains? Among the alloys that are burned away or among the pure silver that remains?

      4. In any event, not only were the Jews at this time sinful and rebellious, but their worship was vain, too.

  4. Vain Worship (1:10-15).

    1. Their sacrifices were meaningless (1:10-12).

      1. David had revealed to them when he sinned what the Lord thought of sacrifices.

      2. God doesn’t want them, not if your heart isn’t in it! (Psa. 51:16-17).

      3. No, they needed to have a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

      4. They needed to be sorry for what they had done, showing some level of remorse and a desire to repent and do what’s right!

      5. In other words, these people were just going through the motions.

      6. It meant nothing to them, except empty ritual.

      7. When we confess our sins or partake of the Lord’s Supper, are our hearts in it? Do we truly regret our sins and resolve to leave them behind?

      8. Recall, Jesus says our worship must be in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

      9. Our worship may be by the Book, but it means nothing unless our hearts are in it.

      10. Vs. 12 talks of trampling the courts of the Lord, but when we neglect proper worship, are we not sinning willfully, having “trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which [we were] sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:26, 29).

      11. How might we be punished on the Last Day? I surely don’t want to find out!

    2. God hates all manner of vain worship (1:13-15).

      1. It wasn’t just sacrifices He hated.

      2. It says that He hates burning of incense, their feast days, and even their prayers.

      3. You see, when they are done in vain, it shows a level of hypocrisy that the Lord despises.

      4. We see that in no better place than in Matt. 23, where Jesus calls out the blatant hypocrisy of the Pharisees, straining a gnat while swallowing a camel.

      5. Is worshiping properly important? Of course! But it must be sincere as well!

      6. In this Christian age, we know that Christ is the fulfillment of all sacrifices and the feast days (Col. 2:16-17), that the burning of incense corresponds to our prayers.

      7. God will never hate His Son, but He will hate that we ask His blood to cover us while we continue living in sin.

      8. Your hands are full of blood,” which is what offering sacrifices amounted to without sincerity and repentance.

      9. And our hands also drip with the blood of Christ without sincerity and repentance.

      10. You see, repentance is key! Let us repent, let us mean it, let us do right by Him!

  5. Repentance (1:16-17).

    1. God still wants His people to be purged of their sins.
      1. Sacrifices were still needed, as we benefit from Christ’s sacrifice, but it is only accepted when it is accompanied by true repentance.

      2. They can truly repent by ceasing from doing sinful things.

    2. But it’s not good enough merely to stop an action, but to start acting as well.

      1. Instead of doing evil, they must “learn to do good.”

      2. In learning to do good, they will “seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, [and] plead for the widow.”

      3. You see their rebellion was evident, not just in action, but in inaction (1:23).

      4. Repentance requires inaction where sin lay in action and repentance requires action where sin lay in inaction.

      5. We are to help those who are helpless and seek justice for all!

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Conclusion.

  1. Reason is coming.

    1. “Come now, let us reason together,” is not only the theme of Isaiah, but one of the themes of Scripture.

    2. Our decisions don’t always need to be made with reason and facts.

    3. But what about when it comes to our immortal souls?

    4. Shouldn’t we study and learn what it says we need to do to be saved?

    5. Next time, we will talk of reason and hope.

  2. Will you hear? Will you be turned by reason?

    1. This is a standing invitation I and the Lord make to everyone.

    2. Come now, let us reason together that we might truly find what the will of the Lord is by studying His Word.

    3. Do His will, and be saved today!