Isaiah 1:1-3

I've decided I need to take this on in bite-sized chunks. I obviously missed my Thursday deadline (big work project - trying to get a mail server to relay and send email for a ticketing system we're trying out. My advice - if you've got a Solaris server, Postfix is way easier than Sendmail)

Anyway, enough of my excuses. I'll jump right in:

The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (v.1)

It seems to me that the word "vision" should be expanded beyond seeing something otherworldly, or representative, like John's Revelation. As we'll see below it is much more as if Isaiah is relaying a dictation. There are certainly metaphorical elements, but compared to, say, chapter 6, this reads as much more of a declaration.

The vision pertains to the entirety of Israel - both Judah and Jerusalem - none of God's chosen people escaped judgment. Isaiah continued to speak prophetically over the reigns of four kings, which tells me that they were "ever hearing, never understanding". The message and themes are repeated over and over again, yet either in arrogance or ignorance each king ignored the prophetic words except, perhaps, Hezekiah who tends to be portrayed in a much more positive light.

Why mention Isaiah's relentless prophesying? To me it represents hope. Isaiah did not give up on the truth, but continued to proclaim it loudly and boldly, despite seeing little progress. He had one mission and he would continue to pursue it until it was done, regardless of whether or not his words were effective. This example also says to me that Isaiah didn't feel responsible for the outcome of his words. His job was to communicate the truth so that it would be known. He could not make a king or commoner change their ways, but he could speak God's word to them and allow the Holy Spirit interact with their own free wills.

When we are called to do something by God, we must be confident in doing it without looking towards the outcome. First, unless explicitly told the outcome, we do not know it. Secondly, we are not commanded to get "results", we are commanded to obey. The results are up to God. Think about one of Isaiah's contemporaries, Jonah. Here's a guy who thought he new the results of his (eventual) obedience. When the outcome was different than expected, he didn't rejoice in the repentance of Ninevah, but sulked that they weren't destroyed. Had Jonah understood what Isaiah did, that he was simply called to do what God asked, we may have heard more from him. I think the fact that Jonah misunderstood his mission is reflected in the truncated nature of his book.

Verses 2 and 3

Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth!
For the LORD has spoken:
"I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.

³ The ox knows his master,
the donkey his owner's manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand."

Isaiah proclaims to the universe (heavens and earth) that the LORD is speaking to the nation Israel. The fatherly nature of God comes out as both lament and rebuke as He proclaims, "they have rebelled against me." God's guiding hand on the children of Abraham, the rituals and remembrances (e.g. Passover, Mosaic Law) have been either rejected or perverted so that they are forms without meaning, actions without passion. The people of God had rejected him and either followed other gods or simply relegated Him to lip service. The relationship had been broken as they had chosen to do their own thing rather than participate as children of God.

Verse three continues with this theme, noting that even animals are aware of their caretakers and homes. Israel has gone so far astray, however, that they don't even have the understanding of common pack animals. Though they are children of God, they neither acknowledge their parentage, nor honor Him from whom they owe their existence.

This message is not only a message to Israel, but holds truth for us today. God continues to be our father. He hasn't changed, He has neither forsaken us or left us. Yet we, both believers and unbelievers alike find ourselves at times far away from the Father's voice. I think Isaiah speaks particularly to believers, though, as we have acknowledged and professed our love for Him, yet remain distant , conforming to the world and not knowing our master. Do we really know our master's voice? Do we really understand where our true home lies? I believe that Isaiah speaks to us as a warning as well. The father is constantly calling out "come!" and we do a poor job of responding.

I speak for myself, here, especially. I long to know the father, long to hear his voice, but sometimes the journey to His house seems a long one. Many years of American culture have imbued me with habits and ideas that belong far more to the world, than to God. I am not condemning who I am, nor am I suggesting that intimacy with God isn't something that can be achieved (even quickly), but I am saying that it takes dedication and work, as all relationships do.

In a literary sense, Isaiah drops us right into the conflict. He immediately points out the actors and we have a sense of the plot - God has reared up children whom He loves, but they have rebelled against Him and lost their way. This is just the beginning of the story, though, and there are many more chapters before the end. Next time: the plot thickens.