He Who Is Humble – Isaiah 66:1-4

The Ancient History Encyclopedia says, “The temple was a sacred precinct defined by a priest…as the dwelling place of a god or gods and the structure built there was created to honor the [local deity] of a certain place. Early temples were constructed on sites which the people felt had a numinous quality to them which indicated the presence of a god, gods, or spirits.”  Israel’s temple was often described as the house of Yahweh, but Yahweh wants them to know that no place or ritual truly provides access to him.

Thus says the LORD:  “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?  All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD.  But this is the one to whom I will look:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

“He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig’s blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.  These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations; I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight.”  (Isaiah 66:1-4 ESV)

Though Yahweh chose to “rest” in the temple of Jerusalem, it was necessary to remind Israel often that the whole universe is His temple and that the earthly ritual He established for approaching Him was meaningless, indeed contrary to true worship of Him, if the heart that offered it was not humble and contrite. When we choose our own way and refuse to listen to what God says brings Him delight, we are not contrite.

As followers of Jesus we all experienced a humbling that caused us to tremble.  We came to acknowledge that we could not rescue ourselves.  We contritely submitted to Jesus and his remedy for our guilt and for our alienation from God.  We admitted that our own goodness was a pitiful offering and nowhere close to satisfying our debt.  In fact, any attempt to satisfy our debt with our own works became abhorrent. That is what made us those to whom Yahweh will look.

Discussion Questions

1. What temple or temples have you been in?
2. What aspects of the temple(s) seemed odd to you?
3. Why do you think Yahweh required a temple if what really counted was a contrite heart?
4. What spoils religious rites for Yahweh?
5. When do we hear God calling and speaking?