Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20030629.htm

ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVE TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part I: God's Deliverance Of Mankind's Errant Governments From False Spirituality
(Isaiah 1:1-2:4)
  1. Introduction
    1. Though God established human government to check evil in man back in Genesis 9:6-7, human history has shown the sin in government officials and their subjects makes this unworkable in the long-term.
    2. A core problem with human government is sinful man's failure to submit to God so as to worship Him in true righteousness. Isaiah 1:1-2:4 exposes this problem, and offers God's final solution with edifying application for us today (as follows):
  2. God's Deliverance Of Mankind's Errant Governments From False Spirituality, Isaiah 1:1-2:4.
    1. When human government went apostate in violation of God's will back in Genesis 11:1-9, God graciously sought to reverse the tide of evil by creating a godly government through a godly man in Abraham that would convert the world's peoples back to God and righteous governments, Genesis 12:1-3.
    2. Yet, Abraham's descendants failed to heed the Mosaic Covenant once they were formed into a nation, so in Isaiah's prophecy, God called that nation, Israel to task about this failure, Exodus 24:7; Isaiah 1:1-23:
      1. Isaiah 1:1-23 exists in the legal format of an Ancient Near Eastern lawsuit, cf. Bib. Know. Com., O.T., p. 1034! God was making a formal legal arraignment against Israel for violating the Mosaic Covenant!
      2. This lawsuit focused primarily on the artificial spirituality exhibited in Israel's worship of God:
        1. God complained Israel had forgotten what an ox or a donkey would not forget -- her Provider, 1:1-3.
        2. Consequently, the nation Israel had become spiritually very wicked, Isaiah 1:4-9.
        3. Specifically, God expressed concern about Israel's artificial worship, Isaiah 1:10-23: (a) God was upset with the hollow attitudes in the giving of the people (sacrifices), Isaiah 1:10-13a; (b) He was upset with the numerous religious meetings the people had created that had no spiritual meaning, Isaiah 1:13b-14; (c) the Lord was angry at hollow rituals like their false prayers in these meetings, Isaiah 1:15; (d) God despised the hypocrisy of Israel's worshippers who came to the Temple in a false holiness but lived godless, cruel lives outside during the regular days, Isaiah 1:16-17, 23.
        4. Accordingly, God called the nation to repent of these sins, Isaiah 1:18-20.
    3. In accord with His lawsuit, the Lord promised to punish Israel, Isaiah 1:24-31:
      1. God would punish the evil rulers of the nation, replacing them with better men, Isaiah 1:24-26.
      2. God would salvage the godly remnant of people from the destruction of the rebellious, Isa. 1:27-31.
    4. Nevertheless, in GRACE, God promised to establish EFFECTIVE world government in the TRUE worship of HIMSELF in the Messianic future, Isaiah 2:1-4:
      1. In the future Messianic reign of Christ, God promised to establish the Jerusalem temple site as the most honored of the nation's locations, Isaiah 2:1-2a. This would cause the nations to flow into it, Isa. 2:2b.
      2. Consequently, the whole WORLD would be drawn to the true worship of the true God, Isaiah 2:2b-3a.
      3. As a result, God would direct perfect leadership and teaching that would affect the world and create a worldwide blessing for the human race, Isaiah 2:3b-4: this blessing would include a permanent relief from war and international conflict of all kinds.
Lesson: (1) Effective human government is built on a deep reverence for God that exhibits itself in a TRUE worship of Him. (2) However, man's departure from God and has led to a loss of blessing in human governments. (3) Yet, God in GRACE will REESTABLISH sound human government for the WORLD by BASING it on a RETURN to a deep reverence of Himself that is exhibited in true worship.

Application: (1) Since man's RIGHT RELATIONSHIP to GOD is KEY for human governments of man to be BLESSED, we can INDIVIDUALLY INFLUENCE human GOVERNMENTS around us for BLESSING if we but (a) trust in Christ for salvation from sin (John 3:16) (b) followed by a resulting, TRUE WORSHIP of God by His power (Gal. 5:16): such a spiritual worship leads us to RESPECT God so that we WORSHIP Him with liberality in giving, fervor in prayer and musical expression and a dedication to HEED God's Word taught to us in the worship services, cf. Acts 2:41, 42-47. (3) If we function IN government, we must SUBJECT our RULE to GOD'S TRUTHS to enjoy His blessing!