We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.

Isaiah 1 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Rebellion of God’s People

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the 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, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away 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.

¹⁰ Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah. ¹¹ “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
¹² “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? ¹³ “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. ¹⁴ “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. ¹⁵ “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.

¹⁶ “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, ¹⁷ Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.

¹⁸ “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. ¹⁹ “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; ²⁰ “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

²¹ How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice!
Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers. ²² Your silver has become dross, Your drink diluted with water. ²³ Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards.
They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.

²⁴ Therefore the Lord God of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, “Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries And avenge Myself on My foes. ²⁵ “I will also turn My hand against you, And will smelt away your dross as with lye
And will remove all your alloy. ²⁶ “Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city.”

²⁷ Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness. ²⁸ But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together,
And those who forsake the Lord will come to an end. ²⁹ Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, And you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen. ³⁰ For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away Or as a garden that has no water. ³¹ The strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together
And there will be none to quench them.

As I read and meditated on today’s text, I couldn’t help but to think about how easily and accurately you could substitute our nation in place of the nation of Israel; how applicable and accurate are the words and the vision of Isaiah regarding the current condition of America.  The text says:  Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.   This nation was founded as “one nation under God.” In God we trust is one of our mottos. Meaningful oaths, sworn by politicians and in our courts are validated by swearing on the Word of God. Now they are more likely to swear using the name of God. Like the Israelites, our nation has turned away from God and revolted against Him. We have become a sinful nation, a people weighed down with iniquity. We have abandoned and despised the Lord.

God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, says:  Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint. 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.  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.   Our cities indeed burn with fire and with gunfire as violent gangs and individuals wreak havoc against the innocent. We have ushered in the strangers who are devouring our land. Our land is becoming desolate, both physically and spiritually,  because we have not been good stewards. The prophet says:  Unless the Lord of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.  Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah.   Are our cities any different than Sodom and Gomorrah? In Genesis 18,  at Abraham’s request, God agreed to spare Sodom if even ten righteous people could be found, yet the city was destroyed completely. God has left a remnant today and His people need to stand lest our nation be like Sodom. Surely our cities deserve nothing more than Sodom. They give sanctuary to criminals and have expelled God.  God says:  When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.  Could the nation of Israel have had more blood on their hands than a nation that has murdered millions of babies? Even some who say they are God’s people, support abortion or tolerate and embrace those who create laws to protect and fund its practice. Is it any wonder then that God has turned from our prayers?

The Lord says:   “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.  How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers.  Your silver has become dross, Your drink diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.    As always, God give us a choice; a choice to cease from evil and do good; to seek justice and reprove the ruthless. God has made a way for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be cleansed. The way is through Jesus, by His sacrifice on the cross. If we refuse and rebel we will be devoured by the sword.  Revelation 19:11-16 says:  I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.  He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The text says:  Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness.  But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, And those who forsake the Lord will come to an end.  God offers a way to redemption by grace. When Jesus was here He demonstrated the love and grace of God. But those who reject the Lord as a loving and compassionate savior and redeemer, will know Him as the King of Kings, who treads the wine press of God’s fierce wrath against sin.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit for Your unchanging word that offers us grace to escape the judgement of righteousness against sin.  Amen.