“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.” Isaiah 1:4

Those are some of the opening words of the book of Isaiah. I read them this morning, along with the rest of Isaiah chapters 1, 7, and 8, following the chronological ordering of the Bible Unity Reading Plan. Because Israel’s prophets wrote about 30 percent of the Old Testament and almost all of them lived and wrote between the years of 750BC and 515BC, those of us following this plan will be reading mainly from the prophets for the next three months.

There are passages in the prophets that most Christians know and love: Those we read every Christmas, such as Isaiah 9 and 11; the song of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53; the promise of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31. These are pearls in the midst of . . .

Of what? We’re tempted to say, “in the midst of the less interesting parts of these books.” Or even to say, “in the midst of the less important parts of these books.” For the prophets devote a great deal of time to condemnation of Israel and Judah (such as Isaiah 1:4 above) and then also a great deal of time condemning the nations surrounding them. This can be . . . dare we say, tiresome?

I must confess, I felt somewhat that way upon reading Isaiah 1:4 this morning. I glanced ahead at the Reading Plan, and, seeing that chapters 9 and 10 were scheduled for the next day, decided to do two days worth of Old Testament reading, in order to include a passage I love.

But God graciously convicted me of this unbiblical attitude, reminding me of 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed, and profitable . . . .” I prayed, “Lord, forgive me for my laziness in not seeking for the riches of Your Word. Open this passage up to me, I pray.”

I then asked: What is profitable for us today in the numerous denunciations of Israel and Judah in the prophets? Here are seven profitable ideas, taken from these three chapters in Isaiah:

1) We, like the Israelites, need a constant reminder that we are repugnant to God apart from His work in us.

Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 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. Isaiah 1:5-6

This is our condition too, apart from God’s work: Sick. Faint. Unhealthy, bruised, and bleeding with no ability to tend to our wounds. We need to know that unless God works in us every day, we will rebel and make ourselves sick. (Revelation 3:17, written to a church, echoes this idea.)

2) Specifically, we need a constant reminder that we cannot worship God in a way that pleases Him apart from His work in us, apart from worshiping in spirit and in truth by faith.

What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. Isaiah 1:11

To us, God might say, “What to me is the multitude of your songs? I have had enough of your baptisms and communions; I do not delight in your sermons or your daily devotions.” Paul says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

3) Furthermore, we cannot go through the motions of prayers of repentance, with no intention of changing our sinful behavior, and no steps taken to see that we change that behavior.

When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Isaiah 1:15

True repentance is a work of God in our hearts, and is pleasing to Him. But the Israelites went through the motions of repentance – and God here condemns them. A statement of sorrow for sin followed by the very same sin – in the case of the Israelites, oppressing the poor and the needy, taking bribes – is not repentance.

4) God promises complete forgiveness for those who come to Him.

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18-19

See God’s grace! The people “laden with iniquity,” the “offspring of evildoers” are now told: “Come to me for cleansing! Don’t be stupid! Don’t be foolish and rebel! Forgiveness is here, and it is free!”

Isaiah does not here tell us how a God whom He describes as holy and just can simply declare the person with scarlet sins to be white as snow. This side of redemptive history, we see the impact of those sins on Jesus, as He takes on our punishment at the cross. Isaiah does not understand all this, but he sees glimpses of it; in this day’s reading, Isaiah 7:14 contains the promise of Immanuel’s birth, partially fulfilled in Isaiah’s day but finally and completely fulfilled in Mary’s giving birth to Jesus while she was still a virgin.

5) This coming to God can only be by faith.

If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. Isaiah 7:9

This is a clear implication of points 1 and 2, but Isaiah underlines it because we are so apt to forget it.

6) God’s cleansing is free, yet it is radical, and thus painful.

I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy. Isaiah 1:25

This is the theme we saw in Malachi 3:3 a few months ago: We all face fire. God’s enemies face a fire of judgment. God’s people face a fire that purifies, a fire that burns off what is displeasing and dishonoring to Him. This is no doubt painful, but God’s painful work is redemptive, not punitive.

7) Finally, we must see God as both loving and just, as both merciful and holy, as both fearful and fatherly.

But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. Isaiah 8:13

This is one of the main benefits of our regularly reading all of the prophetic writings. No one upon reading Isaiah or Jeremiah or Joel or Amos with the slightest attention can think, “Oh, it doesn’t matter what I do or think – God has to forgive me because I said a prayer and was baptized!” On our own, we are utterly sinful and He is utterly pure. We thus are repugnant to God and there is nothing we can do on our own to change that. But He is the gracious and merciful One who sent His Son to take on our punishment. Coming to Him by faith is the only way to God, the only way to joy – indeed, coming to Him by faith is the only reasonable thing to do for guilty rebels.

So may God forgive me and any of the rest of you who approached the prophets with a negative attitude. May we say with Isaiah, “To the teaching and to the testimony!” (8:20) – to all of the teaching, to all of God’s testimony, which is so profitable for us.

Striving with you to live daily in God’s Word by His grace,

Coty