Like Sodom and Gomorrah? – Isaiah 1:9-17

Digging wells in impoverished communities that lack clean water has become a much needed and common way of ministering to the poor. Unfortunately, just digging them a well, which is quite expensive, has not left some of these communities better off, because without the ability and knowledge to maintain the well, many of them end up not working and are therefore useless. Sometimes the good you think you are doing is all wrong.

Israel thinks they have been doing good with their worship of Yahweh, but Isaiah has to tell them they are doing it all wrong.

If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.

Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom!  Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!  “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 oats.

“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.  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. 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. (Isaiah 1:9-17 ESV)

When Yahweh met with Abraham to tell him He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18,19), Abraham, thinking of his nephew Lot who was living there, asked if God would please spare the cities if He found at least 10 righteous people there.  There were not even that many.  God spared Lot and his family but destroyed both cities completely. God did not leave even a few survivors.

But Yahweh has a covenant with Israel, and even though the nation is acting like Sodom and Gomorrah, Yahweh will never totally destroy her but will always preserve “a few survivors” (called a “remnant” in other translations). This is because His commitment to her is eternal and He will one day make her a nation of total believers who rule over all the other nations under the rule of Jesus (Jeremiah 31:31-40).

In the meantime, Yahweh calls Israel to repentance by expressing His distaste for her worship rituals, which He Himself commanded, because there is no true worship behind them.  To worship Yahweh is to love and obey Him, and yet Israel is full of violence and injustice, a clear indication that she does neither.  She must make herself clean by doing good, helping those who are most easily taken advantage of, like the orphans and widows. The true test of our religion is how we care for the disadvantaged (James 1:27). She must bring justice against those who use violence and correct oppression in the nation.

How should they accomplish this? Isaiah does not give details. Every individual Israelite must be responsible for personal repentance and change, but leaders must also repent and lead change.

Discussion Questions

1. Describe a time when everything you were doing was all wrong.
2. How would you feel if God told you that all your church activity was unendurable to Him?
3. Is there any sin in your life that is inconsistent with worshiping God? (lying to your spouse, using pornography, cheating your employees, not really loving God, etc.)
4. What does repentance from that sin look like? What would a true turn around be? What would make God happy with your worship?
5. Pray for one another.