Monday: Rotten Ritualism
(Isa. 1:10-17)
Read Isaiah 1:10. Why do you think he was using the imagery of Sodom and Gomorrah? What point was the Lord making?
Read Isaiah 1:11-15. What is the Lord telling the people there? Why did the Lord reject the worship that His people were offering Him?
Image © Erik Stenbakken at Goodsalt.com
The same hands that offered sacrifices and were lifted up in prayer were “full of blood”; that is, guilty of violence and oppression of others (Isa: 1:15; Isaiah 58.3-4). By mistreating other members of the covenant community, they were showing contempt for the Protector of all Israelites. Sins against other people were sins against the Lord.
Of course, God Himself had instituted the ritual worship system (Leviticus 1-16) and designated the Jerusalem temple as the appropriate place for it ( 1 Kings 8.10-11). But the rituals were intended to function within the context of the covenant God had made with these people. It was God’s covenant with Israel that made it possible for Him to dwell among them at the sanctuary/temple. So, rituals and prayers performed there were valid only if they expressed faithfulness to Him and His covenant. People who offered sacrifices without repenting from unjust actions toward other members of the covenant community were performing ritual lies. Thus, their sacrifices were not only invalid—they were sins! Their ritual actions said they were loyal, but their behavior proved they had broken the covenant.
Read Isaiah 1.16-17. What is the Lord commanding that His people do? How do these verses, in this context, parallel what Jesus said in Matthew 23:23-28? What message can we find for ourselves today in these texts and in the context in which they are given?
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We often describe Isaiah as the messianic prophet. And even in the very first chapter we get glimpses of the kind of Christianity that Jesus taught.
Isaiah condemns "painted on" Christianity; the observance of sabbaths, sacrifices and ritual, when it is not seated on the deep heart-based compassionate faith. If we turn to the New Testament we find the radical Christianity that Jesus taught:
He asked uneducated fishermen to be his special friends.
He invited a corrupt tax collector, to be one of his followers.
He talked to an outsider, a Samaritan woman and she became the first woman evangelist.
He touched lepers.
He let an unclean woman with a menstrual issue touch him.
He gave sight to blind beggars.
He gave a prostitute a sense of dignity.
He healed people on Sabbath.
He gave a dying criminal the promise of eternal life.
We do not see Jesus as the taskmaster seeking purity of doctrine and liturgy. Rather, we see him as the source of compassion and understanding for sinners who have lost their way.
Perhaps our current restrictions on meeting together is an opportunity to rethink our Christianity. Maybe God is saying to us that he is sick of our weekly meetings, our arguments over liturgy, our endless discussions of doctrinal and organisational issues and is challenging us to:
One of the points so important in Isaiah 1:17 is that God is telling us to "rebuke the oppressors ".
Yet, I see many in the Church who support those who condemn the poor, the immigrant seeking asylum and those who are in need of grace.
Who we support and glorify in leadership positions say more about our hearts condition than any other "church action".
Today's study guide leads me to ask how much of my worship of the LORD is empty rituals? It is easy to look at others and point to their prayer beads, lighting candles, repetitive formulaic prayers but what about myself? Some of the things that come to mind, concern about what I eat and wear, music and entertainment and of course attending certain services. Do all these things become only a habit or ritual or do they have deep spiritual meaning, are they a vibrant living part of my relationship with the LORD?
Are rituals in and of themselves bad, must I get rid of everything that can be considered a ritual?
What does the Word of the LORD teach me?
He gave the children of Israel the Sanctuary and it's services, He encouraged us to regularly take part of the Lord's Supper, He instituted a special regular time to spend with Him, so it is clear rituals have their value.
In Isaiah the LORD makes it clear that rituals that are not the result of a heartfelt relationship are rotten.
Indeed Maurice. I also believe that this lockdown period is a time for true introspection. Are we really relevant to our communities? Or, do we gather weekly to feast on God's word whilst the rest of the community is starving and seeking for the something better, something different?
And, during the week, do we demonstrate the love and mercy of Jesus or, make no difference at all, maybe we are even worse than the "non-believers"
According to the bible the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah is clearly listed in Eze 16:48-59. Judah and Israel had become worst than those twin cities. Are we Christian, SDA the same as those people in bible times?
Isaiah 1:16-17 marries two important requests of us from God:
(1) turn from sin (2) fill the new space in your time with good.
This balance is so important. Even Satan can join with us in declaring the evil in the world because his name is still front and center. There are many news pundits, for example, who can fill hours revealing and explaining all that is going wrong in government and politics. Lots of TV shows glorifying murders and violence and familial disfunction, even ones that may have a good purpose like "unsolved mysteries". We can get fixated on what's rotting around us and fail to focus on "the fix". Actually, we don't need that much help to be aware that something is wrong. When we go to a doctor with a chronic ailment, we might appreciate a diagnosis, but mostly we long to be well. When a couple goes to a therapist they know quarreling is tearing them apart, they want help to start living in peace together. Our souls and bodies and communities and relationships long to be "washed and cleaned" (Isaiah 1:16) so they can function in a healthy way.
God's Word through Isaiah reveals not only what is wrong but tells how to fix it. Cease to do evil, yes, AND THEN FOCUS HERE ON learning to do good, seeking justice, rebuking the oppressor, defending the fatherless, pleading for the widow. (Isaiah 1:17) God is the expert who knows the problem and most importantly He knows how to fix the problem. We are healed through living His compassion. Jesus said to stop looking for signs and proofs that He exists and instead, after God sweeps our hearts clean, to fill our lives with doing good or the space will be taken over by evil again (Matt 12:39,43-45).
Jesus tells us clearly what His judgement involves (Matthew 25:31-46).
Good intentions, outward acts of piety devoid of love, human preferences, personal comfort and the way those we honor or revere treat others are often placed high above what God asks us to.
All we need to overcome our bigotry and biases God has given us. His Spirit is ever ready to encourage, correct and redirect us. Jesus Himself hears us as we come to Him with our desire to love and care for others as He did for us. He lives to make intercession for us in our need of transformation.
Rejection and refusal of Christ’s way come when what He offers isn’t what is desired. The false security found in having things to remain as they are or as they’ve been in the past is preferred.
Reality is, there must be deep and thorough change in all who will experience victory when Christ comes again in person. Only those who’ve surrendered all, allowing His Spirit to transform their human love so it reflects the love of Christ to all people will go with Him then.
count your blessing named them one by one count your blessing see what god has done count your blessing named them one by one count your blessing many blessing see what god done.
I have noticed that very often new believers are instructed on the 28 Fundamentals and the need to believe them but seldom are they shown that genuine Christianity is much more than obeying rules. How often do we hear our leaders remind us that our love to God Is demonstrated the treatment of those less fortunate,the immigrant, the refugee,the ethnic other, etc. I believe that we are not doing God’s will when ignore the socio-economic/ political context in which we live.
The Lord's displeasure in form without substance is a reminder that we must "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness"(Ps 29:2). If we are not holy, our formal "worship" is corrupt and pretentious at best. God loves, but cannot tolerate/endure the presence of sin, especially in those who assume to worship Him while being defiled. We only fool ourselves, and thwart His ability to save us. We cannot generate this holiness, but we can submit to the "good, acceptable, and perfect will of God" who will work in us to "will and do of His good pleasure".
God is clearly defining priorities in Isaiah, and we must remember that these things are written for our admonition as we approach the end of the world. Sooner than most realize, probation will close and too many will say "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!"(Jer 8:20).
James 1:22 "but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" NKJV all we know that we must help those who in troube, problems, widow, poor, sick but how many time we have spent to do that? And we must remember this "pure and undefiled religion God and father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble,..." James 1:27 NKJV