When Religion Becomes Evil
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
Introduction: We begin today a new series of sermons on what to me is the greatest book in the Old Testament. From the frequency with which New Testament writers quote Isaiah, I would assume that they too held it in very high esteem, for Isaiah is quoted far more than any other prophet. He is mentioned 21 times by name, and chapter 53 alone is quoted or alluded to at least 85 times in the NT.
For those who have never spent much time in the prophets because of the difficulty in understanding their messages, I trust this will be a new and a liberating experience. But it will not be an easy task. Isaiah is difficult, and long. I well remember taking third year Hebrew back in the late 60’s in Seminary. Dr. Bruce Waltke was my professor and our text was the book of Isaiah. Dr. Waltke was a very thorough scholar with two earned doctorates, including one from Harvard, and he thought all his Hebrew students should be thorough scholars as well. So, he decided we should collectively write a commentary on Isaiah.
To begin with each of the 23 students was assigned a verse in the first chapter of Isaiah, which we were to study to the point of exhaustion—not just exhaustion of the content, but our own as well. That’s as far as we got during a three-hour course over an entire semester. Twenty-three verses! I got out those class notes this week and counted the pages of commentary we students produced in that class and it was 135 pages, single-spaced, typed. (By the way, I thought maybe some of you wouldn’t believe such an incredible story, so I brought the notes with me today—the skeptics can examine them after the service). I figured out that had we continued at that rate, we would have produced a commentary on Isaiah of approximately 15,000 pages, and it would have taken 28 years to complete! And even then, we would have just scratched the surface.
I mention that simply to say that the book of Isaiah is a very profound revelation from God and one on which we could profitably spend the next ten years or so in our morning worship services, which is not to say that we shall do so. My intention is that we shall spend a little less than a year in Isaiah, perhaps even taking time out in the Fall for a brief series on another topic. To preach Isaiah in such a short time, we must, of course, resort to selectivity. We shall not touch upon every verse, every paragraph, or even every chapter. What we will do is try to hit the highlights and cover all the main themes. It is my hope and prayer that many of you will have your appetites sufficiently whetted to continue to study the rest of the book on your own.
Now I have two purposes today. First, I will introduce the book of Isaiah. And second, we will examine the first message from the prophet, which I have entitled, “When Religion Becomes Evil.” We could easily spend many weeks on introductory matters alone. Some of the books I have on Isaiah devote over 100 pages to introduction before even explaining the first verse. However, I am only going to comment briefly on five areas of introduction and then jump right into the text. I have resources which I would be happy to recommend to those who would like to explore the technical background issues further.
Introductory matters
The prophet. It is impossible to construct a thorough biography of the prophet Isaiah; the material available is simply too scant. Yet the prophet comes across as a man of great stature. The few details that are available are the following: he lived in Jerusalem and was the son of Amoz (not Amos the prophet—his name is spelled with an “s”, not a “z”). He was married and his wife was called the “the prophetess,” which may signify that she, too, had a gift of prophecy, or may simply indicate she was the wife of a prophet. He had two sons, whose names were Shearjashub and Maher-shalal-hashbaz, and who hopefully had nicknames. Their names, interestingly, had very special meaning related to themes of Isaiah’s preaching. We will look at that more closely when we get to chapters 7 and 8.
We have an account of the commissioning of Isaiah to the ministry in chapter 6, a great chapter which tells us quite a lot about his godly character, and in chapter 7 we learn that he had access to the royal courts of his day. Some have suggested Isaiah himself was of royal blood, but he certainly wasn’t part of the establishment. We are informed in chapter 20 that to dramatize one prophecy he walked around naked and barefoot for three years—at the direction of the Lord, I might add.
In chapter 1, verse 1, we read that the book before us contains the vision which Isaiah saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. These four kings ruled Judah from 691 to 587 B.C., a total of 104 years, but since chapter 6 indicates that Isaiah began his ministry in the year that Uzziah died, and since we don’t know how long into the reign of Hezekiah he prophesied, it is probable that Isaiah’s ministry spanned approximately 50-60 years. There is a persistent tradition that he died during the reign of Manasseh, the wicked king who followed Hezekiah. Tradition further suggests that Isaiah was one of those great men of faith in Hebrews 11:37 who were placed in hollow tree trunks and sawn in two while still alive.
His times. The days in which Isaiah lived and prophesied in the 8th century B.C. were full of political and moral turmoil. The great golden age of David and Solomon was long gone, and both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah were being hard pressed by surrounding nations, particularly the rising empire of Assyria.
The kings of Assyria, well-known in ancient history—Tiglath-Pileser, Shalmaneser, Sargon II and Sennacherib—all threatened Palestine during Isaiah’s day, and the threats were not idle. In fact, the Northern ten tribes of Israel were taken into captivity right in the middle of Isaiah’s ministry. He then tried to use that judgment as a warning and a motivation for the two Southern tribes to repent and get right with God before a similar catastrophe overtook them. His words had a positive effect for a while, but sadly, less than eighty years after his death, God sent Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire against Judah, and that nation, too, was destroyed and the people taken into exile.
His themes and his theology. There are a number of theological themes in Isaiah’s writings. First and foremost is the sovereignty of God. His majesty, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, eternality, immutability, holiness, love, mercy, and grace are all constantly portrayed. A second related theme is the inevitability of judgment upon sin. Again and again, God’s people are warned that they would be disciplined for their sinful ways, and specific judgments are predicted in detail.
A third theme is the Messiah. Isaiah’s predictions about the coming Christ who is to take away the sins of the world are clearer and more specific than those of any other OT prophet. One could construct a fairly detailed account of the earthly life, the ministry, the death and resurrection, and the coming again of Jesus Christ from the pages of Isaiah. Some of these prophecies are startling in their details.
And that brings us to a fourth theme—the reality of the coming Kingdom of God. The phrase, “kingdom of God” is often rather loosely used today to mean simply God’s work in our world. But Isaiah predicted a literal kingdom in which there would be total peace, in which the lion would lay down with the lamb and swords would be beaten into plowshares. It is my opinion that these are not just figures of speech, nor are they simply campaign slogans to be used by the Democrats when the Republicans are in power, or vice versa. Someday Jesus Christ Himself is going to reign on this earth, and the peace which so persistently eludes the United Nations and every other human pacification effort will be enforced by the Prince of Peace Himself.
We will examine other themes as we expound the book.
The genuineness of the book. There is not a book in the entire Bible that has been the subject of more skepticism from liberal theologians than the book of Isaiah. For well over a century there has emanated from so-called scholars a relentless barrage of challenges to the authenticity and genuineness of the book. It is simply taken for granted in all but very conservative evangelical circles that it was written by at least two different prophets, and some claim even more authors, allegedly living six or seven centuries after Isaiah.
I do not wish to question the integrity of scholars I do not know personally, but I cannot help but believe that one of the principal motivations for this remarkable situation is that the book of Isaiah is so accurate in its prophetic predictions that those who doubt the supernatural must undermine its authenticity to save face. If you did not believe that God can reveal detailed events of the future before they occurred, and you read in Isaiah 7:14 that “a virgin shall conceive and bare a son,” you would undoubtedly do one of two things with what you read: you would say that it was written afterthe time of Christ and therefore constituted history rather than prophecy, or you would deny that it had anything to do with Christ in the first place. And those are exactly the two approaches almost all liberals have taken to Isaiah 7:14, as well as many other prophetic passages.
However, liberal scholars took a real blow to their theological solar plexus in 1947 when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, for included among those amazing manuscripts was a complete scroll of the book of Isaiah. Up to that time the oldest copy of Isaiah in existence was the Cairo Codex, dated A.D. 895. The Isaiah Scroll found among the Dead Sea Scrolls was dated no later than 100 B.C. a thousand years earlier. This means, of course, that every reference to Christ in the book of Isaiah is predictive, not historical.
It should not surprise us, then, that since 1947 there has been a strong move among the skeptics to reinterpret all the Messianic passages to eliminate any reference to Christ. Thus, Isaiah 7:14, for example, is translated “a young woman shall conceive,” thus removing the necessity of seeing in that verse a prediction of the Virgin Birth of Christ.
Obviously, we could discuss these issues for many hours, but instead I will simply state that we have sufficient basic to believe the entire book of Isaiah was written by the eighth century prophet whose name it bears and that the entire book is divinely inspired and totally reliable. I know of no evidence modern scholarship has come up with which would seriously challenge either the authenticity or the authority of the book. We will preach it as the very Word of God.
An overview of the book. The book of Isaiah has been referred to as “a miniature Bible.” As there are 66 books in the Bible, so there are 66 chapters in Isaiah (at least as it appears in our English Bibles). And, as the 66 books of the Bible are divided into the 39 of the OT and the 27 of the NT, so the 66 chapters of Isaiah are clearly divided into two parts, consisting of 39 and 27 chapters. Moreover, as the 39 books of the OT stress the righteousness, holiness and justice of God, so the first 39 chapters of Isaiah are mainly occupied with the thought of judgment on the covenant people because of their rebellion against a holy God and their disobedience to His Law. Furthermore, as the 27 books of the NT are mainly occupied with the message of divine grace and the salvation which it brings, so the last 27 chapters of Isaiah are a message of divine grace and comfort, and of coming salvation.
Of course, just as grace is not missing from the OT and Law is not missing from the NT, so also these two elements are found in both portions of Isaiah. Already this morning we are going to see both judgment and grace combined in the very first chapter.
The divine indictment
The book of Isaiah opens with a court scene, as God delivers a blistering indictment on His people. The courtroom is God’s creation, the prosecutor and judge is the Lord Himself, and the defendant is Israel. In verse 2 the heavens and earth are invoked to bear witness against God’s people. The significance of this is that God judges openly before all creation, so that every creature, whether man, angel, or devil, may witness and be compelled to confess His inflexible righteousness.
The charge itself comes in three parts. First, Israel is accused of …
Base ingratitude. This is brought out in rather startling fashion by the description of what God has done for them: “Sons I have reared and brought up,” says the Lord in verse 2. I think we must remember that there was no obligation on God’s part whatever to adopt a nation for Himself. In fact, it is amazing that He should have done so at all. But He not only adopted them; He reared them as a parent does his child. All the effort and struggle and pain that goes into childrearing was experienced by God in His dealings with Israel. But He persisted until He had made of them a great nation. During the Golden Age of David and Solomon, this little nation, launched through one man, Abraham, who was willing to go when God said “Go,” became a legitimate world power—all because of God’s care and nurture. For all this they might have shown some gratitude, but instead, “they have revolted against Me.”
To indicate how much guilt this ingratitude has incurred, the prophet compares Israel to a couple of animals not known for their intelligence or their learning capacity. He says, “An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” If the ox and the ass act more wisely than Israel, Israel must be dull indeed. I’m sure more than one parent here has had similar thoughts. Perhaps you have a dog or a cat that is docile, that knows where its supper dish is and consistently lets you know when it needs to go outside. And you compare that animal’s behavior to your teenager who won’t brush her teeth or make his bed, or in some more serious way exercises rebellion against your authority. But you would never trade your kid for a dog (or almost never). So also, God refuses to cast away His people despite their base ingratitude.
The second part of the indictment accuses Israel of …
Moral depravity (4a). The first words of verse 4, “Alas, sinful nation,” summarize the situation, with pathos being added by use of the Hebrew term “goi” for “nation.” That is the term the Jews used for the despised Gentiles, and Isaiah turns it on them. The vindication for such a charge is seen in the next three phrases, in which we are told that the people are “weighed down with iniquity,” they are “offspring of evildoers,” and they are “sons who act corruptly.” Later in the chapter he will be more specific about their immoral behavior, but at this point he is willing to settle for general charges.
Another indictment speaks to their …
Spiritual rebellion. Verse 4 continues: “They have abandoned the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him.” Once again, the charges are very serious, and they describe a total spiritual coldness. Worse than that, when God has made advances toward His people to bring them back to Himself, they have consistently repelled His advances and insulted Him. But before we say “shame, shame on those Jews,” we need to examine our own hearts to see if there are ways in which we too have pulled away from the Lord, the one who adopted us, nurtured us, and granted us the exalted position of being “in Christ” and having all our spiritual needs met in Him.
Following the divine indictment, Isaiah describes the desolate state of the nation.
The desolate state of the nation (1:5-9)
There is a very close contextual connection between these two sections. The indictment of vs. 2-4 provides the reason for the desolateness the people see all around them. It is impossible for us to reconstruct the circumstances which Isaiah describes here, since we don’t know exactly when this message was delivered. However, it is obvious from the brief description provided that the political, economic, and social state of affairs was sorry and deteriorating further with every passing day.
We who live in the United States today may have difficulty empathizing with OT Israel at this point, since our own nation is now so stable and prosperous (note added: this was written in 1984 during the Reagan years), but we have only to think back to the Great Depression to find a relatively parallel experience, and there is no guarantee that we might not go through such a time again. Certainly, there are times in the lives of most of us when our personal affairs seem to be in the same desolate state that Israel was in as a nation. When we face such times, perhaps the first thing we should ask is, “Could sin and rebellion be the cause of my trouble?” I say we should ask that question even though I hasten to add that the answer will not always be “Yes.” There are always those like Job, or the man born blind in John 9, who suffer for reasons completely unrelated to personal sin. Still the wise person will at least examine himself to see if the trouble he is experiencing might be God’s discipline. It certainly was in the case of Israel.
In verses 5 & 6 the desolate state of the nation is described figuratively in terms of a person badly wounded and for whom none of the ordinary methods of treatment have as yet been effective. Then in verses 7-9 the figurative gives way to a more literal description of the nation’s condition. The country is like a desert, the cities have been burned, the fields have been stripped, and foreigners are occupying the land. Jerusalem has become like a shelter in a vineyard, like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber patch, like a city under siege, like a house trailer in the path of a tornado, like an abandoned duck blind on a wind-swept lake.
The fact that total extinction has not resulted is due solely to God’s grace, for verse 9 says, “Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom, we would be like Gomorrah.” To this day no sure traces of those ancient cities, destroyed because of their heinous sin, have been found by archaeologists. But God in His grace was preserving a Remnant from Israel. God has always had His faithful few. Never at any point in the history of the people of God has the persecution of the world and the devil been allowed to go as far as extinction of the people of God. This is true both regarding God’s national people, Israel, and His spiritual people, the Church.
Now the transition between verses 9 & 10 hinges upon the terms “Sodom” and “Gomorrah.” In verse 9 those two cities are used as examples of what the desolation of the nation would have been like had not God graciously spared a remnant. But then in verse 10 the prophet delivers a scathing rebuke of the deadness of Israel’s formalistic religion, calling them “Sodom” and “Gomorrah.” It’s as though the mention of the two cities in verse 9 pressed home the fact that Jerusalem was likeSodom and Gomorrah in a more significant way than just its desolate condition; it was also like Sodom and Gomorrah spiritually.
The deadness of formalistic religion (10-23)
Isaiah’s warning here is given in five parts, the first being that God’s people are just going through the motions spiritually.
Going through the motions (10-13a) Listen to the indictment the Lord lodges against His people:
Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of Sodom;
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah.
11 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
12 “When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
Incense is an abomination to Me.
Notice here that the Israelites were fulfilling every external religious obligation meticulously. Their sacrifices were being offered in large numbers. The choicest of victims were being presented. Whereas at times in Israel’s history, grain offerings were substituted for the more valuable animal offerings, that was not the case now. Technically every requirement of the Law was being met. If we were to bring this situation up to date, we might say that God’s people were attending worship regularly, they were tithing, and even children’s church was fully staffed.
But still something was terribly wrong. God says He has had enough of their religiosity. He takes no pleasure in their worship. He considers their attendance at services nothing more than trespassing. They were just wearing out the carpet in the sanctuary. In fact, He forbids them to bring any further offerings. Why? Had not God Himself prescribed these religious observances? Wasn’t the sacrificial system His idea in the first place? Yes, but God never intended that religious observance be an end in itself. Religion has value only as a person whose heart is right with God freely offers to Him the sacrifice of an obedient life and a humble spirit. When a person who is living in sin goes through religious motions, it is not only worthless, it is worse than worthless—it is an abomination to the Lord. “To obey is better than sacrifice,” Samuel told Israel. The problem was that Israel was …
Neglecting repentance (13b). Let’s read the last part of verse 13: “I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.” Essentially God is saying that sin and worship don’t mix. And that’s as true today as it was in Isaiah’s day. Those who come to church on Sunday, sing the hymns, put an offering in the plate, and perhaps even take upon themselves some ministry, but rip off their employees, or cheat on their timeclock, or take the Lord’s name in vain, or ignore the needs of their brothers and sisters in Christ are fooling themselves if they think God is mollified by their religious observances. In fact, I suspect God is angrier at what He sees in many churches on Sunday morning than He is at what He sees in many bars on Saturday night. At least many of those people don’t make any pretense of belonging to Him or calling themselves by His Son’s name.
Well, what sins tend to invalidate worship? I would say that any sin unrepented of would qualify, but Isaiah points out two different categories of sin the Jews were guilty of—sins of omission and sins of commission.
1. Sins of omission (16, 17). This is principally what is in view in verses 17: “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless; defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Notice that these are all good things they weren’t doing and should have been doing. But there were also things they weredoing they shouldn’t have been doing. These we might call ….
2. Sins of commission (21-23). Among these are murder, theft, and bribery. I think I should pause here to observe that it’s very easy for us to put so much attention upon sins of commission, especially those that are addressed by the Ten Commandments, that we forget that to God the good things we neglect are every bit as guilt-incurring as the evil things we commit. The NT says, “To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)
The inevitable next step after neglecting repentance is …
Losing contact with God. Now I don’t mean that literally, for God has promised to those who are His children that He will never leave them nor forsake them. But they can lose the joy of their salvation, they can lose the warm fellowship that is available to the believer, and they can lose the power of prayer. Look at the results in respect to contact with God when men try to mix sin and worship. God is speaking in verse 14 and 15:
“I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am tired of bearing them.
15 So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you offer many prayers,
I will not be listening.
Your hands are covered with blood.”
This is not the only time in the Scripture that God promises to cut off prayer contact between Himself and His people. In Psalm 66:18 the Psalmist states, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” And 1 Peter 3 warns Christian husbands that their prayers may be hindered if they do not live with their wives in an understanding way or grant them honor as a fellowheir of the grace of life. So, this is a serious matter with profound repercussions, and I wonder if some of us who question occasionally whether God still answers prayer don’t need to quit wondering about Godand start examining ourselves and our need for repentance.
Fortunately, Isaiah doesn’t leave us in despair at verse 15. After describing those who are going through the motions, neglecting repentance, and losing contact with God, he discusses the all-important matter of recognizing the solution.
Recognizing the solution (16-18). He begins with repentance, which is defined biblically as a spiritual about-face, seeing something as contrary to the character of God and turning away from it, forsaking it.
1. Repentance (16). Notice how the prophet urges repentance. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight, cease to do evil.” On the surface we may be a bit bothered by his terminology. We have been taught that we cannot wash ourselves or make ourselves clean—that that is the function of the blood of Christ, shed in our behalf. But even we who have the benefit of such NT truth must recognize that God washes and cleanses no one who doesn’t desire it. Salvation is never forced on anyone. Its prerequisite is that a man acknowledges his hopeless, sinful condition before God and accepts the Savior He has provided. After all, no man can receive a Savior unless he first realizes he is lost. I think that is all Isaiah is saying: “acknowledge your sin, forsake it, seek cleansing.”
And the proof that he is not teaching salvation by good works or by self-help comes in verse 18, where the message is one of pure grace.
2. Grace (18). “’Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’” Friends, that is surely one of the greatest verses in the Bible. God Himself is calling us to the conference table. It’s as though He is suggesting that we consider settling with Him out of court. The Hebrew term translated “reason” means “to settle our differences.” We may think we are innocent, but Isaiah assures us we are not. Our sins, like those of Israel, are scarlet, signifying blood guiltiness. But God offers total forgiveness, as complete as changing scarlet to pure white. If we reject His offer to settle our differences, we will pay dearly and eternally. What is the cost of settling out of court? Repentance is the cost. But that is a very small price to pay for cleansing and forgiveness.
There’s a final point our author would like to press home, though the astute listener surely has picked it up already. And that is that the individual must make a choice.
Making a choice (19, 20). Verse 19 and 20 reads, “‘If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The imagery is designed, of course, for OT Israel, and the promises and threats given relate specifically to Israel’s national welfare. Either they will obey and prosper or they will rebel and fall victim to their enemies. But there is profound spiritual truth for us as well, for consenting with God about our need for repentance and being obedient to His plan of salvation will result in forgiveness and spiritual prosperity, while rebellion and refusal to go to Him for forgiveness will result in spiritual death for all of eternity.
The only way our scarlet sins can be made white as snow is through putting our faith in the death of Christ. When Jesus died on the Cross, He paid our penalty and granted forgiveness to those who turn to Him in faith.
DATE: June 10, 1984
Tags:
Religion, formalistic
Judgment
Repentance