A call to stop Worship

 Read Isaiah 1.

God's chosen people were in deep trouble.  At the root was their spiritual rebellion against the LORD.  The nation had divided and formed two kingdoms.  The ten tribes in the north, as the majority, maintained Israel as their kingdom name.  The two tribes in the south that included the city of Jerusalem took the tribal majority name of Judah.

In response, God sent his spokesmen, the prophets, to deliver His word to the people.  Isaiah preached and ministered in the south throughout the reign of four different kings.  Many have compared these 66 chapters to the 66 books of the Scripture and referred to it as a mini-Bible.  All the themes of Word of God may be found in the rich writings of Isaiah.  The messages came to him through visions directly from the LORD Himself (v.1).

Immediately, we are told what the problem was.  The nation forgot that God was the Owner of all things and that they were to be good stewards of what He had given to them.  Instead, they sinfully thought they could live however they wished and ignore the Owner's expectations of them.  Incredibly, all the while, they never stopped going through the motions of worship.  They showed up at the right times, even offered their sacrifices, and prayed.  They forgot that acceptable outward obedience of worship is to be the response of a heart that is right with God.  Without it, the outward displays proved meaningless.  The blunt message was to stop!

Note God's personal responses:
"I have had enough." (v.11)
"I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly." (v.13)
"...my soul hates..." (v.14)
"I am weary of bearing them." (v.14)
"I will hide my eyes from you." (v.15)
"I will not listen." (v.15)
The LORD wants us to pray, to worship corporately, and to offer our sacrifices of praise and giving.  But first the sin must be removed.  God does not condemn people merely to make them feel guilty but with this strong message He also provides the solution.

1. "Wash yourselves."
2. "Remove the evil."
3. "Cease to do evil."
4. "Learn to do good."  Once we have repented of our sin and received His forgiveness, what are some of those good things that please God?
     -Seek justice.
     -Correct oppression.
     -Bring justice to the fatherless.
     -Plead the widow's cause."