Musings: January 25, 2012

Isaiah 1:2 says this "Hear, o heavens, and give ear, o earth!" Why? Because "the LORD has spoken". It occurs to me that the wording in this verse is important. There is a command followed by a reason for that command. We also know that when a command is given, the recipient has a choice: obey and heed the command, or disobey and ignore the command. In this case, it is very important to heed and obey for those who ignore will miss the word of the LORD. It is important to be alert and attentive; we do not want to miss hearing God speak. We must choose to be available. We must choose to be listening with open ears. We must choose to hear and obey. I, for one, do not want to miss hearing the LORD speak because of distractions or hearing and letting the word go "in one ear and out the other". 


Isaiah 1:10 tells us again to "hear" and "give ear to". To what? What are we to hear? The Word of the LORD! What are we to give ear to? The law of the LORD. Again we find a command. Again we are faced with a choice. What exactly are we commanded to do? Hear God, yes. But what does that mean exactly? I think in order to hear we must "be still". And perhaps hearing the Word of the LORD means more than audibly hearing His voice. Perhaps it entails taking time to read the Bible, to listen for Him, to have a heart and mind ready to receive. I think, too, it deals with the Holy Spirit, for He is the one who will help us hear and understand. Give ear to the law of God. Maybe this means doing more than listening. Perhaps this means taking it to heart and living our daily lives according to God's law. Maybe it means being in tune with god and His Word so that our choices daily adhere to His law. 


Verse 11 really stands out to me and causes me to ponder it's meaning. "'To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?' says the LORD." The chapter continues to show how the LORD is sick of the offerings brought to Him by the Israelites. He seems to be accusing them of being religious or going through the motions without having any true repentance or desire to change in their hearts. He even says He will not look upon them or hear their prayers because of the way they make sacrifices while partaking in iniquity. It appears as though one must really know why they are bringing sacrifices before God. What is their purpose or motivation? What is in their hearts? We must be careful that we not allow ourselves to sacrifice out of habit or obligation. We must bring our offerings before God with a clean and pure heart!