With the Northern Kingdom of Israel in a terminal decline due to their stubborn idolatry, the Lord focused His attention on preserving the Southern Kingdom of Judah, which held the temple in Jerusalem, overseen by David’s descendants, the kings in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Whereas God had sent the prophets Elijah and Elisha to warn the north about the consequences of their spiritual rebellion against Him, He sent another series of prophets to being His word to the south. During the reigns of King Uzziah and his son, Jotham, the Lord sent the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Micah to extend a divine olive branch of peace and reconciliation, while giving Judah a clear prophetic warning of the consequences of persistent disobedience and rejection. Rather than working miraculous signs and wonders as Elijah and Elisha did, these later prophets largely focused on bringing the word of God and prophesy of the Messiah, or Christ, and His coming kingdom.
Isaiah’s initial message to the people of Judah was very similar to that of John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for Jesus Christ many centuries afterwards.
16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:16-17 (NKJV)
Like Judah, or, also like the young man in the pig sty we read about in the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15, we, too, may have one day come to our senses to realize that we were far away from God, and that some kind of change needed to be made. Something bad may have happened to wake us up, or not, but whatever the case, we had to next figure out what to do to get back on track with God.
As long as we have breath, it is never too late to recognize when we are headed in the wrong direction, and need to make a turn to get back to Him. Just as sin might have slowly pulled us away, one step at a time, our journey back starts with a small seed of willingness – a sincere desire to ask for God’s help, and to invite Him to be a part of our lives, be it for the first time or for the hundredth. Honesty, openness, and willingness are the initial steps towards our recovery and restoration with the Lord. Just with the wayward son’s father in the Luke 15 parable, God eagerly awaits us. As Isaiah writes:
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)
This was and still is our gracious offer made by the Lord. No matter what we have done or failed to do for Him and others, He still desires that we turn to Him for complete healing and forgiveness. He wants us to fellowship with Him, and to shower us with His many blessings, so that we, in turn, may be a blessing to those around us. That is the core of the Lord’s design for our lives.
In Isaiah’s day, the cleansing of souls from sin was done through burnt offering sacrifices, offered to God on behalf of people. Yet, Isaiah tells us that these sacrifices were no longer working for God. He was fed up with all the sin and injustice in Judah, and no longer wanted to see them going through a series of half-hearted rituals, only to turn around and mistreat others as soon as they walked out of the temple. He was weary of all the futile ceremony, and it troubled and grieved His soul to see the lack of love shown in people’s hearts.
Isaiah would also prophecy that God Himself will provide the only true and acceptable sacrifice for sin, to be offered by His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as He would voluntarily die on the cross and be resurrected from the dead three days later. Jesus would offer people a complete cleansing and righteousness, placing the Holy Spirit in their hearts to regenerate them for eternity. They would then be filled with His love and forgiveness, and bear the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22). With these God is well pleased. That is His generous offer to us, who would believe.
Reflection
What are you choosing to do with God’s generous offer of redemption?
Lord, whether I feel close to You or far from You today, lead me and guide me to walk before You and be blameless. Grant complete forgiveness for all of my sins, offered through the perfect sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Help me to turn away from the harmful thoughts, words and actions that grieve You, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit, bearing the fruits of a joyful and grace-filled life. Help me to be more of a blessing to those You have placed around me in my life. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
May the Lord shower you with His many generous blessings today as you walk before Him.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 