Isaiah 1

Isaiah 1:1

Isaiah: God controls the nations Isaiah declares how God’s people should be living An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Isaiah chapters 1 to 9 www.easyenglish.info Norman Hillyer This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 1 What this book is about v1 Messages about Judah and *Jerusalem that God gave to Isaiah son of Amoz. This was during the period when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

Verse 1

The name Isaiah means ‘God saves’. We do not know anything more about Isaiah’s father Amoz (not the same person as Amos).

 Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. They all ruled during the second half of the 8th century before Jesus was born. God accuses his guilty people v2 Listen, heaven and earth! God is speaking. The children that I brought up have turned against me. v3 Even a farmer’s animals know who owns them. And they know who feeds them. But my special people called Israel do not recognise me. Nor do they appreciate me. v4 Oh, what a wicked nation you are! Your evil deeds are like a great weight upon your back. You learn to copy each other’s wicked actions. You have turned from God, the Holy God of Israel. v5 Do not continue to suffer any more punishment. Obey me! You are like somebody who has bruises all over his head. v6 From the top of your head to underneath your feet no part of you is healthy. There are only bruises and sore places that are bleeding.

Nobody has washed the injuries or used cream to cure them.

Verses 2-3

‘Heaven and earth’ (that is, everything that God created) are God’s witnesses. They know that God’s words are true. Nature obeys God’s instructions. Even a farmer’s animals are more intelligent than the people in Israel, who continue not to obey God’s instructions.

Verses 4-6

The people in Israel suffer punishment because they refuse to change their evil behaviour. Isaiah frequently uses the title ‘Holy God of Israel’. Because God himself is holy, he expects his people to live holy lives. Enemies have destroyed the land v7 Foreign enemies have ruined your country. They have burned your towns. They have *seized and emptied your fields. And you can only watch what is happening. v8 *Jerusalem has no defence. It looks like an empty hut alone in a field. Enemies are all round you. v9 But God has kept alive some people in *Jerusalem. Otherwise the city’s fate would have been like the end of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Verse 7

Chapter 36 describes this attack. It happened during the time when Hezekiah was king.

Verse 8

‘An empty hut alone in a field’ refers to a temporary shelter of branches. Such a shelter protected a *look-out as he guarded the crops. After the harvest, people would leave the shelter to fall into pieces.

Verse 9

The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were so evil that God destroyed their cities (see Genesis chapter 19). Israel’s religion is not sincere v10 Listen, you rulers of *Jerusalem! You are like the rulers of Sodom. Listen, you people in *Jerusalem! You are like the people in Gomorrah. Listen very carefully to what God is saying to you. v11 I have no use for the many animals that you kill to offer to me. I have had more than enough of their blood.

It gives me no pleasure whatever. v12 Nobody asked you to bring all these gifts every time you come to *worship me. Keep back from my holy *Temple! v13-14 And stop bringing other gifts that really mean nothing to you. I hate the *incense that you burn for its sweet smell. You have special monthly meetings when the moon is new. You have special weekly meetings on the Sabbath (7th day). You have special meetings on many other occasions as well.

But your religion is making no difference to your evil lives. I hate all these activities. They only make me angry. v15 So I shall not notice when you pray. Even if you pray many prayers, I shall not listen. It is as if your evil lives have stained you with blood. v16 Clean yourselves! Your wicked lives fill me with disgust.

Stop your evil behaviour! v17 Learn to live good lives. Deal fairly with other people. Defend widows. Look after the rights of children who have no parents. Help poor people.

Verse 11

‘I have had more than enough of their blood.’ Leviticus 17:11 declares that blood was essential for a *sacrifice to be acceptable. That is, to have the result that God intended. But the people’s present *sacrifices in God’s holy *Temple had no value whatever. The *sacrifices meant nothing to the people who brought them. So their *sacrifices meant nothing to God.

Verses 12-15

All these activities in God’s holy *Temple were without any value to God. They were making no difference to the evil way that the people were living. So God said that he hated these activities.

Verse 16-17

People who continue to live evil lives cannot expect their *sacrifices in the *Temple to save them from God’s punishment. God offers a new start v18 Come, let us discuss this matter together. It is as if your evil life has stained you a deep red. But I can remove the stain completely. I can make you as clean as new snow. Even if your stain is of the deepest red, I can make you as white as wool. v19 Let me help you. If you are willing to obey me, you will eat all the crops of the land. v20 But if you refuse to obey me, your enemies will *destroy you. I am the *Lord. I have spoken.

Verse 18

It is almost impossible to remove a red stain completely by human effort. But God can do it perfectly.

Verses 19-20

Obey God, and all good gifts will be yours. Refuse to obey God, and nothing will go right. God will no longer care about you. He will no longer protect you. Enemies will attack and you will lose everything. *Jerusalem’s fate v21 People in *Jerusalem, you are like a wife who is no longer true to her husband. Once your judges gave fair judgements and your citizens lived good lives. Now you have a city whose inhabitants are cruel. v22 People in *Jerusalem, once you were like pure silver. Now you have no value. Your *wine was the very best. Now it has water in it. v23 Your rulers have turned against me. They prefer the company of thieves. Your rulers expect presents and secret gifts. They refuse to look after the rights of children who have lost both parents. They will not defend widows.

v24 Now listen to the judgement by the *Lord, Israel’s all-powerful God. I shall pour out my great anger on you, my enemies. You will cause me no more trouble. v25 I shall punish you severely. I shall burn with fierce fire all that makes you unholy. That is, all that makes you unfit to give me honour.

Verses 21-23

True religion is a relationship of love with God. That love for God will affect all people’s relationships with each other. Water that someone adds to *wine affects all the *wine. So lack of love for God must cause a lack of love for other people. And poor people and weak people will be the first to suffer.

Verses 24-25

God is angry because the leaders of his people are guilty of moral failure. God wants men who will loyally carry out his wishes. He now considers Israel and Judah to be his enemies. That is why he will punish them. God will save *Jerusalem v26 I shall give you fair judges and wise advisers, like those that you had in former days. *Jerusalem will be called ‘the city that takes care of its citizens’. And ‘the city where you can trust people’. v27 The *Lord is true and fair. So he will save *Jerusalem and everyone there who turns back to him.

v28 But he will *destroy all who have turned against him. And those who continue with their evil practices. v29 You will be ashamed because you considered sacred trees and sacred gardens to be your gods. v30 You will become like a dead tree and like a garden without water. v31 The strongest among you will disappear like straw in a fire. Your evil deeds started that fire. And nobody will be able to put it out.

Verses 26-27

Now God will appoint other leaders, as he did long ago. That happened when David made *Jerusalem his capital (see 2 Samuel 5:9). He appointed true men of God as leaders (see 2 Samuel 8:17-18).

Verses 28-31

But God will *destroy all who continue to oppose him. False gods (‘sacred trees and sacred gardens’) have no life in them to give to people who *worship them.

© 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

February 2007

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