Isaiah 1

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Isaiah 1

Read through all of Isaiah 1 (or just verses 1-4, 18-20 and 24-28).

Background

Isaiah was the son of Amoz who was related to the royal family. He became prophet to the kings and nation of Judah.

Growing up would have known of the ministry of Elijah and Elisha in Israel (northern kingdom) Heard of the invasion of Israel by Assyria and its deportation of all the people. As part of the royal family saw the wrong doing of the leaders and rich and influential. Lived in Jerusalem. Knew Solomon’s temple and saw its decline. A man like us, except Jesus had not come nor the Holy Spirit as we now receive Him.

Yet Isaiah knew what the Lord had to say, and knew what would happen for centuries ahead and could speak God’s words to kings and people. If he could so can we.

Verses 1 – 7

What has God done for his people? (verse 1)

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How has God done this for his people?

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What have His people done to God in return?

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How often do we forget what God has done for us and turn from him. Yet he is always ready to forgive us, to turn his face to us and help us.

Verses 9 – 10

This prophecy was fulfilled 138 years later when Babylon took all the people of Judah away into captivity. The Jews were never independent again in their own land. They were then further utterly removed in AD 70. Only 2500 years later in 1948 was Israel an independent state with the Remnant that remained, as the Bible prophecied (predicted).

Verse 11-15

What kinds of things does God not want when we talk to Him, alone or together?

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Verses 16 – 17

What does God want us to do instead?

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Verses 18-20

There are always consequences for sin. Sometimes these are obvious – if you commit a crime you (usually) get brought to justice for it. But there are things in our lives that are wrong that may not seem bad, but are – like pride, jealousy, anger, lack of forgiveness, gossip, laziness. God wants to change these things in us. What does God say?

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Verses 21 – 23

What is the result of not doing what God wants?

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There are 2 things listed in verse 23 that God does not want. So let’s use this to find the opposite – what does God want us to do?!

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Verses 24 – 27

What does God promise to do?

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Verses 28 – 31

How does God’s judgement feel to those who have it?

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There is a day coming when Jesus will judge the people of the earth. Many people ask how a loving God could judge people and send them to hell? Pecisely because God is love and just and his love demands justice. You cannot commit crimes without justice; a child cannot keep disobeying parents without their correction. This is love in action. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin are death. The Bible lets us know that we are all sinners, so therefore we all deserve death. Only Jesus has paid the price – Revelation tells us that Jesus alone is worthy (worthy is the Lamb who was slain). So we can only be made right with God through Jesus. If we reject Jesus, we cannot be made right and therefore the inevitable result is death / destruction.

This is what Jesus felt on the cross as He took our sin and the judgement for it for us, because of love for us. If we receive Jesus as Lord and our Saviour no matter what our sin, we are completely freed of shame, pain and punishment described here forever.

What has God spoken to you in this time?

Take some time to sit in the quiet, pray and expect God to speak.