Isaiah 1 sets the tone for much of the book of Isaiah.  Let’s look together at a few verses from Isaiah 1 together today. 

Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
    Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.

Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
    I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.

When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

Wash and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
    stop doing wrong.

Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.

If you are willing and obedient,
    you will eat the good things of the land;

but if you resist and rebel,
    you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

The people of God have forgotten their Creator and have rebelled.  Isaiah is reminding them that their sacrifices and worship are meaningless when their hearts are far from God.  Certainly God loves our worship, but more than that, He loves when our hearts are for Him.  Jesus reiterates this same message in the sermon on the mount.  It comes down to a matter of the heart.  We can even do the right thing and it can still be displeasing to God.  Isaiah’s reminder is to focus on our hearts toward God.  When our hearts are in the right place the behavior will follow and if it doesn’t we check our hearts again.  Love for God will lead us in the right direction.  The beautiful part of this Scripture is the ending.  Though our sins are like scarlet God will make them white as snow.  His great gift leads us to love Him more and more which helps Him to change us from the inside out.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave