Chapter 1 Part 2 Judah's Condition

The prophesy delivered through Isaiah was to go to the southern kingdom of Judah (Judah, Benjamin and Levi serving in the temple) and Jerusalem. Although Judah remain true to the line of David and only sacrificed in the temple they became a wicked sin-full nation and city.

Judah's Sinful Condition

1: 1-4 -A sinful nation,  laden with iniquity- weighted down by their sin, under a heavy burden. -

A seed of evildoers [evildoers were being planted and grown in Judah];

Children that are corrupters [the evil was planted in the children and they were passing it on]

Their sin was being propagated from generation to generation

They forsook the LORD -

Their sinful ways provoked the Him

1:5 - Their head is sick and heart faint - The seat of decision making and the seat of emotions are both corrupted. Their thought were not upon God , they were contrary to His ways. Theur emotions were pulling them away from their God.

1:6 -When the head hurts the whole body is affected. There was no good in their entire body just corruption.

Isaiah 64:6-7 ¶ 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.And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered

No healing in their ways only filthy rags

See Malachi 1:6-14

Malachi was written over 200 years after Isaiah - sacrifices were being made in the temple rebuilt after the 70 year captivity in Babylon.

The Jews were asking in their hearts wahy had all the terrible things happened to our nation. God's answer they did honor His name and they had no fear of Him.

The nation of Israel was to magnify the Name of The LORD among the gentiles, but instaed they caused His name to be held in derision. .[the hear and heart of Israel]

Isaiah 1:7 - The land that flowed with milk and honey, promised to the descendants of Abraham had become a land of waste their enemies were pillaging the land. The gentile nation seemed to be able to move freely in and out of The Land.

Isaiah 1:8 - Zion, God's holy city, Jerusalem, instead of being the great walled and protected city where the temple was had and intended by The LORD to be His permanent dwelling place with his people had  become (to Judah) nothing more than a small cottage, a temporary dwelling place for the caretaker of the vineyards or gardener to live. It was no longer a city free from the world but had become a city surrounded by it's enemies.

Isaiah 1:9 - The Lord always has his remnant, his portion and because of them Jerusalem was spared the same punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jerusalem, God's Holy City had become as wicked as these trwo cities.   

Read Lamentations written by Jeremiah some 50 to 60 years after Isaiah and see what Jerusalem had become. see Lamentations 1:1, 4:11-12, 13-20

Isaiah 1:5 -   Hear, O heavens give ear O earth - It was a waste of time to speak to Judah -  Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more. They were beyond hearing and perceiving what The LORD was doing through His chastisement. Judah had become completely consumed and held down by their sin that they were learning why God had strickened them and He could bring upon them would do any good. The more He chastened the more they revolted. They would see and hear but not perceive.

See Jeremiah 5:3.