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“A Call to Holiness” — Week 2 Isaiah appeared on the scene against the backdrop of a divided kingdom, Israel and Judah. His message was mainly directed to the Southern kingdom of Judah. He was calling the people of Judah back to a proper covenantal relationship with God. Because of the sinful condition of his generation, Isaiah warned them that God would judge them, but later would restore them with full kingdom blessings to the land that He had given them (Deuteronomy 30:1-5). Isaiah knew well both the Abrahamic and Mosaic promises to the children of Israel. Enjoying a special relationship with God, possessing Canaan and being a blessing to others were at the heart of these two covenants.
In Isaiah 1:10-45 and 40:18-20, we see the two major themes to his people: empty ritualism and idolatry, into which so many of his people had fallen. This nation, the apple of God’s eye, spent cycle after cycle of faithfulness to Yahweh followed by the most blatant of idolatry. Of the nineteen kings of Israel, all served idols, of the twenty kings of Judah, thirteen served idols; only seven served Jehovah faithfully. If the history of our country were to be written using the same criteria—how many leaders have served God and how many have served idols or their own corrupt agendas? How would America fare? It is popular now to talk about one’s religious leanings—left or right? But it is not the words that proceed out of the mouths of our “kings” that make a difference, but rather the motives of the heart. It is God who judges those motives. As we study about the inability of idols to sustain worship, let us also consider ourselves: What have we carved and now hold in our right hand? Will it sustain us in time of need, or can we toss it into the fire and watch it burn with the rest of the wood? Only God’s Word endures; only His love lasts forever; only His promises are eternal. |
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Not only was Isaiah calling those of his generation who had strayed from the obligations of the covenant back to holiness and obedience, but he was also comforting a future generation that would be in exile with the assurance that God would restore their land and establish His kingdom.