Day 18: Isaiah 1:11-20
Read Isaiah 1:11-20
Helpful Background Information:
God speaks much in this rebuke of the rituals, offerings, and symbolic acts in general that He has commanded of them in the past. These acts were meant to be constant reminders to the people of the faithfulness of God. Not only this, but these acts were meant to be worship to Him.
Yet He seems to make clear one thing that is most important: more than any of these acts, He delights in His people showing mercy, justice, extending a hand to the oppressed and marginalized, and loving their neighbor.
Reflection Questions:
The people of Israel were excellent at perfectly performing these rituals of remembrance and worship, yet forgot what was most important: sacrificial love, justice, mercy, and so on. What are modern day equivalents of these “rituals” that Christians perform today? Write them down.
Some of these equivalents today would be: going to church on Sundays, attending Bible studies, posting Bible verses on social media, practicing lent, and so on. Certainly these are good practices with the right heart posture. How can the modern Christian fall into the same error that God’s people did in Isaiah 1?
Do you fall into the same sin these Israelites did, where you do the “Christian things”, but miss the more important things like honoring your spouse and children, loving the oppressed, and putting others above yourself? Be specific; what areas in your life do you struggle the most with this? Write these down.
Take 10-15 minutes to pray through the following list:
Confess to the Lord your failings in this.
Ask Him to show you other areas where you may be blind to sin of this nature.
Ask Him to form the life of Jesus within you, that He may help you to obey Him in these areas where you struggle.
P.S. - Don’t forget that God Himself lives within you if you’ve repented of your sin and trusted in Jesus. You’ve got this!