The Book of Isaiah Chapte

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.15

    Isa 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

    This spreading forth of hands apparently is an act of desperation. The definition of spread forth is as follows.

    1) to spread, spread out, stretch, break in pieces
    a) (Qal)
    1) to spread out, display
    2) to spread over
    b) (Niphal) to be scattered, be spread out
    c) (Piel)
    1) to spread out
    1) to scatter

    The definition for hands also confirm this in my mind.

    1) palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand
    a) palm, hollow or flat of the hand
    b) power
    c) sole (of the foot)
    d) hollow, objects, bending objects, bent objects
    1) of thigh-joint
    2) pan, vessel (as hollow)
    3) hollow (of sling)
    4) hand-shaped branches or fronds (of palm trees)
    5) handles (as bent)

    It’s interesting that the word “hollow” pops up in these definitions four times, as well as the word “power.” It strikes me that whatever power they thought they had via prayer was hollow, or their efforts were hollow.

    “I will hide mine eyes from you,” speaks of mental and spiritual faculties.  At this point of desperation, people will be making many prayers, but it will all be hollow effort, because He’s going to hide His mental and spiritual faculties from them, and not hear them or not pay attention.

    The reason, He says, is that their “hands” are full of blood. There’s a difference in the meaning of hands here versus earlier in the verse. Hands here refer to the hand of man, as well as to strength and power.

    The word “full” here refers to being full, accomplished and to have abundance. In other words, they became accomplished via the blood of others. They either used, abused or stepped on others in ways that caused the ruin of others.

    The word “blood” here has a figurative connotation of “wine.” It makes me think that those left desolate in their path, became drunkards. People don’t seem to understand or care much about the effect they have on the lives of others, but God does, and it matters a great deal to Him that one of His children is not misdirected or permanently damaged by the selfishness of others.

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.14 pt.2

    So I looked up the soul, because God apparently has one.

    1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion

    So if I were to just look at the main definition here, (soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion) I can definitely understand the first three, and equate them with God. He has a “self.”

    I found “creature” before. This reference I found in Genesis, as I was studying the creation. Person, mind, living being, desire, emotion and passion I can understand and equate with God with no problem.

    However, I never would have equated the word “appetite” to God. The reason is because I don’t see us eating in heaven. I recognize grand feast when we the “bride,” meet up with and “marry” the “bridegroom,” Christ. However, I don’t know that I equate that feast on the same level as what we know of as a feast here.

    First of all, we will have different bodies; spiritual bodies. We’ll have shed our outer covering of flesh, and the spirit beings that we are shall be seen. We won’t need food as we know it here. So I can only assume that any feast in the heavenlies is a feast of the word, or a spiritual feast of some sort.

    So, that being said, I find it hard to equate the word “appetite” with God. The only thing I can connect that word to, is worship. God craves our worship. It is the one thing He requests and requires as a service to Him.

    When I think of the appetites of man, all I see is greed and gluttony. But with God, when I think of that word appetite, I only see desire and passion.

    a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man

    That which breathes…Most people don’t think of God as a living, breathing being. He may not have a fleshly body, but there’s more substance to Him than to any of us.

    b) living being
    c) living being (with life in the blood)

    If God has a soul, and this is defined as a living being with life in the blood, then I have to wonder if there is some type of blood within a spiritual being. Not blood as we know it, but some type of blood on a spiritual level. However, this is purely speculation. It could be just that there is a separation of some of these meanings. Some could apply to God, and some could apply to man, and some could apply to both.

    However, a thought I have is that God created us after Himself. So far, I’m seeing similarities in the fact that He, like us, has a soul, an appetite, and now I’m wondering…blood.

    I never had the connotation that a spiritual being would have any of this, but apparently, He does. I mean, now that I think about it, it seems that God has every quality, characteristic and the same content we have, just in a spirit form versus flesh. What do you think? After all, He created us with all of this, and He made us in His image and likeness.

    d) the man himself, self, person or individual
    e) seat of the appetites
    f) seat of emotions and passions
    g) activity of mind
    1) dubious

    Well, we definitely see evidence of the activity of the mind of God all around us. Our entire environment was the design of the active mind of God. Yet there are those that have doubts about it.

    This is why I’ve asked God to ensure the safety of my pets once Christ returns and takes us up. I don’t know for any certainty that they’d be taken as well, although some people have tried to convince me of this. I don’t know of scripture that supports the claim, but I’d like to believe it.

    What I do know, is that the animals do have a soul, according to Genesis, because of the same reference to “creature” there. So they too have an active mind.

    h) activity of the will
    1) dubious

    There is no doubt that the God who created our wills and gave us the freedom to use them as we please, has, himself, an active will, which He exerts to accomplish His purposes in our lives.

    i) activity of the character
    1) dubious

    And yes, this living being, God, has activity of the character. This is evidenced by His blessings, provision, and the fact that His promises are true, and He is a God of integrity, who keeps His promises.

    Isa 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear [them].

    So here, it is quite clear that God abhors what they are doing, because He’s so upset by their lack of proper respect and love, that it has irritated Him down to His “soul.”

    Weary
    1) to be weary, be impatient, be grieved, be offended
    a) (Qal) to be weary, be impatient
    b) (Niphal) to be tired of something, weary oneself
    c) (Hiphil) to weary, make weary, exhaust

    This faithless ritual of theirs has so offended Him that He says He is just too tired to put up with them.

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.14 pt.1

    Isa 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear [them].

    We already have a bit of info on the new moons. We also know that the appointed feasts are a scheduled requirement. But what caught my attention is “my soul hateth.” First of all, I didn’t know God has a soul. When I think of a soul, I think of it in the connotation of man. It is the seat of his emotions, and the part of man that is most easily led astray.

    When we react versus respond, we are reacting from an emotional place. When this occurs, and we fail to exercise restraint or self-control, it can be our undoing, because we don’t actively think before we act, we simply re-act.

    Self-Control (Without):
    “powerless” (a, negative, kratos, “strength”), is rendered “without self-control,” in 2Ti 3:3, RV; see INCONTINENT.

    Since the syllable “re” means to go or turn back, then a reaction is a backwards action, or an action that takes you backwards from where you are. There are certain peoples and cultures that have more of a tendency toward over emotional reactions to everything. Some of them think that the law has no bearing in accordance to whatever they are upset about at a given moment.

    I can think of an example of a specific group here in Florida that causes havoc here every time something happens in their country of origin that they don’t like. We’ve had incidents of protests wherein they have blocked major roadways and arteries to prevent the rest of the community from going to work, just so they can vent their frustration. This sort of behavior does not endear them to the rest of the population here.

    Pro 16:32  [He that is] slow to anger [is] better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

    The point is that it is better to respond than to react, because when you react, you render yourself incontinent.

    Incontinency, Incontinent:
    denotes “want of power” (a, negative, kratos, “power”); hence, “want of self-control, incontinency,” 1Cr 7:5; in Mat 23:25, “excess.”
    denotes “powerless, impotent;” in a moral sense, unrestrained, “without self-control,” 2Ti 3:3, RV (AV, “incontinent”).

    2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
    2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
    2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
    2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
    2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
    2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
    2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

    1Cr 7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except [it be] with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

    Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
    Mat 23:26 [Thou] blind Pharisee, cleanse first that [which is] within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also    .

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.13

    The last entry on this series can be found here.

    Isa 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

    Vain – vanity, falsehood, emptiness, nothingness, vanity, emptiness of speech, lying, worthlessness (of conduct)

    Oblations – gift, tribute, offering (to God), present, oblation, sacrifice, meat offering, grain offering.

    Incense – incense, smoke, odor (sweet smoke) of (burning) sacrifice, perfume

    Is an abomination – a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable, in ritual sense (of unclean food, idols, mixed marriages), in ethical sense (of wickedness etc)

    New moon – the new moon, month, monthly, the first day of the month, the lunar month

    Sabbaths – Sabbath
    a) sabbath
    b) day of atonement
    c) sabbath year
    d) week
    e) produce (in sabbath year)

    The calling – 1) to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim
    a) (Qal)
    1) to call, cry, utter a loud sound
    2) to call unto, cry (for help), call (with name of God)
    3) to proclaim
    4) to read aloud, read (to oneself), read
    5) to summon, invite, call for, call and commission, appoint, call and endow
    6) to call, name, give name to, call by
    b) (Niphal)
    1) to call oneself
    2) to be called, be proclaimed, be read aloud, be summoned, be named
    c) (Pual) to be called, be named, be called out, be chosen

    Of Assemblies – convocation, convoking, reading, a calling together
    a) convocation, sacred assembly
    b) convoking
    c) reading

    I cannot away with – to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able
    a) (Qal)
    1) to be able, be able to gain or accomplish, be able to endure, be able to reach
    2) to prevail, prevail over or against, overcome, be victor
    3) to have ability, have strength

    Even the solemn meeting – assembly, solemn assembly
    a) assembly (sacred or festive meeting)
    b) assemblage, company, group

    In other words, stop bringing me worthlessness offerings/gifts; your sacrifice is a disgusting thing to me; the monthly days of atonement, the proclamations and reading, I cannot endure; I cannot bear your evil assemblies.

    Here, we already know a little about these New Moon festivals. It’s some monthly thing that the Jews were doing, allegedly as a form of worship to God. Maybe they were doing it out of obligation, or maybe it just became like a party thing to them, and they were leaving God out of the equation. Their intent and purpose may have been more about the celebration, than about the One being celebrated. However, I wanted a bit more info.

    Month:
    Among the Egyptians the month of thirty days each was in use long before the time of the Exodus, and formed the basis of their calculations. From the time of the institution of the Mosaic law the month among the Jews was lunar. The cycle of religious feasts depended on the moon. The commencement of a month was determined by the observation of the new moon. The number of months in the year was usually twelve (1Ki 4:7; 1Ch 27:1-15); but every third year an additional month (ve-Adar) was inserted, so as to make the months coincide with the seasons.
    “The Hebrews and Phoenicians had no word for month save ‘moon,’ and only saved their calendar from becoming vague like that of the Moslems by the interpolation of an additional month. There is no evidence at all that they ever used a true solar year such as the Egyptians possessed. The latter had twelve months of thirty days and five epagomenac or odd days.”, Palestine Quarterly, January 1889.

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.12 pt. 2

    Isa 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

    Considering the definitions I found in the last section, there were a few of these words that stood out, and I was puzzled, so I looked them up.

    Tenon – ten’-un (yadh): This word, occurring in Ex 26 and 36, is used in the account of the tabernacle to describe the “hand” or yadh by which its 48 boards were kept in place. Each board had two tenons which were mortised into it (Ex 36:22 margin). These tenons would be made of harder wood than the acacia, so as better to stand the strain of wind and weather.

    Axle-trees  – A crossbar or rod supporting a vehicle, such as a cart, that has terminal spindles on which the wheels revolve.

    A phallus – The emblem of the generative power in nature, carried in procession in the Bacchic orgies, or worshiped in various ways.

    The fractional part of a nonnegative real number is the part of the number that appears after the decimal point.

    After looking these words up, what I see is more of a picture of strength and even support. In the context of the verse, it looks like “who strong-armed you into this?”

    “To tread” in this verse is indicative of “to trample.” My courts refers to court, enclosure, settled abode, settlement, village, and town.

    This was the cross reference to the verse.

    Exd 23:17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

    So basically, they were fulfilling an obligation required by God, and there was no love in this…their duty.

    Let me see if I can sum this up in a way most people would get. Let’s look at whatever it is that one might aspire to do…their dream job or career. What if all it took for you to achieve your dream was to show a bit of respect to someone like Donald Trump, who certain has the money and access to get pretty much anywhere, and virtually anything.

    If you were required to appear before the Donald three times a year and impress him with your respect, how would you approach him? What would your motivation be? How would you appear before him…in his boardroom (court)? How would you address him? What would you wear, and how would you speak and present yourself?

    Would you resent the fact that you were required to appear before him? Would it be the formality that you’d get sick of? Would you come in with a nonchalant, arrogant attitude, like you are owed something, and just treat the Donald like one of your boys? Would you come into his boardroom in street clothes because everyone is more relaxed these days, and no one really dresses up anymore?

    Does the Donald have to just accept your cultural quirkiness; your natural hair, or dress, or other cultural oddities? Would some of you speak in street slang or ebonics because the Donald just has to understand where you’re coming from, so he just needs to adjust to your language and cultural choices? If you wanted to incur the Donald’s favor, would you present yourself in the style and the professionalism of his choice or your choice?

    Knowing how smart the Donald is, most people know he can read people well. He would fully inspect you and your game, and see how you distinguish yourself in your presentation, from everyone else, particularly if you were chosen by him. Would he think someone put you up to approaching him for some shallow purpose; would he think you weren’t serious enough or devoted enough to your heart’s desire, or would you be able to convince him of your sincerity?

    Remember, the reference from the prior verse is concerning offerings. I realize that the Donald would be a poor comparison to God, but I’m just trying to put this in a more familiar arena…and put it on a more understandable level.

    Check your answers in the Donald scenario, and then amp it up about 1 million times. Put God in the seat of respect and honor, and then make your heart’s desire your offering to Him. How would it be then? Would you trample into his household in disrespect, failing to recognize how closely He’s watching you, and failing to distinguish yourself before Him? Would He think that someone put you up to this appearance in His presence because you were as phony as a two dollar bill? This is the essence of how the people of Israel approached God. They failed to show proper respect, and in essence, tried to manipulate God with a façade of tradition. Have you approached God with a sincere offering…your heart? It’s something to think about.

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.12 pt. 1

    In the previous section, we discovered that God was not pleased with the offerings He was receiving. Here, His reasons continue.

    Isa 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

    This first section about “when ye come,” has a certain connotation that I found interesting. Basically, it means to go in, enter, come, go, come in. But it also means to fall or light upon, attack (enemy); it has one reaching to attain to, as well as to be enumerated, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon, to be introduced, be put.

    Now for me, there were a few words that stood out, but it didn’t really start making sense until I checked out all the words in this verse.

    “When ye come,” sounds simple enough, but one would certainly not go to any idea that involves an attack against an enemy, or someone reaching to attain to something, as if they had an ulterior motive. The word enumerated is indicative of numbering or listing. So here, it seems that the very fact that they’ve come is being numbered or listing in a series of errors in judgment they have apparently made.

    The first words that stood out in the definition of “to appear,” are to see, look at, inspect, perceive, and consider.

    Personally, I wouldn’t automatically come to the conclusion that an inspection was going on, but apparently, it was. God is checking out His people and seriously considering them. This is also evident in several other words defined in this section of the text, such as to learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out, give attention to, discern.

    Also found in this text are the words distinguish, present oneself, to be seen, to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at, to be exhibited to, to look at each other, face. This tells me that there was a sense of respect and honor missing in their appearing before God, because this appearing seems to have a purpose of distinguishing oneself as if part of an exhibition. As such, one would want to be judged as “Best in show,” but apparently, the opposite was happening here.

    This is even more apparent when the word “before” is looked at because it has the following connotations:

    First, it means face or presence, and it references a person Then it references faces of a variety of creatures, such as of seraphim or cherubim, of animals, and then it mentions surface (face) of the ground. This reference to the faces of various creatures really emphasizes the “Best in show” idea in my mind; as if a comparison of species or groups was being done. Certainly one would think then, that God’s chosen people would come before Him and be assessed as the first place winner so to speak. But again, this was apparently not happening, and the opposite was occurring.

    I’d be inclined to think that if they had truly been aware of the seriousness of this process…that they were being judged and assessed this much, this seriously, they would have come with the right attitude and the best offering they could. It makes me think of the attitude of Americans. By and large, most Americans take our position, rank, and the wealth and advantages we have in this country, for granted. They really don’t pay that much attention to people outside of themselves and their issues and agendas. So certainly, people outside of the country don’t really fall into the focus of very many Americans. There is a portion of the country that has awareness, but the vast majority is so self-absorbed, that they don’t care about anyone else. In this case, these people were so self-absorbed that they failed to have proper reverence, respect and concern about the nature of the ceremony or offering process and its purpose. They also disrespected God by coming into His presence in this lackadaisical manner.

    So then the question becomes, “who hath required this?”
     
    The following words define this question: to seek (to find or to secure), to seek the face or to be sought, require, desire or demand, exact; to ask or request.

    I see God asking, “Who demanded this of you? Who sought you out to exact this desire? Who sought to secure this request of you?” In other words, someone must have prompted, demanded or had a noose around your neck and dragged you into this, because it seems you came into my presence under duress. Clearly, you didn’t come before me willingly.

    Who hath required this…“at your hand    ”? When I looked up the word hand…wow! I was rather shocked. It has the following connotations: hand (of man), strength, power (fig.), side (of land), part, portion (metaph.) (fig.). In various special, technical senses it means: sign, monument, part, fractional part, share, time, repetition, axle-trees or axle, stays, support (for laver), tenons (in tabernacle), a phallus, a hand (meaning unsure), wrists. There was also a partial meaning towards consecrate.

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.11 Pt 4

    The Book of Isaiah
    Chapter 1 V.11 Pt 4

    Isa 1:11 To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

    The problem here apparently, was a lack of sincerity behind the action of sacrifices to the Lord, which made the effort meaningless and repetitive. These people were basically on autopilot, and just going through the motions required by all of the laws above, but their hearts weren’t in it, and basically did it because it was a requirement, and not a desire they themselves had out of love and devotion to God.

    It’s like when we do something for someone out of a feeling of obligation, or piety, or because we feel that “as Christians” we have to submit ourselves to every whim and need of others because it’s the “Christian thing to do.” It’s that “deny yourself” syndrome taken to the extreme, but there has to be boundaries, because God calls for us to walk with balance.

    When we fail to establish boundaries in our lives to accommodate our own individual needs and families, but make ourselves readily available to everyone out of guilt, or due to manipulation, then our actions are equally as hollow and filled with resentment, and this was God’s complaint.

    He had established clear boundaries and regulations on how this thing was to be handled, and the attitude and motivation for it. Yet what He was getting were people whose heart wasn’t in it, and who actually resented having to do this.

    So they went about this task with guilt as their motivation because they didn’t really love God with all their hearts. They felt they were being sacrificial, because they really didn’t want to do it, but did it anyways.

    This is what some Christians do…this is the attitude of “Christian service,” a lot of the time, and a person who does this actually ends up hurting people more than if they were to just be honest and say that they cannot commit their time to the situation they are being approached with.

    This excessively sacrificial pretense ends up hurting people because eventually, that hidden resentment is going to come out, and the “sacrificial lamb” will turn out to be the person perceived to be imposing, and not the one being imposed upon, despite their feeling of always being put upon.

    If your heart isn’t in it, then learn to just say no. It’s more hurtful if you make a pretense at caring and the person finds out that you really don’t, verses just being up front about how you really feel.

    God is saying here that all these alleged great (acts) of sacrifice are meaningless, because they aren’t really into it. So in turn, God takes no delight in any of their “forced” actions, not because He forced them, but because they forced themselves into doing it with no heart behind it for all the wrong reasons, making the act empty and devoid of meaning.

    Isa 1:11 To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

     When God says, “I am full…” the reference is to be weary of. In other words, I am sick and tired of this.

    In referencing this, I noticed the fact that God specifies the sacrifices here, which, if not for a significant reason, would be pointless, because He could have just as well said “animals.”

    Naturally then, I had to check these animals out, because this is worded this way for a reason, and not to say that I’ve discovered the particular reason; but rather, I want to point out something I’ve noticed.

    One of the meanings of “ram” is tabernacle. It also represents a “strong man, leader or chief” and a “mighty tree, or terebinth,” as well as a “pillar, door post, jambs, and pilaster.”

    I also looked up fat which signifies the “choicest, best part, abundance (of products of the land).”

    Furthermore, the “fed beasts” represent cattle, and a bullock – a young bull. A lamb represents a “lamb, sheep or young ram.”  The he-goats mentioned signify “ram, he-goat, chief one.”

    What I noticed is this. Despite the fact that Eve was the one deceived initially, the responsibility lay with Adam because he partook of that deception after having received direct instructions from God. It was Adam that was given the command concerning the garden after both were given dominion.

    When Eve was deceived and sinned, that did not make all of mankind guilty. In fact, their eyes didn’t officially become “opened” until after Adam, who was “with” her, partook of that apple and fulfilled or completed the deception. Check the wording in that chapter and you will see this is true.

    Therefore, all of man-kind was cursed and fell. It took one man’s sin, and one man’s sacrifice to right the wrong. Likewise, I’m seeing that in the ritual of sacrifice, it is a male beast, whether a ram, he goat, sheep, lamb or cattle, seems to be used predominantly.

    Perhaps it is because they represent the strong leader, or chief one, and then again, perhaps they also represent tearing down “strongholds” or the “strong man.” But at this point, none of it had meaning or significance to God, because the motivation and purpose was misaligned.

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.11 Pt 3

    The Book of Isaiah
    Chapter 1 V.11 Pt 3



    Isa 1:11 To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

    We are continuing our look at the five “W’s” and an “H” concerning sacrifices.

    3. Where?
    A) Upon altars (Exd 20:24)
    B) To be brought to the place appointed by God
    (Deu 12:6; 2Ch 7:12)

    4. When?
    A) On great occasions (very numerous)
    (2Ch 5:6; 7:5)
    B) For public use often provided by the state
    (2Ch 31:3)
    C) From the earliest age
     (Gen 4:3-4)
    D) After the departure of Israel from Egypt
    (Exd 5:3,17; 18:12; 24:5)
    E) Under the Mosaic age
    (Lev 1:1-7:38; Hbr 10:1-3)
    F) Daily
    (Exd 29:38-39; Num 28:3-,4)
    G) Weekly
    (Num 28:9-10)
    H) Monthly
    (Num 28:11)
    I) Yearly
     (Lev 16:3; 1Sa 1:3,21; 20:6)
    J) At all the feasts
     (Num 10:10)

    5. Who?
    A) By the patriarchs
    (Gen 22:2,13; 31:54; 46:1; Job 1:5)
    B) The whole nation
    (Lev 16:15-30; 1Ch 29:21)
    C) For individuals
    (Lev 1:2; 17:8)
    D) The Priests
    1. Appointed to offer
     (1Sa 2:28; Eze 44:11,15; Hbr 5:1; 8:3)
    2. Had a portion of, and lived by
    (Exd 29:27,28; Deu 18:3; Jos 13:14; 1Cr 9:13)
    E) The Jews
    1. Condemned for not treating with respect
     (1Sa 2:29; Mal 1:12)
    2. Condemned for bringing defective and blemished
    (Mal 1:13,14)
    3. Condemned for not offering
     (Isa 43:23,24)
    4. Unaccepted in, on account of sin
     (Isa 1:11,15; 66:3; Hsa 8:13)
    5. Condemned for offering, to idols
     (2Ch 34:25; Isa 65:3,7; Eze 20:28,31)

    6. How?
    A) Were accepted when offered in sincerity and faith
    (Gen 4:4; Hbr 11:4; Gen 8:21)
    B) Imparted a legal purification
    (Hbr 9:13,22)
    C) Could not take away sin
    (Psa 40:6; Hbr 9:9; 10:1-11)
    D) Without obedience, worthless
    (1Sa 15:22; Pro 21:3; Mar 12:33)
    E) The covenants of God confirmed by
    (Gen 15:9-17; Exd 24:5-8; Hbr 9:19,20; Psa 50:5)
    F) Were bound to the horns of the altar
    (Psa 118:27)
    G) Were salted with salt
    (Lev 2:13; Mar 9:49)
    H) Often consumed by fire from heaven
    (Lev 9:24; 1Ki 18:38; 2Ch 7:1)
    I) When bloody, accompanied with meat and drink offering
    (Num 15:3-12)
    J) No leaven offered with, except for
    (Exd 23:18; Lev 7:13)
    K) Fat of, not to remain until morning
    (Exd 23:8)

    So this gives us an idea of the importance of the sacrifices, and what the meaning and intent behind them was.

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.11 Pt 2

    The Book of Isaiah

    Chapter 1 V.11 Pt 2

     

     

    Isa 1:11 To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

     

    What is this continuous repetitive and hollow action the people are taking that has incensed God?  To understand all this, we need to look at and get some understanding of the intent and purpose of “sacrifices,” so that we can understand why God is so disgusted with their efforts.

    Let’s look at the five “W’s” and an “H.”

     

    1. Why?

     

    Part of the reason why sacrifices were a necessity is because it illustrated:

     

    A) Prayer

    Psa 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee [as] incense; [and] the lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice.

    B) Thanksgiving

    Psa 27:6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

    (Psa  107:22; 116:17; Hbr 13:15)

    C) Devotedness

    Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.

    (Phl 2:17)

    D) Benevolence

    Hbr 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

    (Phl 4:18)

    E) Righteousness

    Psa 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

    (Psa 51:19)

    F) A Broken Spirit

    Psa 51:17    The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

    G) Martyrdom

    2Ti 4:6  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

    (Phl 2:7)

    H) In faith of a coming Saviour

       Hbr 11:4,17,28

     

     

    2. What?

     

    The “what” here, will be a reference to what sacrifice is, and what is required to partake in it, as well as what it signifies.

    A) It is a Divine Institution

    Hbr 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

    (Gen 3:21; 1:29; 9:3; 4:4-5)

    B) That is to be offered to God alone

    Jdg 13:16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he [was] an angel of the LORD.

    (Exd 22:20; 2Ki 17:36)

    C) Which when offered to God, is an acknowledgement of God as the supreme God.

    2Ki 5:17    And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD.

    (Jon 1:16)

    D) What it consisted of and what was required:

    1. Clean animals or bloody sacrifices (Gen 8:20)

            a. Required to be perfect and without blemish

            (Lev 22:19; Deu 15:21; 17:1; Mal 1:8, 14)

    2. The fruits of the earth or sacrifices without blood (Gen 4:4; Lev 2:1)

            a. Generally the best of their kind

            (Gen 4:4; 1Sa 15:22; Psa 66:15; Isa 1:11)

    3. An acknowledgment of sin (Hbr 10:3)

    E) The different types of sacrifices:

                    1. Burnt offering wholly consumed by fire

    (Lev 1:1-17; 1Ki 18:38)

                    2. Sin offering for sins of ignorance

                    (Lev 4:1-35)

                    3. Trespass offering for intentional sins

                    (Lev 6:1-7; 7:1-7)

                                4. Peace offering

                                (Lev 3:1-17)

    F) The problem?

    1. Offered to false gods, are offered to devils

     (Lev 17:7; Deu 32:17; Psa 106:37; 1Cr 10:20)

  • The Book of Isaiah Chapter 1 V.10-11 Pt 1

    The Book of Isaiah

    Chapter 1 V.10-11 Pt 1

     

    Isa 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

     

    The first thing that catches my attention with this verse is the word “hear.” The ability to hear does not entail only the function of listening to something.

     

    In this definition, it  means to obey, to perceive by ear, to hear of or concerning, to have power to hear, to hear with attention or interest, to understand (language), to hear (of judicial cases), to give heed, to consent, agree, to grant request, to yield to, call to hear, summon, to tell, and to proclaim.

     

    We already know that Sodom means “burning;” and Gomorrah means “submersion” and figuratively means “of iniquity.” So God is addressing rulers of “burning and “iniquity” or “submersion,” which iniquity causes. What I get here is more related to rulers of (unruly) passions and appetites.

     

    We already know God calls them to hear, but He also calls them to “give ear.” This word is more about harkening, giving heed to, paying attention, and being obedient to hear or listen to prayers (of God).

     

    What is He calling them to give heed to? He says the “law of God.”

    This is a reference to direction, and instruction, and perhaps even a divine body of legal directives. It is also highly possible that He is referring at least in part to the laws of burnt offerings, because it talks about burnt offerings in the next verse.

     

    Isa 1:11 To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

     

    At this point, I’m starting to visualize a courtroom scene, and God is the prosecutor. He already gave his introduction. Now, He’s questioning the witnesses.

     

    He gets right to the point, and puts them right on the spot, asking what their purpose is in a multitude (and I get the word “repetitive” here) amount of sacrifices allegedly unto God.

     

    God is asking several things in this line of questioning. First, let’s look at the word “purpose.”  I’m going to rephrase the that portion of the question in several ways that all point out and define the word “purpose” as used here.

    1.  “What is the aim or goal of what you are doing?”

    2.  “What is the result or intended effect that you seek?”

    3.  “Have you determined the outcome and resolution of your actions?”

    4.  “What did you intend to resolve or accomplish?”

    5.  “Did you perform these actions deliberately?”

     

    What also strikes me here is the use of the word “multitude,” because it gives me the idea of a lot of hollow effort. It sounds like things people do for appearances sake; because truthfully, if your heart is in what you are doing, the necessity to “repetitively” do the same thing would not be occurring because the ideology is that you’d get it right the first time, and therefore, would not need to keep repeating the same actions.

     

    It strikes me as something Dr. Phil would say: “What are you getting out of this?” In other words, what are you getting out of this empty effort? What are you getting out of repeating the same things over and over again…especially when nothing is being accomplished out of your alleged intentions? This means then, that if one is not getting the alleged end results, they are getting something else from the repeated behavior, and the motivation is incorrect.

     

    So now, we need to look at what this repetitive, hollow behavior is and what it’s supposed to result in, verses what it apparently is resulting in. We have to go right to the actual purpose of the behavior.