Title: Obedience as a way of survival
Obedience as a way of survival
Isa 1:10-20
vain worship
In the 8th century BC, when northern Israel and southern Judah were severely afflicted by Assyria, the 1st Isaiah, who prophesied the word of God, calls out the oracle of judgment that is terribly sharp toward that time. Already in 1:2-9, Judas is condemned as a traitor. Let's read only 4 of them. "Ah! A derailed nation, a people full of iniquity, a wicked seed, a corrupt child, You have departed from the LORD, and have turned against the Holy One of Israel and turned against him.” The leaders of Judah and the people who heard this sermon were displeased with Isaiah and must have developed many objections. And now, Isaiah begins with today's text and reveals Judah's problem in earnest. What specifically is the problem?
Isaiah conveys the will of Yahweh like this: “For what purpose did you offer me these many sacrifices? I am now bitten by the burnt offering of the ram, and I am weary of the fat of the fattened animal. I hate to see the blood of bulls and lambs and goats” (verse 11). Just as we made all kinds of sacrifices when we offered sacrifices to our ancestors, the Israelites had to offer sacrifices when they offered sacrifices to Yahweh. Different types of sacrifices were offered depending on the type of sacrifice or the financial ability of the person offering the sacrifice. If the sacrifice is an animal, the blood is sprinkled on a certain place on the altar, the good part of the animal goes to the priest, the intestines are burned, and the rest is shared with the people who participated in the sacrifice. When offering sacrifices, other ceremonies follow, but the key here was the offering itself. Perhaps in Isaiah's day, the sacrificial practice of offering sacrifices was highly emphasized. That's right. All religious ceremonies become more ornate in appearance as their history deepens, and further away from the essence of the ritual.
This sacrificial act, which only looks gorgeous, is characterized not only by the increase in the quantity of the offering, but also by the increasing number of the gatherings. In the latter half of verse 13, Isaiah points it out like this: "I can't stand the vain things that people do together on New Year's Day and on Sabbaths and on the last days of festivals. I really hate the New Year's celebrations and festivals you keep." Isaiah does not in itself take issue with the frequent gatherings of people to worship God. It raises a problem about the fact that they gather together in the name of worshiping God and offer splendid sacrifices, eat and drink, but are only interested in themselves.
Isaiah refers to this series of acts as 'vain sacrifices' or 'vain works'. “Bring no more vain sacrifices. ... I can no longer bear the vain things of gathering” (v. 13). According to Isaiah, all the religious practices of Judah at that time were “in vain sacrifices.” If we apply these words to us, we can say that it is ‘vain worship’. Isaiah's assertion that all human devotion to worship was ultimately in vain not only frightens us, but also makes us take a serious look at ourselves. This has many meanings. First of all, it means that human action itself, especially what we call ourselves religious, isn't that great. Next, it also means that our religious practices must be consistent with their essence. Otherwise, it's all in vain and in vain.
Why is worship in vain?
Isaiah clearly explains the fact that the sacrifices of the people of Judah were in vain. “Put your hands together and pray no matter what. I will not see beg and beg again I will not listen” (verse 15). If you pray while offering many sacrifices and Yahweh does not look at you, of course the sacrifice will be in vain. Perhaps they felt their own satisfaction because they did their best to prepare the sacrifice and to pray sincerely. Through large crowds, religious events, choirs, holy prayers, and abundant offerings, those who took part may have been blessed, but in Isaiah's eyes, God seemed to be ill with all of them and turned away.
In a way, Isaiah is a bit naive. Although it is possible to close our eyes on human religion, Isaiah categorically declares that God does not listen to the prayers of the people of Judah. It is not without a feeling of exaggeration to make such an assertion on a subject that is not even God. However, the prophet who is possessed by the Spirit of God is so bold. As you can see with George Fox, such people only answer 'yes' and 'no'. But their cut-and-dry attitude is well-founded. The reason why Yahweh God does not listen to the prayers of the priests and people of Judah can be seen in the fact that their hands are ‘bloody’ (After 15). He addresses this issue more specifically. “Wash your body and make it clean. Forsake evil deeds before me. Clean your hands from evil. Learn the good way and find the right life. Release the oppressed, restore the rights of orphans, and support the widow” (verses 16, 17).
Isaiah's argument is not so pretentious or abstract, but rather very concrete and logical. According to Isaiah, the worship of Yahweh is thoroughly connected with the life of the worshiper. The lower religions usually place little emphasis on the life of man because of its emphasis on the magical aspects of religious practices, but as Isaiah's argument today shows, the biblical Yahweh God values the dimension of man's ethical life. Seeing the contradictions inherent in that era, Isaiah prophesies the judgment of God, Yahweh, like spitting fire. The contradiction that marginalizes the oppressed, orphans, and widows, or even abuses them, while adorning only the sacrificial acts. This analysis is correct. Just as your life is empty, meaningless, or full of anger and greed, you will focus on the appearance of worship when you lack the experience of the true God. Can God be with us in this contradiction?
I wondered if Isaiah's words today could accurately reveal the reality of our Korean church. Do our many worship services, offerings, service, labor, and prayers that seem to swallow the heavens contain content in our lives to support them? It depends on your point of view, but in my opinion, it is clear that our passionate worship and a life without content are not compatible at all. We can see this in the fact that in our hearts we often have familial selfishness, material lust, and religious self-righteousness rather than gratitude, joy, freedom, or peace.
Human Ethics or God's Forgiveness
But we must think more carefully and deeply about the oracle of Isaiah, which emphasizes the ethical life. Does Isaiah make us preach that the practice of ethical living is more important than worship? The dualistic distinction between worship and ethics is also problematic, but conversely, claiming that there is no difference is also not justified. Just because the priests and people of Judah criticize the lavish way of worshiping without an ethical life does not mean that it is okay to live by ethical standards without worship.
What do you mean? Look at verse 18. “Come, come and have an argument with me. Though your sins are red as crimson, they shall be as white as snow; though your sins are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah, who had proclaimed before Pharaoh to forsake evil deeds and turn away from evil, now claims that “your sins …” are forgiven here.
Herein lies the deep meaning of the Bible on human ethics. Moral teachers or ethics teachers emphasize human morality and ethics based on universal human values, but the Bible speaks of it in relation to God. In other words, man's sins are not erased by practicing ethical behavior, but are washed away by God's forgiveness. That's right. As the Reformers teach, sin is solved only in relationship with God, not in human relationships. Perhaps the world will not agree with this claim. If you work hard, you can become a moral human being, what kind of God do you need here? That's why they value humanism more than they believe in God. These differences cannot be narrowed so easily. Humanism has its own value, so we should not unconditionally overlook it. This does not mean, however, that we should try to replace the Christian faith with just such a humanism.
The reason why the Bible regards God's forgiveness as the essence of faith rather than human self-reflection or humanism is because it sees that humans are fundamentally not good. We can repent for a while and do good, but we cannot sustain an ethical life. Some people are told, “That person is the one who can live without the law.” However, even such people cannot escape their egocentrism, and furthermore, they behave very selfishly in some situations. Of course, if we govern ourselves by introspection, we can secure a considerable level of morality, but no one can achieve an absolute world. That is why the Bible teaches that receiving God's forgiveness is the right way to wash away sins.
life of obedience
Those who know that God has forgiven their sins and not their own moral efforts will now focus on one fact. This is ‘obedience’. The most accurate attitude we can take before God is obedience. “If you are willing to obey, you will eat the good of the earth” (verse 19).
So, what is the life of obedience? It is obedience to base your life on God, not on yourself. It means believing in God's promises and choosing to live in that hope. They should have firmly believed in the promises of Yahweh God to the land and descendants, but instead they tried to fulfill those promises themselves through splendid sacrifices. Today we receive a new promise from Jesus. Jesus promised, “He who believes in me will live even if he dies, and he who lives and believes in me will never die.” The crucified but resurrected Jesus Christ has promised us that He will come again. Then we will have eternal life. Those who cannot believe in this fact will try to achieve something absolute for themselves. You may try to overcome that anxiety by, for example, worshiping fanaticism, risking your life for a hobby, or owning someone.
But today we learned something else from Isaiah. Isaiah said: “If you are willing to obey, you will eat the good of the earth” (verse 19). Relying on these words, I say to you: If you base all your life on the words of Jesus Christ, you will have true life. So don't waste your life on anything else. Whatever it is, it is a sacrifice in vain, and in vain. Only Jesus Christ will give you true life.