# Isaiah 01 đ: A Rebellious Nation Called to Repent
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Heading
[[#Verse 01.]]Â Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah.
### Obedience, not Sacrifice
[[#Verse 02.]]Â Listen, O heavens,
pay attention, O earth!
For the Lord speaks:
âI raised children, I brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me!
[[#Verse 03.]]Â An ox recognizes its owner,
a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food;
but Israel does not recognize me,
my people do not understand.â
[[#Verse 04.]]Â Beware sinful nation,
the people weighed down by evil deeds.
They are offspring who do wrong,
children who do wicked things.
They have abandoned the Lord,
and rejected the Holy One of Israel.
They are alienated from him.
[[#Verse 05.]]Â Why do you insist on being battered?
Why do you continue to rebel?
Your head has a massive wound,
your whole heart is sick.
[[#Verse 06.]]Â From the soles of your feet to your head,
there is no spot that is unharmed.
There are only bruises, cuts,
and open wounds.
They have not been cleansed or bandaged,
nor have they been treated with olive oil.
[[#Verse 07.]]Â Your land is devastated,
your cities burned with fire.
Right before your eyes your crops
are being destroyed by foreign invaders.
They leave behind devastation and destruction.
[[#Verse 08.]] Daughter Zion is left isolated,
like a hut in a vineyard,
or a shelter in a cucumber field;
she is a besieged city.
[[#Verse 09.]] If the Lord of Heavenâs Armies had not left us a few survivors,
we would have quickly been like Sodom,
we would have become like Gomorrah.
[[#Verse 10.]] Listen to the Lordâs message,
you leaders of Sodom!
Pay attention to our Godâs rebuke,
people of Gomorrah!
[[#Verse 11.]]Â âOf what importance to me are your many sacrifices?â
says the Lord.
âI have had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
of rams and the fat from steers.
The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats
I do not want.
[[#Verse 12.]]Â When you enter my presence,
do you actually think I want thisâ
animals trampling on my courtyards?
[[#Verse 13.]] Do not bring any more meaningless offerings;
I consider your incense detestable!
You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,
but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations!
[[#Verse 14.]]Â I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;
they are a burden
that I am tired of carrying.
[[#Verse 15.]]Â When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I look the other way;
when you offer your many prayers,
I do not listen,
because your hands are covered with blood.
[[#Verse 16.]]Â Wash! Cleanse yourselves!
Remove your sinful deeds
from my sight.
Stop sinning.
[[#Verse 17.]]Â Learn to do what is right.
Promote justice.
Give the oppressed reason to celebrate.
Take up the cause of the orphan.
Defend the rights of the widow.
[[#Verse 18.]] Come, letâs consider your options,â says the Lord. âThough your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool.
[[#Verse 19.]]Â If you have a willing attitude and obey,
then you will again eat the good crops of the land.
[[#Verse 20.]]Â But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.â
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.
### Purifying Judgment
[[#Verse 21.]]Â How tragic that the once-faithful city
has become a prostitute!
She was once a center of justice;
fairness resided in herâ
but now only murderers!
[[#Verse 22.]] Your silver has become scum,
your beer is diluted with water.
[[#Verse 23.]]Â Your officials are rebels,
they associate with thieves.
All of them love bribery,
and look for payoffs.
They do not take up the cause of the orphan,
or defend the rights of the widow.
[[#Verse 24.]] Therefore, the Sovereign Lord of Heavenâs Armies,
the Powerful One of Israel, says this:
âAh, I will seek vengeance against my adversaries,
I will take revenge against my enemies.
[[#Verse 25.]]Â I will attack you;
I will purify your metal with flux.
I will remove all your slag.
[[#Verse 26.]]Â I will reestablish honest judges as in former times,
wise advisers as in earlier days.
Then you will be called, âThe Just City,
Faithful Town.ââ
[[#Verse 27.]]Â Zion will be freed by justice,
and her returnees by righteousness.
[[#Verse 28.]]Â All rebellious sinners will be shattered,
those who abandon the Lord will perish.
[[#Verse 29.]] Indeed, they will be ashamed of the sacred trees
you find so desirable;
you will be embarrassed because of the sacred orchards
where you choose to worship.
[[#Verse 30.]]Â For you will be like a tree whose leaves wither,
like an orchard that is unwatered.
[[#Verse 31.]] The powerful will be like a thread of yarn,
their deeds like a spark;
both will burn together,
and no one will put out the fire.
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
###### Verse 26.
###### Verse 27.
###### Verse 28.
###### Verse 29.
###### Verse 30.
###### Verse 31.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The name Isaiah means the Lord saves or the Lord is salvation.
2. Isaiah ministered during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (1:1), roughly 740 to 700 BC.
3. God calls heaven and earth as witnesses (1:2), the same witnesses Moses called in Deuteronomy 32:1, like a covenant courtroom case.
4. Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament more than any other prophet.
5. The Great Isaiah Scroll, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, contains all 66 chapters and dates to the second century BC.
6. That scroll is about a thousand years older than the oldest Hebrew copies of Isaiah known before its discovery, and its text is remarkably close to them.
7. Scarlet and crimson dyes (1:18) came from insects and were known for being colorfast and hard to wash out.
8. A hut in a cucumber field (1:8) was a flimsy temporary shelter for a watchman, a picture of how isolated Jerusalem had become.
9. Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9 in Romans 9:29 to show that God always preserves a remnant.
10. Isaiah calls Jerusalem rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah (1:10), a shocking comparison for proud covenant people.
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One who makes scarlet sins white as snow (1:18). His blood cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7), something no empty ritual could ever do (1:11-15).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. God says an ox knows its owner, but His people do not know Him (1:3). What are the signs that people have drifted from knowing God?
2. God rejects worship that is disconnected from justice and obedience (1:11-17). How can our worship become empty, and what restores it?
3. God invites His people to settle the matter with Him and promises cleansing (1:18). What keeps people from accepting that invitation?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 3: Even animals know their owner, but God's people do not understand.
- đ verses 16-17: Stop doing evil, learn to do good, seek justice, and defend the vulnerable.
- đ verse 18: Though your sins are like scarlet, they can become white like snow.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[1 John 01#Verse 07.|1 John 1:7-9]] - The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
- đ [[Romans 09#Verse 29.|Romans 9:29]] - Unless the Lord had left a remnant.
- đ [[Micah 06#Verse 06.|Micah 6:6-8]] - What the Lord requires: justice, faithfulness, humility.
- đ [[Psalm 51#Verse 07.|Psalm 51:7]] - Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
- đ [[James 01#Verse 27.|James 1:27]] - Pure religion cares for orphans and widows.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Isaiah 01 - SOAP|What Does God Want Me To Do?]]
## đ Internal Notes