How is it that the faithful city hath become an harlot?
Once upon a time, it was full of
judgment;
righteousness
lodged in it;
But now it hath become the home of
murderers.
Thy silver is become dross,
Thy wine mixed with water:
Thy rulers are rebellious,
and companions of
thieves:
Every one loveth gifts,
and followeth after
rewards:
They judge not the fatherless,
neither doth the cause of the widow
come unto them. Isaiah 1:21-23 (KJV…enhanced)
The prophet’s question in the first line is
answered in the lines that follow. How
in the world could such a thing happen? How could the place where the True and Living
God had chosen to place His powerful name become a spiritual brothel? How could the people of God come to
understand their religious duty as being nice and tolerant and learning to
COEXIST? Silver and tin flow together
easily at a certain temperature and eventually, if one is unscrupulous, the tin
can become a substitute that only an expert can distinguish. Everyone thinks that the new doctrine (or an old sixteenth century remake)
sounds like what was being preached all along.
The wine is mixed with water after the drunkenness sets in and the
drinkers cannot tell the difference. (Peter
is being literal to millions of drunken and drugged believers when he warns
that they should “Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9 KJV)
The operation of Hebrew poetic parallelism is obvious in most of this
passage. Rebellious rulers love thieves
in the same way as those to whom they provide leadership become fixated on
rewards and money…”what difference does it make if other people think it is
fraud – I got mine!” Prosperity
doctrine. As noted, slow substitutes must
be tolerated and renamed to maintain the “new” way of thinking. The result is that a place that was once
known for its champions has become the butt of jokes to the army of
occupation. “Whatever happened to that
boy David y’all had as king: the giant-killer?
Where is this Messiah that’s supposed to be his blood? We have Caesar – we ain’t afraid of no ghosts!” The end result of Hebrew nationalism mixed
with Greek rationalism = rebellious rulers; “we have no king but Caesar.”
The not so obvious operation of Hebrew poetic parallelism has already been
mentioned. The best rendering of the KJV
term, “judgment” in verse 21 is “champions,” e.g., not only David but David and
his mighty men; 40 in all. 2 Samuel 23.
The amazing thing about Hebrew translation is that, quite often, it is
necessary to discover the meaning of a word from within the context and not
plow through by trying to give a one word equivalent. It is easy to say that mishpat = judgment and move on.
It is ridiculous to ignore the context that shouts the interpretative
environment that has been carefully crafted by the Holy Spirit to provide
understanding. Immediately before the
verses above is the simple instruction to wayward people:
(You shall) Learn to do well (if you);
seek judgment,
relieve the oppressed,
judge the fatherless,
plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:17
No one with any sense would think that the
prophet is advocating a comprehensive legal approach to the issue of orphan
concerns along with a well crafted court system to manage their affairs. In a modern society such as ours, these
things may be good. In any society, the
prophet is saying that people with a heart filled with the joy of the Lord will
champion the cause of those who cannot help themselves: orphans, widows, the
oppressed, etc.
Jesus pointed out to the enemies he had in his
own country that they had become murderers and fools by reinventing the rules
about taking care of their widowed mothers (Matthew 23:14, Mark 7:9-13!). Jesus fulfilled the conditions to restore the
place where the Father in Heaven would place His great name in order to make
champions. That place is no longer some
building made of stone (or any other church house material) but is no less a
venue than any human heart (Romans 10:10).
Champions look for opportunities to care for the weak, disregarding their
own advantage or profit. Champions lay
down their lives for children, knowing that it is God’s will for their
lives. Champions know that their success
lies in the one piece of equipment with which the Holy Spirit wants to equip
them daily; the cross of Jesus. There is
no other cross for believers to bear.
Come to Jesus.
Come to the Cross.
