Rebellion of God’s People
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the [a]reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth;
For the Lord speaks,
“Sons I have reared and brought up,
But they have revolted against Me.
3 “An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master’s manger,
But Israel does not know,
My people do not understand.”4 Alas, sinful nation,
People weighed down with iniquity,
[b]Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned the Lord,
They have despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away [c]from Him.5 Where will you be stricken again,
As you continue in your rebellion?
The whole head is sick
And the whole heart is faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is nothing sound in it,
Only bruises, welts and raw wounds,
Not pressed out or bandaged,
Nor softened with oil.7 Your land is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire,
Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence;
It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,
Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
9 Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left us a few survivors,
We would be like Sodom,
We would be like Gomorrah.
It’s quite the jump in time from the days of Solomon to the reigns of Uzziah and his descendants. Yet this passage does not describe a new problem. We saw it in the days of the judges, not long after Israel had been miraculously rescued from Egypt. Then they asked for a king, and Saul himself lost sight of God, though he said, “But the people…”, who were likely not blameless either.
Between Saul and Uzziah, there were plenty of ups and downs, with far more of the latter. It began slowly, children strayed a little from the ways of their parents, and their children further, until they all forgot the commands of God. It was almost worse in the days of the kings, yet it seems there were always some faithful, much like the “few survivors” in v. 9.
One might hope that God’s Spirit dwelling in his followers would fix the problem, but many still fall away. Worse, some twist and abuse the name of Jesus for their own agendas and selfish ambitions, and more still are led astray. Yet there is a clue I think in vv. 5-6, where God asks where else they will be stricken? There is nothing left, as nothing has been bandaged or treated with oil.
When we sin, when we disobey God’s commands and go our own way, it causes wounds. Not visible, but they are there, on our heart and soul. If we tend them, ask for forgiveness, and repent, then God can heal them. As he told Solomon and the people at the dedication of the temple (2 Chron. 7), if they would “humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways…”, then God would forgive them and heal their land.
So it is for us, if we repent, that is, turn away from our wicked ways, then he will forgive. It’s not enough to be sorry, and ask for forgiveness, the healing begins when we turn back to Him, just like the prodigal. We may think, well I haven’t turned away from God, I’m doing pretty good! I’m certainly no prodigal…
Don’t delay, but examine your heart every day, are their bruises, welts, or raw wounds? Have you wounded Him by the same misdeeds? We must recognize sin for the offense that it is, the damage that it causes in our hearts, and those of others. We desperately need to turn back, and let God apply the bandages and healing oil like only He can.