| Isaiah Chapter 1 - The Holy One Of Israel Question: Have you ever watched police shows and thought ’ boy I’m glad I I’m not like him? Question: When we determine how corrupt a person is, what is the standard we use? Do you suppose Isaiah was a chronic lair? Did he blaspheme God? Was he a whoremonger? A drunk? If not why did he say in Isaiah 6:5 “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips….?” Isaiah 6:5 …….For his eyes had seen for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts sitting upon His throne., This made Isaiah realized it did not matter how good he may have thought he was, the truth is - But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6 What Isaiah saw also made him realize: and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips Isaiah 6:5: If the children of Israel had kept every commandment and every law they still would have been as an unclean thing, and .... all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6 What about this statement we all have made - He is a great man of God - is he? - By whose standards. It doesn’t how great of a man of God one is he is still as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6 We must realize, as Isaiah had, the standard of righteousness in nothing less than The Holy One Of Israel, the one Isaiah saw sitting on his throne. The phrase, “The Holy One Of Israel” is in the book of Isaiah 25 times! - A key phrase of Isaiah Read Isaiah 1:1-4 Verse 1:2 - Why was He (The Lord) speaking to the Heavens and Earth? See Isaiah 6:9-10 - Isaiah the Heavens and Earth will hear you before my people will. (the statement I might as well be talking to a brick wall as you) His message to the heavens and earth: Verse 1:2- He had brought children who rebelled against Him Verse 3: The ox and the ass know where to return, but Israel doesn’t know to return to me. Verse 4: They are a sinful nation, from the seed of a sinful people {Abraham, Isaac. Jacob, the sons of Israel}. They have provoked Me (the Holy One Of Israel) to anger because of their corruption and iniquity Verse 4: they were going backward away from Him instead of toward The Holy One Of Israel Here’s my thought about The nation of Israel: They knew they were God’s chosen people so they thought they were special in themselves. They wanted to get to God on their own terms and righteousness They believed their own way would take to God. They wanted to worship God on their terms not His. But here was the problem every time they took one step toward God their righteousness (filthy rags) would take them two steps back away form Him. On their own they would only go back farther and farther away from The Holy One Of Israel. How could they ever get to God this way? An Impossibility. The Psalmist knew the basis for true praise and worship; Psalm 71:22 - I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. You praise Him with His Truth. You worship with His truth. Psalm 115:1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. . It is not about how great our prayer sounds, it is about His Truth It is not about how pretty a song is, it is about His Truth The
Holy One Of Israel is Truth, he is Righteousness as they went away
from the Holy One of Israel they went away from Truth and
Righteousness. |