Isaiah Chapter 1

One of the most important things to remember about the Bible is that one must study the table of nations in Genesis Chapter 10 to find out the main players in the Old Testament, specifically prophecy. This is because you can change your own personal name, others can call you a different name altogether-plus you can change place names, based upon wars, conquests and kings. You cannot change your ancestors names, so knowing the original names of the people in the Bible means knowing who God is talking about.
The book of Isaiah starts off with God declaring that everything that HE said would happen to ISRAEL when they disobeyed Him did, indeed, come to pass. These curses take up sixty eight verses in Deuteronomy 28, plus repeated elsewhere. At this point in Israel's history, (ca. 725 B.C.).

THE OUTLINE OF ISAIAH

1. Chapters 1-35: All about Judgment
2. Chapters 13-23" Judgment of the nations surrounding Israel
3. Chapter 24-35: Completely future prophecies (eschatological in nature)

(Isaiah 1:1)
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Isaiah 5:7
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

DEUTERONOMY 28

• Cursed in the city,
• Cursed in the field.
• Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
• Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body,
• Cursed shall be the fruit of thy land,
• Cursed shall be the increase of thy kine,
• Cursed shall be the flocks of thy sheep.
• Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in,
• Cursed shalt be thou be when thou goest out.
• The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
• The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
• The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption,
• with a fever
• With an inflammation,
• With an extreme burning
• With the sword,
• With blasting
• With mildew;
• They shall pursue thee until thou perish.
• Thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass
• The earth that is under thee shall be iron.
• The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
• The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies
• Thou shalt go out one way against them
• And flee seven ways before them
• And shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
• And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air
• And unto the beasts of the earth
• And no man shall fray them away.
• The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt
• And with the emerods
• And with the scab
• And with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
• The LORD shall smite thee with madness,
• And blindness
• And astonishment of heart:
• And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness,
• And thou shalt not prosper in thy ways:
• And thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore,
• And no man shall save thee.
• Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her:
• Thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein:
• Thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
• Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes,
• Thou shalt not eat thereof:
• Thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee:
• Thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
• Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people,
• And thine eyes shall look,
• And fail with longing for them all the day long:
• And there shall be no might in thine hand.
• The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up;
• And thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
• So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
• The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs
• With a sore botch that cannot be healed
• From the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
• The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known
• And there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
• And thou shalt become an astonishment
• A proverb
• A byword among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
• Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field,
• And shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
• Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
• Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
• Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
• All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume
• The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high
• And thou shalt come down very low
• He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him
• He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail
• Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
• And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
• Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
• Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee,
• in hunger,
• and in thirst,
• and in nakedness,
• and in want of all things:
• and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
• The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
• A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
• And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
• And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
• And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
• So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
• So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
• The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
• And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
• If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
• Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
• Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
• Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
• And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.
• And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
• And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
• And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
• And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
• In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
• And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
• I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you
• Terror
• Consumption
• The burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart
• Ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
• And I will set my face against you
• Ye shall be slain before your enemies
• They that hate you shall reign over you
• Ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
• I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
• I will break the pride of your power
• I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
• Your strength shall be spent in vain
• Your land shall not yield her increase
• Neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.
• I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
• I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.
• And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;
• Then will I also walk contrary unto you
• I will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
• And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant:
• When ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
• When I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.
• And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;
• Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury
• I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
• And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.

2 Kings 6

• And I will destroy your high places cut down your images
• Cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols
• My soul shall abhor you.
• I will make your cities waste,
• Bring your sanctuaries unto desolation
• I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
• And I will bring the land into desolation
• And your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
• And I will scatter you among the heathen,
• I will draw out a sword after you
• Your land shall be desolate
• And your cities waste.
• Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
• And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies
• And the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them
• And they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword;
• And they shall fall when none pursueth.
• And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth
• And ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
• And ye shall perish among the heathen
• And the land of your enemies shall eat you up.
• And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands
• And also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.

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(Deuteronomy 9:24)
Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.

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UZZIAH: BLESSING FROM GOD IN MILITARY MIGHT, THEN OPEN REBELLION AGAINST GOD (BURNING INCENSE ON THE ALTAR)

2 Chronicles 26:12-23
Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.
And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims.
And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.
Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.
Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains. The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred. And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones.
And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God.
Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land. Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

THE HIGH PLACES: PAGAN IDOL WORSHIP

Numbers 33:52
Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

Leviticus 26:30
And I will destroy your (ISRAEL'S) high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

JOTHAM HIS SON: GOOD REIGN, HIGH PLACES NOT REMOVED

2 Chronicles 27:1-9
Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD.
And the people did yet corruptly. He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much. Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers. He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year, and the third.
So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

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2 Kings 15:32-38
In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

AHAZ: OUTRIGHT PAGAN REBELLION, ABOMINATIONS

2 Kings 16:1-20
In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.
But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.
And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus. And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon. And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar.
And he brought also the brasen altar, which was before the LORD, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar. And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.
Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded. And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones. And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

HEZEKIAH: GOOD KING GIVEN GRACE, SPARED DEATH

2 Kings 18:1-37
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.
And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.
And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:
Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them. Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house.At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem.

And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you? Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria: Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern: Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?
Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

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ISAIAH, IN ACTION

2 Kings 19:1-7
And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left. So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

AND...

2 Kings 19:20-34
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel. I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places. Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.
Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof. And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. ****************************************************************

(Isaiah 1:2)
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

• God says, "Listen up, EVERYONE!"
• This is how Israel was born, from God
• They were raised like a baby..........from Abraham on.
• They openly revolted against God
• This started with Saul

REB'EL, n. [L. rebellis, making war again.]

1. One who revolts from the government to which he owes allegiance, either by openly renouncing the authority of that government, or by taking arms and openly opposing it. A rebel differs from an enemy, as the latter is one who does not owe allegiance to the government which he attacks. Num 17.
2. One who willfully violates a law.
3. One who disobeys the king's proclamation; a condemner of the king's laws.
4. A villain who disobeys his lord.
5. REB'EL, a. Rebellious; acting in revolt.
6. REBEL', v.i. [L. rebello, to make war again; re and bello.]
7. To revolt; to renounce the authority of the laws and government to which one owes allegiance. Subjects may rebel by an open renunciation of the authority of the government, without taking arms; but ordinarily, rebellion is accompanied by resistance in arms.
8. Ye have built you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the Lord. Josh 22. Isa 1.
9. To rise in violent opposition against lawful authority.
10. How could my hand rebel against my heart? How could your heart rebel against your reason?

ISRAEL REJECTS GOD AND WANTS A KING

(1 Samuel 8:5)
And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

ISRAEL CALLED STIFFNECKED

Deuteronomy 7:68
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

(Isaiah 1:3)
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. OXEN

• Oxen are castrated bulls, and castration makes them live longer and grow larger.
• Oxen, children, brethren, only three plural nouns ending in "en"
• Oxen are laden with heavy loads
• Oxen were inexpensive and more numerous than horses
• Oxen must be equally yoked within enough weight so as to not strain both necks and kill both, and the bar between them must be level
• Several yoked pairs is called a team
• Oxen were sacrificed and eaten, unlike horses
• Oxen are smart and do not spook easily, unlike horses
• Oxen throughout history are considered "faithful servants" of mankind on the farm

THE ASS (DONKEY)

• Donkeys are smart and stronger than horses, pound for pound
• Donkeys are desert creatures
• This intelligence and independence makes them stubborn
• They remember another donkey they have not seen in twenty five years.
• They are somewhat fearless and can herd with horses to keep them calm
• They are keenly aware and the large ears are excellent for hearing up to sixty miles another braying donkey.
• Donkeys were used to create and maintain nations through being pack animals, crucial in trades such as silk, etc.

ISRAEL, THE OX AND THE ASS

• Was called to be a faithful servant (both)
• Was to remember God always (donkey)
• Was to let their heavy load rest on God's shoulders, like we are (oxen)

OXEN vs. Mankind

Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

ASS vs. Mankind

(Exodus 32:9)
And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

(Deuteronomy 9:6)
Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.

(Acts 7:51)
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

(Isaiah 1:4)
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

• Israel had chosen the characteristics of both in a bad way
• To be laden with iniquity (ox)
• Stubborn rebellion (ass)
• This was a provocation of God by the nation

(Isaiah 1:5)
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

• The head and the heart the mind and the spirit the inside
• Sin and rebellion and revolution are systemic, from sin
• This is a call to come home to the Doctor

SAMUEL CALL OUT SAUL FOR REBELLION

(1 Samuel 15:23)
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

(Isaiah 1:6)
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

• Top to bottom, the outside
• Wounds and bruises come from struggling in a battle alone and not with God's help
• Putrefying comes from infection over time, without care.

(Isaiah 1:7)
Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

• This was forewarned in the Law by God if they disobeyed and walked away from Him (above)

(Isaiah 1:8)
And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

• A small building in a huge field is a size comparison, showing Israel to be a tiny minority, if they are not with God.

(Isaiah 1:9)
Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

• Revelation 11:8 refers to Jerusalem as Sodom

  (Revelation 11:8)
  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

• Like all of the pagan nations God removed before them, Israel should not exist, but for God's mercy, grace, plans.....except THE LORD
• If God did not have a plan for Israel they would have been wiped off of the map ages ago.

(Psalms 127:1)
A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

(Isaiah 1:10)
Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

• God now directly refers to Israel as Sodom and Gomorrah
• This is a huge "Listen UP!!!!!!!!"
• This is to the leadership, those responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the entire nation.
• This is also a forewarning of judgment, since they know what happened to those two cities

(Isaiah 1:11)
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

• If not for God's Mercy, they would have been annihilated like those two infamous cities, Sodom and Gomorrah
• Therefore, that said, God expects them to exhibit the same mercy towards others, instead of sacrifice, like He does.

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(1 Samuel 15:22)
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

(Psalms 51:17)
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

(Hosea 6:6)
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

(Matthew 9:13)
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

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(Isaiah 1:12)
When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

• Of course the implied answer is, "No one"
• Courts are for both kings and judges
• For kings, it is outside of the palace
• For judges, it is the seat of justice
• This was Holy ground, not just any court

(Isaiah 1:13)
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

• God commanding them not to offer sacrifices is huge
• Calling it an abomination is even worse!
• The sense is, "I cannot bear or endure it." In the next verse God explains that He "is weary to bear them".

OBLA'TION, n. L. oblatio, from offero; ob and fero, to bear or bring.
Any thing offered or presented in worship or sacred service; an offering; a sacrifice.

THE NEW MOON

(2 Chronicles 2:4)
Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.

2 Chronicles 8:12-13
Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch, Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.

(Isaiah 1:14)
Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

• This "I am weary to bear them" is the same as "I cannot away with" in the previous verse
• The very ordinances God instituted for the nation are now hated by God Himself, from His own chosen nation.

ROSH CHODESH: "YOUR NEW MOONS"

(Numbers 10:10)
Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

(Psalms 81:3)
Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

(Genesis 1:14-16)
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

DAVID, JONATHAN AND SAUL OBSERVED THE NEW MOON FEASTS

(1 Samuel 20:5)
And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.

(1 Samuel 20:18)
Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.

(1 Samuel 20:24)
So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.

ELISHA AND THE NEW MOON

(2 Kings 4:23)
And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And he said, It shall be well.

• Elisha foretells child's birth to woman
• Child dies, woman leaves child's body with Elisha, goes home
• Woman asks husband to prepare her visit to see Elisha
• He asks why and says there is no new moon

THE NEW MOON OBSERVATION IS FUTURE

(Isaiah 66:23)
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

EZEKIEL:

Ezekiel 46:13
Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons.

SELLING STOPPED DURING THE NEW MOON

Amos 8:45
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?

CELEBRATED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT TIMES, EVEN UNTIL TODAY

(Colossians 2:16)
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

(Isaiah 1:15)
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

• God, who sees the heart, knows that their worship is in vain
• Hiding His Eyes from them means turning away so that He can't (refuses) see them (in a figure) and they can't see Him (literally). They are abandoned, rejected.
• This is the lack of mercy, the death of the innocents

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(Matthew 15:9)
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

(Mark 7:7)
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

(Colossians 2:22)
Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

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(Isaiah 1:16)
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

• There is an entire sermon right here
• Wash yourself....in the Blood of the Lamb
• Make yourself clean.....only one way, through Jesus Christ
• Put away evil
• Cease to do evil
• This is all internal and of the heart, not an outward appearance

OUTWARD CLEANSING-USELESS

Matthew 23:25-26
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

INWARD CLEANSING-THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST

(Revelation 1:5)
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

(Revelation 7:14)
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

(Matthew 23:26)
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

(1 Corinthians 6:11)
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

(James 4:8)
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

INWARD CLEANSING THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD

(Ephesians 5:25-27)
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

THE AGENCY

(1 John 1:9)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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(Isaiah 1:17)
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

• Learning to do well is necessary because our natural bent is towards doing evil
• Each of the acts mentioned is all about doing for others, as a selfless act
• The oppressed, orphans, widows are the most vulnerable, and usually the least helped
• These acts later on James calls "real religion"

(Romans 7:18)
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

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OPPRESSION: ISRAEL WAS FOREWARNED

Israel was warned of this being a consequence of walking away from God, a personal experience.

(Deuteronomy 28:29)
And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

(Deuteronomy 28:33)
The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:

IT WAS FORETOLD BY ISAIAH HIMSELF

(Isaiah 3:5)
And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

• It came to pass upon them quickly and often

OPPRESSED BY ALL OF THEIR ENEMIES ROUND ABOUT THEM

(Judges 2:18)
And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

THE CANAANITES

(Judges 4:3)
And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

PHILISTINES

(Judges 10:8)
And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

SYRIA

(2 Kings 13:4)
And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.

THE ASSYRIANS

(Isaiah 52:4)
For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

(2 Kings 13:22)
But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

THE BABYLONIANS

(Jeremiah 50:33)
Thus saith the LORD of hosts;The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together:and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.

THE JEWS THEMSELVES

(2 Chronicles 16:10)
Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

(Ezekiel 22:29)
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

THE WICKED

(Job 20:19)
Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;

GOD HIMSELF DELIVERED THEM OUT OF IT EVERY TIME

(Judges 6:9)
And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;

(1 Samuel 10:18)
And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:

GOD DELIVERS ALL OF THE OPPRESSED

(Psalms 9:9)
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

(Psalms 10:18)
To judge (deliver) the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

(Psalms 103:6)
The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

(Psalms 146:7)
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:

THERE IS NO EARTHLY SOLUTION IN THIS LIFE

(Ecclesiastes 4:1)
So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

THEY OFTEN FALSELY ACCUSED GOD'S ANOINTED OF OPPRESSION

(1 Samuel 12:3)
Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.

ZOPHAR ACCUSED JOB OF BEING AN OPPRESSOR, A HYPOCRITE (second person)

(Job 20:19)
Because he (Job) hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he (Job) hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;

Elihu accused Job of being an oppressor

(Job 35:9)
By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.

THE OPPRESSED CAN AND SHOULD HAVE NO SHAME AND PRAISE GOD

(Psalms 74:21)
O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.

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JESUS HIMSELF WAS OPPRESSED

(Isaiah 53:7)
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

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GOD ALWAYS WANTED TO FREE THE OPPRESSED

(Isaiah 58:6)
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

GOD WISHED ISRAEL NOT TO OPPRESS ANYONE

(Ezekiel 18:7)
And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

(Ezekiel 18:12)
Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,

(Ezekiel 18:16)
Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

(Amos 3:9)
Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.

(Acts 7:24)
And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

(Acts 10:38)
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

(James 1:27)
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

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(Isaiah 1:18)
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

• The redness of sin is due to the bloodshed of their crimes, the slaughter of the innocents, the oblations and sacrifices rejected by God

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Ezekiel 22:14
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations. Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself.
Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.

(Ezekiel 22:27)
Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.

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(Isaiah 1:19)
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

• Israel was always blessed by God, and this included land flowing with milk and honey

(Exodus 3:8)
And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

(Isaiah 1:20)
But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

• If the above is not a good enough reason to obey the LORD, this one surely must be!

(Isaiah 1:21)
How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

• From being able to judge and righteousness abiding, living, residing, dwelling in it to harlotry and murder
• This is a big fall and God is not mincing words

LODG'ED, pp. Placed at rest; deposited; infixed; furnished with accommodations for a night or other short time; laid flat. LODGE, v.t.

1. To set, lay or deposit for keeping or preservation, for a longer or shorter time. The men lodged their arms in the arsenal.
2. To place; to plant; to infix.He lodged an arrow in a tender breast.
3. To fix; to settle in the heart, mind or memory. I can give no reason more than a lodged hate
4. To furnish with a temporary habitation, or with an accommodation for a night. He lodged the prince a month, a week, or a night. The word usually denotes a short residence, but for no definite time.
5. To harbor; to cover. The deer is lodged.
6. To afford place to; to contain for keeping.The memory can lodge a greater store of images, than the senses can present at one time.
7. To throw in or on; as, to lodge a ball or a bomb in a fort.
8. To throw down; to lay flat.Our sighs, and they shall lodge the summer corn.

LODGE, v.i.

1. To reside; to dwell; to rest in a place.And lodge such daring souls in little men.
2. To rest or dwell for a time, as for a night, a week, a month. We lodged a night at the Golden Ball. We lodged a week at the City Hotel. Soldiers lodge in tents in summer, and in huts in winter. Fowls lodge on trees or rocks.
3. To fall flat, as grain. Wheat and oats on strong land are apt to lodge.

(Isaiah 1:22)
Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:

• Silver is a precious metal, but needs regular polishing to stay untarnished
• Gold does not tarnish, but God compares them to silver for a reason stated above
• Mixing any drink and watering it down ruins the flavor

(Isaiah 1:23)
Thy princes 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.

• Taking bribes is wrong, and perverts justice.....it always has
• Orphans and widows are very important to God, and it is here repeated in regards to their care, as in verse 17 where they are commanded to do this

(Isaiah 1:24)
Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:

• Jesus Christ is this Captain of the Host
• The Mighty One of Israel is one of His many titles

HOST, n. L.hostis, a stranger, an enemy, probably of the same family. See Hospitable.

1. One who entertains another at his own house, without reward. Homer never entertained guests or hosts with long speeches.
2. One who entertains another at his house for reward; an innkeeper; a landlord.
3. A guest; one who is entertained at the house of another. The innkeeper says of the traveler,he has a good host,and the traveler says of his landlord, he has a kind host.See Guest.

HOST, n.L. hostis, a stranger, an enemy.The sense is probably transferred from a single foe to an army of foes.

1. An army; a number of men embodied for war.
2. Any great number or multitude.

(Isaiah 1:25)
And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:

• Tin, as well as brass,iron, lead and silver which tarnishes (accumulates dross) and the dross on silver represent the impure character that God sees in them and wants to remove with His bare Hand
• The use of the hand makes it up close and personal, God doing this Himself
• Gold represents purity, rarity, of precious valuebut even gold will perish
• Smelting in the fire is the best way to remove anything from a precious or useful metal
• In the people realm, that means trials, disciplines, persecutions

(1 Peter 1:7)
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

TIN

Ezekiel 22:17-20
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.

• Tin is a malleable metallic element which has a comparatively low melting point, making it useful in many alloys, and to coat other metals prone to corrosion and tarnishing in order to prevent them.
• Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.
  Because of its low melting point, the LORD used it as an example of being purified by heat.
• Tin was at the first a spoil from their war against the Midianites:

(Numbers 31:21-24 KJV)
And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which The Lord commanded Moses; Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water. And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

Ezekiel mentions the same process of removal, purification of tin and other metals, tarnish, rust, dross, etc.

(Ezekiel 22:17-22 KJV)
And the Word of The Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to Me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith The Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead [see also The Lord's Plumb Line], and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in Mine anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you [see also Hydrogen]. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I The Lord have poured out My fury upon you."

The removal of the tin and dross is a symbol of purification from sin for Israel then and now us via the Holy Spirit.

(Isaiah 1:26)
And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

• Israel will be the place to be, and as God intended it, representing Him
• There was a time when Israel was righteous, with good judges and counselors
• This time did not ever last long, but it will be everlasting

(Daniel 9:24)
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

(Isaiah 1:27)
Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

• Israel having converts means they will finally have the Gospel as a nation
• Sin was judged at the Cross of the LORD Jesus Christ at Calvary, Redemption comes from accepting the judgment of sin on the Cross, and clothes us with everlasting Righteousness

THE GOSPEL:

SIN:

(Genesis 2:17)
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

(Genesis 3:6)
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

JUDGMENT AT THE CROSS:

Matthew 27:22-26
Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

(John 19:30)
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

REDEMPTION FOR ISRAEL

Romans 11:26-27
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

(Psalms 132:9)
Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy. (Revelation 19:8)
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ISRAEL

(Isaiah 62:1)
For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

(Isaiah 1:28)
And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

• All unbelievers will wind up in the same place as the devil and the anti-Christ

Revelation 20:12-15
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Isaiah 1:29)
For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.

• Oak tree groves were used for idol worship, pagan sacrifices and oaks are still associated with them today.

(Hosea 4:13)
They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.

GOD WILL DESTROY THE OAK GROVES

Isaiah 2:12-13
For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

(Zechariah 11:2)
Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

(Isaiah 1:30)
For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.

• Oak trees, like all things, are temporal

(Isaiah 1:31)
And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

• As strong as any person is or thinks they are, compared to God they are like kindling, and all who rebel and not accept the LORD will burn like it.