“When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah 1:15 ESV
Reflection: why does God seem to hide His face at times from nations, from people, even from churches who call on His name?
We will do a study of the prophet Isaiah. It is one of the “major prophets” of the Old Testament, quite long at 66 chapters, so it will take us some time to go through. As I do, I will only select one or two focus verses to go into, as the Holy Spirit leads me. But there is so much material in this book, so I highly recommend reading along in the Bible for yourself so you can get the context and better understanding.
Ready?
The first verse of Isaiah puts the time and situation context for the prophecies, as we read “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” Isaiah 1:1 ESV. A brief search, and you will find that Isaiah lived approx. 745 – 685 BC, across 4 kings. Just for reference, king David lived almost 300 years earlier. And by this time, the greater “Israel” had been split into two separate kingdoms; ten tribes to the north referred to now as the kingdom of Israel, and two tribes in the south, referred to as the kingdom of Judah. Isaiah was in the southern kingdom, but we will see that God was often speaking to His people across kingdoms; even outside of the twelve tribes of Jacob, or “Israel”.
In the opening verses 2-20, we already get a very good sense for what was going on with God’s people at the time. And, even if this was happening well over 3000 years ago (!!), we will see that it is still happening. It is still the same. And we also know that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 ESV, this prophecy also still has relevance to us today, beyond the historical interest and fulfillment. So what was going on with the people?
We read in the opening “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.” Isaiah 1:2-4 ESV. We can “hear” the level of frustration of the Lord God right from the start, as He makes the comparison of even animals know who their owner is, where they are to sleep. Yet God’s people don’t know their Creator; their Father God. Instead they have aligned themselves with evildoers, iniquity and corruption. But, as we will see next,
they act all religious.
In our focus verses today, we read “When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah 1:15 ESV. They lift their hands in prayer and worship, but God says that he is not listening. We read right before this, ““What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.” Isaiah 1:11-14 ESV. In other words, the people did the religion, to follow the law, but their hearts were far away.
This is exactly what David discovered 300 years earlier, as he wrote down “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:16-17 ESV. And, it really struck me today, as many are lifting their hands in worship and prayer on a Saturday or Sunday at church, singing praises to God. But are they just empty words, an emotional feel good experience with good music? How many truly come there with “a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart” so that God will listen?
God told the people through Isaiah back then, and tells us today, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”” Isaiah 1:16-20 ESV.