Isaiah 58:12
God loved the people of Israel for hundreds and hundreds of years, but apparently it did not do very much good. God's pain, as the rejected Lover and Israel's spiritual adulteries, are frequent themes in the writings of the Prophets. This particular passage is part of a powerful "sermon" by Isaiah to Jerusalem and Judah that was given about 125 years before the destruction of the city by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. Chapter 58 is part of a series of presentations from the Lord to His people which cover the entire second half of Isaiah (40-66). The central theme of this chapter is "true religion" versus "false religion" (or worship).
Isaiah served the Lord in Jerusalem for 50 or perhaps even 60 years. He began his public ministry late in the reign of good King Uzziah who died in 740 BC. Isaiah lived to see five wars: civil war with the Northern tribes, war with Syria, Assyria, Edom and Philistia. Finally in 722 BC, the Assyrians took the Northern Tribes captive and destroyed the capital at Samaria. Uzziah was succeeded by Jotham, then wicked king Ahaz, then Hezekiah--one of Judah's very best kings. According to tradition Isaiah was martyred by Manasseh another wicked and evil king. We have the advantage of being able to see all of Israel's long history after the death of King David. The deterioration of Israel's national moral and spiritual life was inexorable. The reforms of the good kings such as Hezekiah were never enough to turn the nation back to God though they delayed the final judgment. In 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and took the survivors captive to Babylon.
God hates hypocrisy. He is a personal God and wants His people to know their God personally and to interact with Him daily on an intimate basis. It isn’t just enough to know about God. We have to get to the place where we know what it means to know and to serve God? There is a difference between practicing an external religion with all of its associated rituals and entering into a relationship with God.
A relationship marked by a lifestyle which pleases Him?
Do you have a religion or do you have a relationship?
