Q1. Identity Confusion

[luvsTHEbook]

Each respondent has given good answers. I tend to agree or like Ivory's the best. However, I would also add abortion to the list of grave and terrible evils as a sign or indication of a societies depravity.

 

God gave the Hebrews and the world His light. The world has willfully chosen lightlessness i.e. darkness. This of course requires an "act of the will." Therefore what we witness in the scriptures and in our own society is an active willfulness of disobedience, not only against natural law but against God personally.

 

As the Hebrews declared through word and deed "I will not serve", so too we witness the same today not only in the world, but even worse within the various faith-based homes and communities where people have indeed at one point or another declared themselves Christian whether Catholic or Protestant.

 

Just as we witness the Hebrews were indeed religious, so too today there are many who are religious today, but they have supplanted God and His Church with their own notions of what religion is all about. They have incorporated personal preferences, politics and their own conveniences into their brand of religion, thereby befouling God's true religion. In their hearts and minds and deeds they say good is bad and bad is good.  

SkinnyKenny, I enjoy your observation that today they have supplanted God and His Church with their own notions of what religion is all about. I heard it put this way - that scripture is being put away in favor of a shared spiritual experience regardless of the belief system. Basically experience has a higher authority than Scripture.

[luvsTHEbook]

1. Early Messages (Isaiah 1-6)     Question 1:    
   1. In what way is Judah confused about its identity, according to verses 2-4?
      1. They don’t know or care about being God’s people. The have turned away and rebelled against God. Wicked as Sodom & Gomorrah.

2.  What are the consequences when Christians today suffer from such identity confusion?
   1. Calls them murderers.

What injustices does God accuse his people of in verses 15-17?

1. We don’t study the Word and start believing things about God that are not true.

 In verses 18-20 God argues that their behavior is "unreasonable." Why is it unreasonable? What does God offer as an alternative?

1. Unreasonable because they are not fulfilling the purpose they were designed for.  Sin had rendered worship useless and downright offensive to God yet they persisted in the ‘religious’ activities. I would like to keep my sin (not repent) and still worship God – unreasonable.  Repent and obey.

[Old Jerry]

The way that Judah is confused about its identity is that they are rebelling against God. They don’t know who they belong to. The consequences of Christians today suffering from such identity confusion is that they no longer believe in Jesus. They will start conforming to the world standards and forget about their Christian background.

 

They are doing evil in the eyes of the Lord. They are not seeking justice, nor are they correcting the oppression and they are not bringing justice to the fatherless nor are they pleading the widow’s cause. God wants them to change their ways and be obedient to him then the things in the land will be good but if they rebel then they will suffer.

 

 

[Nic]

In what way is Judah confused about its identity, according to verses 2-4?

 

The people of Israel do not seem to understand that they are God's chosen people and that as a result they belong to God.  Therefore, instead of doing the good that they have been called to do they rebelled against God, forsook Him and turned their backs on Him. 

 

What are the consequences when Christians today suffer from such identity confusion?

Today when Christians suffer from such identity confusion they also rebel in their own way. Some call it backsliding and others call it falling away from grace, etc. Whatever it is called it is evidenced by Christians living a life that is separate to what God has called them to. It is a life that is marked by sin, a life that bears no resemblance to a true servant of God.

 

What injustices does God accuse his people of in verses 15-17? 

God accuses His people of murder and failure to encourage victims of oppression, and to defend the fatherless and pleading on behalf of the widow.

 

In verses 18-20 God argues that their behavior is "unreasonable." Why is it unreasonable? What does God offer as an alternative?

Their behavior is unreasonable because they do not understand their state. God offers them an opportunity to reason it out with Him. He is giving them an opportunity to have their sins forgiven and to be washed.

[antonate]

The people of Israel have forgotten their Maker and creator who created them and loved them as his own. They do not know that Yahweh is their God and they are his people and they have failed to understand that they belong to a master and a God who loves them and cares for them.

 

when christians forget that they are created by Yahweh God and he has formed them in his own image and likeness and to live according to His purposes they are simply seperated from his presence. Every plan and purpose God has for them is lost and christians grope in darkness which eventually leads to sin and rebellion towards their God.

 

God accuses his people from being unclean and full of evil deeds. They do wrong, do not live justly, no encouragement for the oppressed. They do not defend the fatherless or help the widow.

 

Their behaviour seems to be unreasonable because they do not realise the way offer their sacrifices to God are not the once that God is expecting. They fail to understand what God wants of them and instead they offer a different worship unto God which is not right in his sight.

God is calling them towards him to reason out with him to know the right way to worship him and live according to what he has to tell them. He offers them mercy and forgiveness and in love tells them that he will wash away their sin , make them clean and acceptable in his sight and teach them his ways which leads to get the best from him.

 

[angelbaby]

1a.   In what way is Judah confused about its identity according to verse 2-4?

 God is giving a clear mandate to all those in heaven and on earth to listen to the truth. The children he so lovingly took care of and to whom he gave tremendous opportunities while raising them and brought them to their present status; they had rebelled against him and walked away.  He said even the animals knew their master but Judah did not know their God.

     b.   What are the consequences when Christians today suffer such identity confusion? 

When you lose God, you lose man as well because man is created in the image of God..

Christians today have turned selfish and self-centred ministering to their own needs and lives -the ME GENERATION- because of which they have to bear the burdens of sin, corruption rebellion and crimes  like sex abuse, child abuse, drug trafficking, arms proliferation and many other lusts and pride of life. They despise and blaspheme God so they are alienated from God. Isaiah has painted a vivid picture of what follows when men turn their back on God. We are protected by unseen forces (Guardian Angels) but we will be left unprotected..We have become a sick people with lack of immunity..  Invaders take over both individuals and nations. In this condition of ours God imposes trials and tribulations trying to awaken us to listen to what He has to say. He shouts to us in our pain. He tries to refine us and bring us back to him..

 

   c.   What injustice does God accuse his people of in v 15-17?

God accuses His people of  Hypocrisy .---- empty worship with bloody sacrifices, ostentatious prayer.and had neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness especially to the orphans and widows. They tried to remedy things not by a turn about to the Grace and Mercy of God but by their superficial worship,… their shallow and pretentious religious performances..If  their heart was not in it and they didn’tt mean what they said or sang, when there was no change in their heart or change in their life… How could God be paid off by  play acting or charades? 

 

  d.    In v 18- 20  God argues that  their behaviour is unreasonable. Why?

   God argues that their behavior is unreasonable and that they are steeped in sin making them scarlet and crimson, .  He says they are sick. There is no help in Man by  himself . We cannot heal ourselves. We need more than just our habits changed.. We ourselves need to change and that can happen only when we have a relationship with the living God. He says  ”Stop doing wrong. Start doing right”….There may be people who are trying to stop bad things and may be able to, but only temporarily.. It never works permanently. How can evil people do good things?

 

                                                                                                                                         

e.  What does God offer as an alternative?

COME NOW!  This is the theme of  Isaiah . COME NOW. T here is Good News ..the Gospel --- that the Lord came and shed His blood  and put our sins upon Himself and gave us the Gift of Righteousness so that our hearts could be changed. God calls them to repentance . He is willing to forgive their sins and make them clean if they obey His commands

Sin and our selfishness is taken away and overcome by the Gift of Love .and we begin to live for Him

GOD SAVES…Isaiah is true to his name ….””.The Lord is your Salvation”                     There is no power to change our evil nature as we are all born sinners  but the gospel i.e. Good News  is that God has a way to break through the human problem and give us a changed heart and a new way of living

God is offering an alternatative.  God is offering to make a difference …”If any man is in Christ   he is a new creation. Old things pass away”.

 

[angelbaby]

1a.   In what way is Judah confused about its identity according to verse 2-4?

 God is giving a clear mandate to all those in heaven and on earth to listen to the truth. The children he so lovingly took care of and to whom he gave tremendous opportunities while raising them and brought them to their present status; they had rebelled against him and walked away.  He said even the animals knew their master but Judah did not know their God.

     b.   What are the consequences when Christians today suffer such identity confusion? 

When you lose God, you lose man as well because man is created in the image of God..

Christians today have turned selfish and self-centred ministering to their own needs and lives -the ME GENERATION- because of which they have to bear the burdens of sin, corruption rebellion and crimes  like sex abuse, child abuse, drug trafficking, arms proliferation and many other lusts and pride of life. They despise and blaspheme God so they are alienated from God. Isaiah has painted a vivid picture of what follows when men turn their back on God. We are protected by unseen forces (Guardian Angels) but we will be left unprotected..We have become a sick people with lack of immunity..  Invaders take over both individuals and nations. In this condition of ours God imposes trials and tribulations trying to awaken us to listen to what He has to say. He shouts to us in our pain. He tries to refine us and bring us back to him..

 

   c.   What injustice does God accuse his people of in v 15-17?

God accuses His people of  Hypocrisy .---- empty worship with bloody sacrifices, ostentatious prayer.and had neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness especially to the orphans and widows. They tried to remedy things not by a turn about to the Grace and Mercy of God but by their superficial worship,… their shallow and pretentious religious performances..If  their heart was not in it and they didn’tt mean what they said or sang, when there was no change in their heart or change in their life… How could God be paid off by  play acting or charades? 

 

  d.    In v 18- 20  God argues that  their behaviour is unreasonable. Why?

   God argues that their behavior is unreasonable and that they are steeped in sin making them scarlet and crimson, .  He says they are sick. There is no help in Man by  himself . We cannot heal ourselves. We need more than just our habits changed.. We ourselves need to change and that can happen only when we have a relationship with the living God. He says  ”Stop doing wrong. Start doing right”….There may be people who are trying to stop bad things and may be able to, but only temporarily.. It never works permanently. How can evil people do good things?

 

                                                                     

 

                                                                      -2-   

e.  What does God offer as an alternative?

COME NOW!  This is the theme of  Isaiah . COME NOW. T here is Good News ..the Gospel --- that the Lord came and shed His blood  and put our sins upon Himself and gave us the Gift of Righteousness so that our hearts could be changed. God calls them to repentance . He is willing to forgive their sins and make them clean if they obey His commands

Sin and our selfishness is taken away and overcome by the Gift of Love .and we begin to live for Him

GOD SAVES…Isaiah is true to his name ….””.The Lord is your Salvation”                     There is no power to change our evil nature as we are all born sinners  but the gospel i.e. Good News  is that God has a way to break through the human problem and give us a changed heart and a new way of living

God is offering an alternatative.  God is offering to make a difference …”If any man is in Christ   he is a new creation. Old things pass away”.

 

[angelbaby]

1a.   In what way is Judah confused about its identity according to verse 2-4?

 God is giving a clear mandate to all those in heaven and on earth to listen to the truth. The children he so lovingly took care of and to whom he gave tremendous opportunities while raising them and brought them to their present status; they had rebelled against him and walked away.  He said even the animals knew their master but Judah did not know their God.

     b.   What are the consequences when Christians today suffer such identity confusion? 

When you lose God, you lose man as well because man is created in the image of God..

Christians today have turned selfish and self-centred ministering to their own needs and lives -the ME GENERATION- because of which they have to bear the burdens of sin, corruption rebellion and crimes  like sex abuse, child abuse, drug trafficking, arms proliferation and many other lusts and pride of life. They despise and blaspheme God so they are alienated from God. Isaiah has painted a vivid picture of what follows when men turn their back on God. We are protected by unseen forces (Guardian Angels) but we will be left unprotected..We have become a sick people with lack of immunity..  Invaders take over both individuals and nations. In this condition of ours God imposes trials and tribulations trying to awaken us to listen to what He has to say. He shouts to us in our pain. He tries to refine us and bring us back to him..

 

   c.   What injustice does God accuse his people of in v 15-17?

God accuses His people of  Hypocrisy .---- empty worship with bloody sacrifices, ostentatious prayer.and had neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness especially to the orphans and widows. They tried to remedy things not by a turn about to the Grace and Mercy of God but by their superficial worship,… their shallow and pretentious religious performances..If  their heart was not in it and they didn’tt mean what they said or sang, when there was no change in their heart or change in their life… How could God be paid off by  play acting or charades? 

 

  d.    In v 18- 20  God argues that  their behaviour is unreasonable. Why?

   God argues that their behavior is unreasonable and that they are steeped in sin making them scarlet and crimson, .  He says they are sick. There is no help in Man by  himself . We cannot heal ourselves. We need more than just our habits changed.. We ourselves need to change and that can happen only when we have a relationship with the living God. He says  ”Stop doing wrong. Start doing right”….There may be people who are trying to stop bad things and may be able to, but only temporarily.. It never works permanently. How can evil people do good things?

 

                                                                     

 

                                                                      -2-   

e.  What does God offer as an alternative?

COME NOW!  This is the theme of  Isaiah . COME NOW. T here is Good News ..the Gospel --- that the Lord came and shed His blood  and put our sins upon Himself and gave us the Gift of Righteousness so that our hearts could be changed. God calls them to repentance . He is willing to forgive their sins and make them clean if they obey His commands

Sin and our selfishness is taken away and overcome by the Gift of Love .and we begin to live for Him

GOD SAVES…Isaiah is true to his name ….””.The Lord is your Salvation”                     There is no power to change our evil nature as we are all born sinners  but the gospel i.e. Good News  is that God has a way to break through the human problem and give us a changed heart and a new way of living

God is offering an alternatative.  God is offering to make a difference …”If any man is in Christ   he is a new creation. Old things pass away”.

 

[elizabeth kerr]

According to Isaiah 1:2-4, the people of Judah did not realize that they were God's children, that they belonged to Him.  They acted like they were independent, owners of themselves (Deuteronomy 8).

 

When I, a Christian, forget or reject the fact that I belong to God because He bought me for a price (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23) ---Christ's suffering as a human, His torture and crucifixion as a criminal at the hands of the Jewish leaders and the Roman soldiers, I too rebel against God and live my way, my sinful way, for my own benefit, gain, and enjoyment, my own good, or so I think.

 

In Isaiah 1:15-17, God accused the people of Judah of:

-shedding the blood of, of murdering (innocent?) people (v15);

-acting unjustly (v17);

-oppressing others (v17);

-taking advantage of, abusing and exploiting defenseless, fatherless children and widows (for their financial gain?)  (v17).

     Maybe they sinned this way against other Israelites, not "foreigners."  Either way, these behaviors violate the Law Moses delivered to them from God:

1) do not murder (Exodus 20:13, 21:12; Deuteronomy 19:1-14);

2) act justly (Exodus 23:1-8; Deuteronomy 16:18-20, 19:15-21);

3) do not oppress others (Deuteronomy 15:1-18), not even aliens (Exodus 23:9);

4) do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan (Exodus 22:22);

ALSO SEE:  Leviticus 19:1-18; Deuteronomy 5.

 

God declared that the people's continuing to rebel and practice sins was unreasonable (in Isaiah 1:18-20) because:

-God's eternal power and divine nature are evident from all He created (Romans 1:20);

-the Israelites had the Law of Moses and the prophets to teach them what God required of them.  Moses taught them the Law and reminded them of the consequences of disobeying God (Leviticus 26:14-45; Deuteronomy 28:15-68), and so did Joshua (Joshua 8:30-35).

 

God offered the sinful people of Judah forgiveness, cleansing, and blessings if only they would repent and obey Him instead of continuing to rebel against Him and disobey Him (Isaiah 1:18-19).

[WinstonY]

Hi all

 

Lesson1.1

In what way is Judah confused about her identity?

Judah did not understand the dual nature of her covenant with God. We, both the people in the time of Isaiah and we the people of today have a responsibility to both love God with all our hearts and our neighbours as our selves. Today we have a further responsibility because modern media makes everyone our neighbour. There is a fidelity responsibility to our neighbour in the Kingdom of God. This than calls for justice for all, both rich and poor. The people of Judah, as are the people of our age are sinful, a people laden with iniquity, of spring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the Lord and have become estranged from Him. If we look ahead to verses 16-17 we hear God's call for the stopping of evil, a washing clean , seeking justice , stopping oppression and defending the widows and orphans. This is a similar call to Jesus' Nazareth declaration of Luke 4:16-18. The people of Judah of Isaiah's time were not fulfilling their fiduciary role as guardians of their neighbour-just as the people of North America and Europe. It is only necessary to turn from evil, stop oppressing the poor and the widows, to seek justice and to turn to the Lord with a new heart as cleansed by the new covenant of Jesus.

These ancients and ourselves are unreasonable in that our actions disappoint and anger the Lord God and stir the wrath of God from Heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness.(Romans 1.18) The wrath of God is unleashed upon the world as the people of the world commit atrocities against God and His world. We see the consequences in more violent storms, droughts and floods and plagues of insects and diseases. These are among the responses to people's atrocities.

God's alternative offer is to good to be true. We must only return to God in prayer and in his bountiful grace.

 

 

 

 

WinstonY

[WinstonY]

Lesson1.1

In what way is Judah confused about her identity?

Judah did not understand the dual nature of her covenant with God. We, both the people in the time of Isaiah and we the people of today have a responsibility to both love God with all our hearts and our neighbours as our selves. Today we have a further responsibility because modern media makes everyone our neighbour. There is a fidelity responsibility to our neighbour in the Kingdom of God. This than calls for justice for all, both rich and poor. The people of Judah, as are the people of our age are sinful, a people laden with iniquity, of spring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the Lord and have become estranged from Him. If we look ahead to verses 16-17 we hear God's call for the stopping of evil, a washing clean , seeking justice , stopping oppression and defending the widows and orphans. This is a similar call to Jesus' Nazareth declaration of Luke 4:16-18. The people of Judah of Isaiah's time were not fulfilling their fiduciary role as guardians of their neighbour-just as the people of North America and Europe. It is only necessary to turn from evil, stop oppressing the poor and the widows, to seek justice and to turn to the Lord with a new heart as cleansed by the new covenant of Jesus.

These ancients and ourselves are unreasonable in that our actions disappoint and anger the Lord God and stir the wrath of God from Heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness.(Romans 1.18) The wrath of God is unleashed upon the world as the people of the world commit atrocities against God and His world. We see the consequences in more violent storms, droughts and floods and plagues of insects and diseases. These are among the responses to people's atrocities.

God's alternative offer is to good to be true. We must only return to God in prayer and in his bountiful grace.

 

 

WinstonY

[WinstonY]

Lesson1.1

In what way is Judah confused about her identity?

Judah did not understand the dual nature of her covenant with God. We, both the people in the time of Isaiah and we the people of today have a responsibility to both love God with all our hearts and our neighbours as our selves. Today we have a further responsibility because modern media makes everyone our neighbour. There is a fidelity responsibility to our neighbour in the Kingdom of God. This than calls for justice for all, both rich and poor. The people of Judah, as are the people of our age are sinful, a people laden with iniquity, of spring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the Lord and have become estranged from Him. If we look ahead to verses 16-17 we hear God's call for the stopping of evil, a washing clean , seeking justice , stopping oppression and defending the widows and orphans. This is a similar call to Jesus' Nazareth declaration of Luke 4:16-18. The people of Judah of Isaiah's time were not fulfilling their fiduciary role as guardians of their neighbour-just as the people of North America and Europe. It is only necessary to turn from evil, stop oppressing the poor and the widows, to seek justice and to turn to the Lord with a new heart as cleansed by the new covenant of Jesus.

These ancients and ourselves are unreasonable in that our actions disappoint and anger the Lord God and stir the wrath of God from Heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness.(Romans 1.18) The wrath of God is unleashed upon the world as the people of the world commit atrocities against God and His world. We see the consequences in more violent storms, droughts and floods and plagues of insects and diseases. These are among the responses to people's atrocities.

God's alternative offer is to good to be true. We must only return to God in prayer and in his bountiful grace.

[van]

They do not follow in his ways, but instead are wicked and rebellious. Also, they are confused about their own identity as children of God. That's like human children rebelling against their own mother and father. Some children even disown their parents just so they can continue doing wrong. The sons of Judah insulted God.

The consequences today are the same as yesterday. God heart is hurt and He has to turn His back until you learn from your mistakes. When you come back to God, His arms will be open wide to receive you.

God is sick of their utter hypocrisy. Their gross injustice is completely contrary to what God has taught them. Their hands is full of blood. God wants them to learn to do right than doing evil all the time.

They don't understand the terrible state they are in. God is willing to forgive and cleanse them, but if they continued to rebel, their future will be terrible.

[John R]

Judah is confused about its identity since it had turned away from the one true God to god substitutes and pagan worship.  It was truly a divided nation spiritually and doomed to failure since it lacked a clear focus on God and doing right. The consequences are the same today as then, rejection of God, lack of direction as a godless people pursue lives without purpose.   The end of this without repentance and faith is spiritual death. 

 

In verses 15-17 God accused the people of having the blood of others on their hands due to their sinfulness and wrong doing.   God told them to repent and to do right, to visit folks in prisons and orphans, etc.,  i.e. good works. 

 

In verses 18-20 the people's behavior is termed unreasonable sine it is sinful and not acceptable to a Holy God.  God calls the people to meet with Him with a repentant heart and God will "wash them white as snow" as alternative action entirely of God's grace offered to the faithful and those "that are willing". 

 

 

[John R]

Judah is confused about its identity since it had turned away from the one true God to god substitutes and pagan worship.  It was truly a divided nation spiritually and doomed to failure since it lacked a clear focus on God and doing right. The consequences are the same today as then, rejection of God, lack of direction as a godless people pursue lives without purpose.   The end of this without repentance and faith is spiritual death. 

 

In verses 15-17 God accused the people of having the blood of others on their hands due to their sinfulness and wrong doing.   God told them to repent and to do right, to visit folks in prisons and orphans, etc.,  i.e. good works. 

 

In verses 18-20 the people's behavior is termed unreasonable sine it is sinful and not acceptable to a Holy God.  God calls the people to meet with Him with a repentant heart and God will "wash them white as snow" as alternative action entirely of God's grace offered to the faithful and those "that are willing". 

 

 

[jeannethebean]

Then: forgot that God governs, loves, provides.

Today: We don't seek Him in every breath and are, therefore, easily  distracted with worldly endeavors. Even working hard at a respectable job is a distraction if it is not Spirit led, and in vain. How many cars and retirement accounts and things do we rationalize by the worlds standards when the Spirit of the LORD is clear: take care of widows and orphans, the poor and jailed. We measure our seemingly lack  of sin against the world and think we aren't so bad, really. AND God sees us as needing and wanting (esp. when we are puffed up). We are blindly in denial if not in the presence of the living God, and hungry for more of Him. If we don't repent and seek Him in all we do, we are worse then them; we have the Holy Spirit indwelling.

[linda bass]

Judah was confused about it's identity because of rebelling against the Lord and no longer following His ways.

The consequences when Christians today suffer such identity confusion are, they care more for the trappings of the secular world than following the Lord.

The injustices God accuses the people of are hands full of blood,doing evil deeds,doing what is wrong,taking advantage of widows and orphans.

God argues their behavior is unreasonable because they are resisting the Lord and being rebellious.

The reason their behavior is unreasonable because they are sinning against the Lord.

What God offers as an alternative is for them to repent and get their hearts right;to start doing good rather than evil.

[csreeves]

The people of Judah were not following God. They were living as they were god. They needed a reminder of God really is and Isaiah was sent to do this and bring them back to God                                    .

[Guest jak1972]

Judah has chosen the rebellious way by turning away from God, the heavenly father. They had a sinful life instead of living in holiness according to God will. The obedience to God principles would lead to Blessings and the fullfilment of God promises while disobedience would lead to destruction. God calls us for obedience, holiness.

[Chris Colaco]

Q1. (Isaiah 1:2-20) In what way is Judah confused about its identity, according to verses 2-4?

If they were aware that they were sons of God they would not have rebelled, been corrupt, neglected the poor and weak..., practiced evil.

What are the consequences when Christians today suffer from such identity confusion?

We too have forgotten God. Often He is our last priority after many "good" things" such as having the best, in material possessions or education or food and drink. We chase after power and prestige. We have no faith in God who can do all things, who made us and sustains us and most of all who LOVES us.

What injustices does God accuse his people of in verses 15-17? 

There is blood on their hands..They ignore the weak ones of society:

Orphans

Oppressed

Widows

 

In verses 18-20 God argues that their behavior is “unreasonable.” Why is it unreasonable? What does God offer as an alternative?

Here God is giving them an alternative:

Change your ways and you will see your circumstances change.

Because they are blind and deaf to this offer of God they are described as being unreasonable.

 

[leighlang1015]

1. The livestock referenced here know who cares for them, what type of behavior is expected of them and where they lay their heads. The believers at the time were acting as though they didn't know that God is their provider and that He expects certain things from the. They have forgotten that He takes care of the,. They are acting out. They are paying for it too.

People nowadays have the same issues and when they are disobedient or irreverent to God, He is forced to withdraw His protection. Bad things are free to happen to us. We also put ourselves in sticky situations and suffer unnecessary consequences. Sexual immorality leads to STD's. Stealing leads to jail, etc..

My understanding is that they are religious but not spiritual. They go through the motions with no heart.

Simply put, it's unreasonable because He said so. They expect His protection and His faithfulness but they don't want to give in turn. That's not reasonable. He suggests that they be willing to obey and that they turn from the evil. If they do, He can take care of them.

[akkjl]

The people addresses don't know who they are because they have lost their fouce on God. They are immature children rebelling and like animals that don't know who feeds them. In response, God is cery angry and he is so tired of the foolishness of the people. They worship false God's and it is a terrible sight for God. If they change their course, God and renew everything.

[Nick]

The people of Judah have forgotten who they belong to, and therefore, have forgotten who they are. The result of this identity confusion presents itself through corruption, guilt and rebellion. This is true of society today. Those who do not know who they are suffer as well.  They chase the offers that the world deceivingly provides, which leads to a life of sin and emptiness. 

 

What is interesting is that verses 15-17 illustrate some detail of this rebellion through illuminating the issues of burnt and sacrifical offerings.  The Lord is not happy with their hypocrisy. 

 

Verses 18-20 are my favorite because they bring back hope into the equation.  Ultimately, the verses portray God's character as the perfect father, and I love this.  What's startling is that Judah is blind to what God is offering them. He's giving them the chance to repent, and in doing so, is promising them the best food in the land (and probably more than just food). How could they not want this! 

For the first time, I see an aspect of God's loving fatherly heart in this chapter in Isaiah. He is simply being a wonderful father by offering them good and redemption, and yet at the same time, he warns them of their consequences if they continue in their rebellion.  But I don't think this is "big" "mean" God speaking to Judah in Chapter one, I think it's "loving" "perfect" Father talking. 

[cjenkins1388]

Judah is confused because they have forgotten they are the chosen people of God.  

 

Sometimes we forget our identity today we become like the world we don't see how our lives becoming harder, nerve racking, inconsistent, and less happy.  Our lives could be so much better if we remember the promises that God has blessed us with and continue to keep Him first in our lives.

 

The injustices that God accuses Judah of are similar to the injustices today, guilt, corruption, evildoers. In today's time some injustices could be worry, jealousy, not obeying the law, and doing things our way when we know that is not what God wants.

 

Judah is unreasonable because they don't think they are really doing anything wrong and don't think they need to repent.

 

God offers Judah a way to be right by repentance and to start living their lives correctly

[JoanG]

The people of Judah do not know their God anymore. They have become rebellious. They have turned their back on the heart of the laws. They are allowing evil to run wild through their souls.

 

When Christians today go through identity confusion, their lives become confuse. They feel a restlessness within their hearts and souls. They lose themselves in the concepts of worldly views.

 

In versus 15-17, I feel that God is accusing his people of being selfish and unjust. They appear to be turning their backs on those in need.

 

In versus 18-20, the people are rebellious toward God. They are causing God extreme grief. They have sinned greatly. God tells them that they need to turn away from sin or they were going to be devoured by the sword. Their enemies will continue to cause them grief.