Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"They shall be ashamed"
Text: Isaiah 1:29
A FATEFUL WORD OF WARNING
The LORD had to speak to Judah very candidly and firmly. The hearts of many had grown cold and dead over many years of transgression.
“For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees
Which you have desired;
And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens
Which you have chosen.
For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades,
And as a garden that has no water.
The strong shall be as tinder,
And the work of it as a spark;
Both will burn together,
And no one shall quench them.”
Isaiah 1:29-31
1. The problem of idolatry addressed.
a) Many had deserted their faith in God.
b) They turned to worship idols instead.
c) Things the people delighted in:
i) Worship of nature.
ii) Sacred oaks (the terebinth trees) were venerated in worship.
iii) Special gardens were created to worship sacred idolatrous object.
d) When Divine judgment takes place:
i) All the idolaters would be ashamed.
ii) They would realise that the things they worshipped were not gods at all.
2. The idolatrous nation:
a) They are compared to dying oaks with faded leaves.
b) They are compared to gardens that lacked water.
Thus, the plants therein would be withered and dying.
3. The mighty men (“the strong”).
a) These would be a reference to those who are:
i) People with authority and might.
ii) People who were called “princes”.
iii) People who were highly respected because of their social status.
b) But they were compared:
i) To tinder.
ii) Their works would burn.
iii) An unquenchable fire would burn up all their “achievements”.