Contempt of Court (Isaiah 1:1-20)

In Isaiah 1:1-20 one of the charges God brings against Judah is what I call contempt of court.  The very setting of the passage is in the courtroom/courts of the legislator/judge/king named Yahweh (the LORD), the Holy One of Israel.  First we establish that Isaiah is speaking about Israel in the time of Jesus Christ.  The charges and the description of their worship with their lips but a heart far from God is one that fits many generations, but especially the generation at the time of Jesus.  The description of the devestation of the exile is one that would best fit any time after the exile began (and it did not end until Christ sent the Spirit).  And the apostle Paul even sees these verses as predicting his own time.  Second we establish that the invisible dimension of the setting is the court of the LORD who sees beyond the formality and the respectful behavior on the surface into the very hearts of men and women.  Anyone who likes the television show Flashpoint will enjoy the opening of the message.

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