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.

Isaiah 1:4-6 English Standard Version

⁴ Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. ⁵ Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. ⁶ From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil.

Continuing on with this theme that is running all through the bible let us examine these three verses.

National identity appears at the beginning of verse 4. Nations suffer because of the inequity as a collective which is not the consequences of individual sins. What comes to mind here is the phrase, “go along to get along.” Hitler’s Germany is recent history upon which volumes have been written about the mistakes of the past. Sadly those same mistakes occurred over and over again throughout history without anyone being able to remember the mistakes of the past.

The cause of this seems to remain the same within this theme. Mankind has forsaken the Lord.

The comments of verse five and six can be taken to indicate a national theme but look carefully at the choice of words head, heart, and body parts all the way down to the soles of the feet. This compared to the body of Christ could be seen as a warning to the administration of our churches today. If corrupt attitudes exist in our churches, it vindicates the actions of people outside the church.

We are a people of laws not subject to any monarchy. That is as a nation but as individuals we have a Lord who rules in our hearts. What is to be done about this historical example?