Isaiah 1:10-12 English Standard Version

¹⁰ Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! ¹¹ “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. ¹² “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?

Here is a quick summary statement of this portion of scripture. “It worked for them, let’s do that.”

The truth is revealed in the very last line. Those actions, no matter how good the intentions, were not authored by God. They were not performed in obedience of faith.

When I left off yesterday I proclaimed that evangelism begins in the heart. To explain that better perhaps I should say it this way. Preach the gospel and if you have to, use words.

1 Corinthians 1:17 English Standard Version (ESV) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

A life lived by obedience of faith is evangelism to everyone who comes to know us. Here is the conclusion of the theme that runs throughout the bible. The culmination of all God’s work was to bring you to Christ by means of the Cross of Christ.

In the garden stood two named trees. The one pronounced death, the other life. Satan in his jealousy of mankind tempted Eve to death. Man in his sinful state was not allowed to eat of the tree of life until the fullness of time came into being.

God with His infinite patience waited thousands of years for just the right moment to remove sin as a barrier to relationship with Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 1:7-9 English Standard Version

⁷ Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners. ⁸ And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. ⁹ If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.

The first thing to consider is the terminology related to desolation. The term booth expresses the condition of those God loves seen by referencing the daughters of Zion. A both represents an isolated condition and the efforts of man to separate themselves from the dangers surrounding themselves. The vineyard expressing the fruits of their labors.

Verse 9 clearing indicates that is the Lord Himself that saved a remnant of His people and not through any frantic and desperate move on man’s part to protect himself. Out lesson here should be one of humility to understand that if we are to survive the onslaught of circumstances brought on by our nation turning their backs on God, it will be God that saves us and not we ourselves.

If we have done some study of historical significance we might draw some conclusions about the coming conditions which we want to avoid. So often we take a world view fix. Elect better leaders, make better laws, build coalitions, and get involved in change. These efforts are done without listening to God, understanding His plans for us, and using determination rather than faith.

On the spiritual side we might see a call to revival. We might seek to evangelize and send out missionaries. Those are both Godly efforts if done according to God’s will. Church leaders might in some cases determine what needs to be done without following God’s recipe for success.

Evangelism begins in the heart of each of us.