Isaiah 1 - Does HE forget our sin because HE loves us? Follow with us in the Book of Isaiah.

Isaiah is a deeply prophetic book. There are 66 direct quotations from Isaiah in the Brit Hadashah (some have found more). Twenty of the twenty-seven books of the Brit Hadasha have direct quotations from Isaiah.

Because this is such a foundational book for Scripture, it is one of the most attacked books in the Bible. There have been many critics that claim Isaiah was not written by Isaiah, but by three different authors from three different time periods. They come to their conclusions by looking at alleged differences in writing styles.

The Dead Sea Scrolls contain the entire book of Isaiah whole and intact just as we have it today. That proves this same book is the one that was referred to in the days of Yeshua and they attributed it to one man. This book is not a very personal book.

In the book of Hosea, we are told a lot about Hosea's personal life and personal torment. We are not told much about Isaiah at all. We know that Hosea spoke to Israel starting about 740 BC and ended about 680 BC. We are told that timeframe of the book in the very first verse (Isaiah 1:1).

We are also told his father was Amoz. But we don't know much personal information about Isaiah aside from that. Isaiah 1

Have you ever been to court to have to face a judge? It's a scary thing. I had an incident as a kid that resulted in my getting into big trouble and standing before a judge. I didn't ever want to do that again. That judge looks mighty tall to young man that knows he broke the law. The judge is there to bring justice. He has to do his job. If he doesn't, the law is a total waste of time.

In this first chapter of Isaiah, Elohim is holding a trial and Israel is the defendant. He is going to bring charges against Israel and Elohim is going to call the heavens and the earth to be the two witnesses for the trial. Elohim operates in a legal and orderly fashion. If you doubt that, ask any physicist as to how things work in the universe. Why is it that we can launch a probe from here on planet earth and make sure that it lands on Mars many months later? Was it a lucky guess? Or was it because the heavenly bodies move in such a precise and orderly manner that we can calculate it and count on it to be correct? Elohim created everything to move, interact, and relate in a very mathematically precise and orderly manner. Just as Elohim has created everything to move in such a mathematically orderly manner according to the laws of physics, we can also count on Elohim operating according to the legal laws He has set forth.

When we break the law, we must face judgment. That is a fact. Maybe we sometimes don't get caught breaking some minor laws. Maybe we don't get caught paying all our taxes or obeying all traffic laws or taking things from our employer. Our getting away with things is mostly due to the flawed nature of man's enforcement. But if we get caught, we have to pay the penalty. That is man's problem with Elohim's Law. We can't sneak anything past Him. He knows all and sees all. That makes it impossible for us to get away with anything.

Many people think Elohim just "forgets about it" since He loves us. If He does that, he is an incompetent judge. Then He wouldn't be operating in the same orderly manner with which He created the universe. Elohim cannot be a rebel against His own Torah. That violates His very own character and He won't do that. But opening up here in Isaiah, we have the nation Israel, who is in rebellion against Elohim. Elohim has given them many chances but they refuse to be obedient to His Torah. He now has to act as Judge against them. Notice that Judah is not going to have a defending attorney to give "their side of the story." Most people think "there are two sides to every story." There may be some truth to that saying in this sinful world that we live in, but that is not the way it really is. The fact is, when truth comes out, there is no "other side of the story." Elohim is going to tell the story of Israel from the standpoint of Truth. And He is going to call the entire universe to come and witness these charges. Judah is just plain in trouble. The northern kingdom of Israel has already had a pronouncement of judgment. Assyria has already taken the northern kingdom of Israel captive and they are threatening the southern kingdom of Judah. Isaiah is speaking to that southern kingdom of Judah. Judgment is knocking on their door and they are facing the verdict.

River Valley Torah Assembly
http://rvtorah.com/