Consequences of forsaking God (Isaiah 1)
When God called the children of Israel from slavery to the Promised Land, he expected them to appreciate and maintain a father son relationship.
Consequences started coming when they consistently became disobedient and rebelled against God. In Isaiah 1:2, God complained “I reared the children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me…”. In 1:6, their sin was compared to sickness that affected the entire body implicating people as having sores from the head to the toe.
Sin was compared to the stench of the sores or the un bearable wounds that one cannot easily look at. Sin separates us from God, family and friends. Judah is also described as a harlot, watered down wine or impure silver alloy (Isaiah 1:21-23). In the eyes of God lip service could not be substituted for obedience instead it amounted to apostasy and hypocrisy.
What Judah testified to be was not who they were despite their covenant relationship with God as a father.
On television we are always warned not to watch certain pictures if we are not strong enough. Parents warn their children not to move with those who have been wounded with sinful behavior because it can easily be contagious. People at all stages can become good coaches to those they have enticed to behave like them. Paul warns us about bad company corrupting good character (1 Cor. 13:33). Paul once again told Timothy to flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith love and peace along with those who call on the name of the Lord (2 Timothy 2:22). This helps us to appreciate the danger of sin and how to run out of before it gets too late.
Due to the evidence of rebellion, Israelites were to be eaten by the sword, they would be broken, perish, and ashamed, disgraced, fade like leaves, even if they lifted their hands to worship, their prayers will not be heard because their hands are full of blood. Their festivals that God once treasured had become a burden before Him and their iniquity could no longer be endured. There was great separation which required genuine
repentance before God for the covenant relationship to be restored.
Our God remains a father to His children, He who called the children of Israel to sit on a round table and reason together with Him is calling us today, “Come lets us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18-19). Through Christ’s cleansing blood we can escape the danger of hell where there is pain and gnashing of the teeth (Matthew 24:36-51) for we do not know neither the day nor the hour when the son of man will come. Hell and heaven are real; you have a choice now. May God bless you.
The Very Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye
AG. PROVOST