Isaiah 1:4-6 English Standard Version

⁴ Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. ⁵ Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. ⁶ From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil.

Continuing on with this theme that is running all through the bible let us examine these three verses.

National identity appears at the beginning of verse 4. Nations suffer because of the inequity as a collective which is not the consequences of individual sins. What comes to mind here is the phrase, “go along to get along.” Hitler’s Germany is recent history upon which volumes have been written about the mistakes of the past. Sadly those same mistakes occurred over and over again throughout history without anyone being able to remember the mistakes of the past.

The cause of this seems to remain the same within this theme. Mankind has forsaken the Lord.

The comments of verse five and six can be taken to indicate a national theme but look carefully at the choice of words head, heart, and body parts all the way down to the soles of the feet. This compared to the body of Christ could be seen as a warning to the administration of our churches today. If corrupt attitudes exist in our churches, it vindicates the actions of people outside the church.

We are a people of laws not subject to any monarchy. That is as a nation but as individuals we have a Lord who rules in our hearts. What is to be done about this historical example?

Isaiah 1:2-3 English Standard Version

The Wickedness of Judah

² Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. ³ The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”

1,2,3 is a reminder of order and our God is a God of order.

Who is listening? Heaven and earth is the inclusive term which should indicate to us that we have lessons to learn from the behaviors of others listed here. The terms owner and master in verse three are clear indicators. We belong to God. We follow the commands of our Lord. Do we know Him in relationship to those truths? Has He imparted understanding to us as His children?

First truths are important. Hear the Word of the Lord. “Hear O heavens, and give ear, O earth.” Is He speaking to you of His plans for us? Nothing can be gleaned of His plans by understanding just one or two lines of scripture. It takes much more to reveal God’s plans.

The word theme comes to mind. In literary terms it is carried throughout a book, a story, or article in which there is a transition from one event to another that are all linked together using a common theme. In this sense the mistakes of those kings in those times indicate a historical context. History repeats itself over and over again if left unchecked.

The historical context of Isaiah 1 has repeated itself over and over again throughout history with little if any attention to how those passages indicate how things will turn out for any given time period if the warnings provided are ignored.

Spanish philosopher George Santayana is credited with the aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

One cannot remember what one does not study.