June 1 – Isaiah 1:1-20
Here we are, at the beginning of one of the greatest books of prophecy and teaching in the Bible. Isaiah was privileged to see incredible sights, to hear directly from the LORD our God, and to relay what he heard and saw to all of us. When Jesus “opened the scriptures” to the disciples on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection, I suspect He went to Isaiah. The coming of Messiah – Jesus – is all over this book and I am excited to dig in and find Him there. In addition, we are going to see God’s deep, deep love for His people and His grief at their disobedience.
No parent wants to watch their children make foolish mistakes that will only hurt and injure them in the end. Talk to the parent of a child who is addicted to drugs and you will hear the wrenching sorrow of one who loves their child but cannot help them because the child is not willing. This is God’s dilemma in the book of Isaiah. He loves Israel. He’s given mankind free will, and Israel as a whole, is running in the opposite direction from all that is good and right – from all that leads to happiness. If you are a parent of a wayward child, this book will bless you. For God, the perfect parent, also had wayward children. He understands your pain for He has lived it. Loving others involves sacrifice and yes, pain at times, doesn’t it? If we love, we care. And if we care, we hurt when the ones we love hurt. God chose to love us and therefore chose to feel the ache of watching us walk away.
These first twenty verses manage to encapsulate a lot of what we will be learning. We hear God’s heart for His people – both His anguish and His call to them to return to Him. We read in verse 17 what they ought to be doing: “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans., Fight for the rights of widows.” And we read in verse 18 a foreshadowing of Jesus’ death on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins on Himself: “ … Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow. Thought they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” Even in the midst of His anger at His foolish people, God offers redemption. He wants them back. And God does not change. When we are foolish and wander away, getting ourselves in all sorts of trouble, God amazingly wants us back. Rejoice in this today!
My verse: Isaiah 1:2 “Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the LORD says: ‘The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.”
My response: Abba-Father, You know the deep pain of rejection from a well-loved child. You know what it’s like as a parent to raise a child, to sacrifice for them, to love them deeply – only to see them rebel and walk away. Comfort those who are grieving the rebellions of their children. Help them through it, Lord. What a comfort to know that even You – the perfect parent – had rebellious kids!!
