Intro- This section of this begins with an appeal to the people that was left, that is the small remnant of Jews in Judah. The condition that these too had gotten into has been previously described back in verses 7-8. The appeal from the Prophet Isaiah was to hear what the Lord had to say, don’t hear me as a man, but what God has to say. Far to often people cannot hear the word of the Lord because they have a problem with the one delivering the message.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, were the four Prophets that sounded this term some 24 times on different occasions. It is imperative that you hear what the Lord has to say, not what I say, but I’m saying what God hath said.

The approach to God in the Old Testament was through the divine ordered sacrifices, to dishonor this was the same as dishonoring the Lord. So we see the first charge of God against his people in this text.

There comes a time when the Lord says it is enough. I am through, I do want anymore of this, we see this in these next verses.

1^st. They serve no purpose... "To what purpose"

Jesus called it vain worship.. for that is indeed what it was.. Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.

2^nd. They did not satisfy the Lord.. "I delight not in the blood"

You and I know that without the shedding of blood there was no remission of sins. This has been the approach to God since the fall of man. Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

The Atonement for sin has been the same it must be by the blood, and all the sacrifices of the O.T. were types of the blood of Christ that one day would be shed by the lamb of God and that sacrifice would be forever.

3^rd. He refuses them.. vs 12-15

a. He refuses them because he had not required this at their hands.. vs 12

He is not refusing his own institution that he has set in order, but was refusing their offering of it because in reality they were not offering to God, for had they been, it would have been with the best of the flock just as God had told them too.

b. He refuses it and them because of their iniquity.. vs 13

There should be in us some honest preparation before we come to the house of the Lord, we should not tread down his holy name if we are not willing to confess our sins, make it right with the Lord, and if we don’t he too will refuse our worship.

Their plea and our pleas should be as David’s was...Psalm 60:1 O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.

c. He refuses it and them because they troubled him...vs 14

The word trouble in this text means that they had grieved God, it is the same thing that Paul warns us about in Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

d. He refuses it and them because their hands were full of blood.. vs 15 Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me]:

There comes a time when it to late pray.. listen to what the Lord told Jeremiah the great prophet.. Jeremiah 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.

Jeremiah 14:12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

We are a lot like these people were we don’t take our relationship to the Lord seriously, we don’t take our church membership serious enough, we don’t take our daily walk with the Lord serious enough and when the Lord doesn’t hear us we wonder why doesn’t he answer me.....

We can clearly see the wonderful grace of God in this text, we can see it as it is unfolded by the Lord himself to his sinful people.

1^st. The method.. "Wash you" vs 16

The two things that the Lord points out in this verse go hand and hand with wether or not he will receive these people back..

a. Put away your evil.. This term means to put them away and walk away from them.

Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

b. Cease to do evil.. Romans 12:9 [Let] love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

d. Lean to do well...

e. Seek judgment..

f. Relieve the oppressed...

h Judge the fatherless, and plead for the widows.

What is true religion? James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

This church especially the deacons of this church have an obligation to see to the widows of this flock in their afflictions. To pray with them, to visit them, to help them, to honor them, and this is true for all the members of the church.

2^nd. The invitation of the Lord... "Come Now" vs 18

This is not a compromise on the part of God it is a appeal to convict and convince them of what they had done wrong...when Samuel was speaking to his people he said these words..1 Samuel 12:7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

Note the promises he makes in vs 19-20

Back to Outlines on Isaiah