Bible Study Lesson for Isaiah 1:7-17: Judah Compared to Sodom and Gomorrah

(When I taught my two year long Bible study on Isaiah, I used The Pulpit Commentary Volume 10: Isaiah edited by H.D.M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell to give me a starting point and rough outline of the material covered in the chapters. In this article, when you read the phrase "my commentary", I am referring to this volume.)

Read Isaiah 1:7-8. Some enemy, an army, has recently attacked Judah. Armies during the time would commonly plunder any fields they came across, as well as burning any conquered cities.

"Daughter of Zion" is Jerusalem.

"a shelter in a vineyard" / "a hut in a melon field": these are images of flimsy, cheaply made buildings with no protection, isolated from the main house. Isaiah is saying that Jerusalem is essentially alone, unprotected, and surrounded by her enemies.

Read Isaiah 1:9. Notice the phrasing used in this verse: "had left us", "we would". Isaiah is clearly associating himself with Judah; he included himself as being under God's judgment. He also believes that God was completely in control of the enemy army that was attacking them and that it was God that chose to save some from death.

"like Sodom", "like Gomorrah". These are the names of two cities destroyed by God's wrath and judgment.

Read Genesis 19:24-28. These two cities were known for their sexual immorality (homosexuality), but they were also judged for other reasons as well. Ezekiel gives a good description of some of the other reasons why Sodom and Gomorrah were judged. Read Ezekiel 16:49-50. These nations were:

-- arrogant, overfed, unconcerned
-- did not help the poor and needy
-- did detestable things

Does this sound like any other nation you know? If God so judged Sodom and Gomorrah for these things, how can the United States possible escape a like judgment? We've surely done the same and worse!

Read Isaiah 1:10. By calling the people of Judah "rulers of Sodom" / "people of Gomorrah", Isaiah would have certainly grabbed their attention; in that culture this would have been a great insult.

Read Isaiah 1:11-14. As we read what the Lord says here, it sounds like He is responding to a protest or argument (unrecorded here) from Judah that the people of Judah are very religious and bring many sacrifices and that God should be content with that.

They do bring burnt offerings of rams, bulls, lambs, goats, etc. Why isn't God pleased?

They burn incense, have religious festivals & celebrations - on the outside they must have looked really good. Yet God is clearly not happy with them.

Reread verse 14: "...my soul hates. They have become a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them."

This is a very human sounding description of God. He feels hatred, burdened, even grows weary.

God is very personally involved in the situation. He is not remote, uncaring, or detached from what has been going on with Judah. This religiosity, with no true relationship with Him, is an agony to Him, a mockery of what He intended to be between Himself and His chosen people.

All this religious stuff is a sham. Perhaps a good portion of God's pain is the result of what is done in His name.

When "religious" people act wickedly, those victimized (or just watching) can get a warped view of whom God is and can come to fear, hate or disdain Him as a result. Judah was God's chosen people; what they did reflected directly on Him.

Read Isaiah 1:15-17. God refused to hear the prayers of those with unacknowledged, unrepentant sin in their lives. I think He is describing here a general, overall attitude of pride and unrepentance (all of us have sin in our lives which is unacknowledged at different times. If we honestly try to put God first in our lives, this sin will be dealt with in time, and God will hear our prayers.)

The People of Judah are suffering from a spiritual blindness; they don't even recognize that their relationship with God is broken because of their sin, because of the blood on their hands. One of the purposes of this prophecy, obviously, is to show the people their blindness and force them to deal with their sins. They have to make the decision to repent; no one, not even God, can force them to do that. He can only force them to look at themselves, through His eyes.

God breaks down Judah's sins into three main categories:

-- Seek justice. Apparently being dishonest or turning a blind eye is winked at, perhaps even encouraged. People are doing wrong and are getting away with it, perhaps even rewarded for doing so.

-- Encourage the oppressed/ rebuke the oppressor. God is telling them that it is not OK to sit by and do nothing while someone is being taken advantage of. He wants them to look out for each other, regardless of social station.

-- Defend the fatherless and the widow. If you had no father or no husband, in that culture, you had no political power and could easily be taken advantage of. God is telling them to protect those who are weak, without natural protection. Godly people step in where there are needs and provide, they don't take advantage of others misfortunes.

Remember Sodom was judged in part because she did not help the poor and needy.

Many of the people of Judah were giving a grand show with all their rich, lavish gifts to the temple and festivals saying "look at me", and perhaps praying for long periods, but they were completely missing what God really cares about, and that is people. Read Psalm 146:7-9

In Isaiah the Lord says "stop doing wrong, learn to do right!". This is a command, indicative that Judah (and us) has a choice; we can break the pattern of sin in our lives and learn (a process) to act justly and do the right thing. It is a decision on our part that we must make over and over throughout this life.

To be continued...

Source
H.D.M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell (editors). The Pulpit Commentary Volume 10: Isaiah