Sin Is Essentially Against the Lord

1 The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
will take away from Jerusalem and Judah
everything they depend on:
every bit of bread
and every drop of water,
2 all their heroes and soldiers,
judges and prophets,
fortune-tellers and elders,
3 army officers and high officials,
advisers, skilled sorcerers, and astrologers.

4 I will make boys their leaders,
and toddlers their rulers.
5 People will oppress each other—
man against man,
neighbor against neighbor.
Young people will insult their elders,
and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable.

6 In those days a man will say to his brother,
“Since you have a coat, you be our leader!
Take charge of this heap of ruins!”
7 But he will reply,
“No! I can’t help.
I don’t have any extra food or clothes.
Don’t put me in charge!”

8 For Jerusalem will stumble,
and Judah will fall,
because they speak out against the Lord and refuse to obey him.
They provoke him to his face.
9 The very look on their faces gives them away.
They display their sin like the people of Sodom
and don’t even try to hide it.
They are doomed!
They have brought destruction upon themselves.

10 Tell the godly that all will be well for them.
They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned!
11 But the wicked are doomed,
for they will get exactly what they deserve.

At times a young person’s pride and lack of gratitude can reach the point of denying the kindness of parents and teachers who nurture him. In such instances, the pain and disappointment of those who love that young person can be heartbreaking.

But God himself experiences such a sense of betrayal. God’s own people denied their dependence on the Lord, who guarded and protected them and provided for their every need. In God’s place, they were willing to say to a piece of timber or metal that they had shaped with their hands, “Save me, you are my god” (Isaiah 44:17).

What staggers us is that delusion can grasp an entire society, regardless of education or social status. Isaiah writes, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray” (53:6). This included everyone from soldiers to princes, prophets, judges, and skilled workers as well as the spiritual con-artists who distracted people from following God.

Isaiah’s opening chapters paint an honest picture of God’s judgment. But judgment does not come without grace. In Isaiah 65:2 the Lord describes his posture toward his wayward people: “All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people.”

The loving Father is willing to restore his wayward children to their honored position in his family (see Luke 15:21-24). Do you see yourself in that scene?

Father, we confess that we are guilty of sins that deserve your anger. Thank you for Jesus, who not only came to take our place on the cross but also intercedes for us. Amen.