Isaiah 1

Isaiah confronts Israel with their blatant disregard for God and His laws.  Isaiah speaks for God in saying “my people doth not consider” (v3) which is the plight of all sinners (Rom. 3:10).  All though the religious ceremonies, holidays, and offerings continued in the name of the Lord, God was well tired of the hypocrisy knowing what people did religiously in the temple meant nothing outside of it.  Certainly God does not care about the outside of things, while the heart remains sinful.  After 2000 years of church history we see that history as certainly repeated itself in religious fluff and vain worship. God help us.  To this God tells Judah what He wants them to do, no doubt a principle of repentance is seen here:

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;  Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. (1:16)

God wishes for a change in their heart, a repentance that spawns good works.  Its the same sort of message John the Baptist delivered about repentance in telling the Pharisees that coming for outward baptism isn’t enough, but rather true repentance of the heart will show itself in good works.  God is offering forgiveness and a clean slate in exchange for their faith and obedience.  (1:18) Their willingness (repentance) to obey and obedience is what God wants, not another ritual, or another sacrifice; all of these things can never atone for sins.  God will later provide them the atonement through Christ.  Contrary to obedience and faith is judgement, war, and desolation that sin inevitably brings everyone to in a spiritual sense, but for their nation judgement is realized physically.  The Babylonians used by God fulfilled much of Isaiah’s warnings in bringing judgement and desolation (2 Kings 24:14).  The cause of their judgement was not the pride and ambition of the Babylonians, but rather the stubborn unrepentant sin Judah daily affronted God with.