Season 6, Podcast 41, Isaiah 1:19-31, “Promises of God.”In the last podcast we examined Isaiah 1:1-18 in which the Lord chastened the Jews for breaking his everlasting covenants. Following his chastisement, he made great promises if they would repent and come back into the covenant. He continues those promises.Isaiah 1:1919 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:One of the covenants the House of Israel broke was the Ten Commandments. From the above one is remind of the 5th commandment.Exodus 20:1212 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.It is a commandment with a promise. “That thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy god giveth thee.” In the above the Lord promises that they shall also “eat the good of the land.” All commandments come with both a curse if they are disobeyed and a blessing if they are obeyed. God is not arbitrary. A commandment of God is a law, and all laws have consequences. The formula is rather simple. If we want a blessing from God, we obey the law upon which the blessing is predicated. On the other hand, if we want a cursing, we disobey the law upon which it is predicated. Law is central to everything God does. Implicit in all commandments are both a blessing and a cursing. God is never arbitrary, and he never breaks a promise. We all live in a covenant relationship with God, and all laws are a form of that covenant. Isaiah Chapter 1 is an illustration of how God works. The purpose of true prophets is to reveal those laws and commandments to us. When God says that we are judged for our works, he is referring to our obedience or disobedience to his laws and covenants. God is just. We are not held accountable for laws we do not have; however, when we enter that covenant we are accountable for all the laws we do have. The purpose of the atonement of Christ is to satisfy the law of justice. For example, when we break a law, justice demands punishment. The atonement allows us to repent and change our course and bring us back into the covenant. The blood of Christ pays for our sin and justice has no hold on us. However, if we reject Christ and do not repent, justice requires punishment. The law of justice places restrictions on the law of mercy. Those restrictions are what we call the commandments of God. In Isaiah 1 God is teaching us that principle. If the Children of Israel continue to rebel, they will be led into captivity. They will lose their birthright. They will be driven out of the Promised Land, the land of their inheritance. On the other hand, if they repent, they shall “eat the good of the land.”If they refuse to repent, however, they will fall under the heavy hand of justice.Isaiah 1:2020 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.The Lord reminds Israel how far they have strayed from their covenants.Isaiah 1:21-2321 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: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.Again, I remind you of the poetic structure of Isaiah. In the following he uses antithetical parallelism. That means the use of opposites. He contrasts blessings with cursings. In other words, those who repent, the Lord will bless. Those who don’t, the Lord will curse.

Season 6, Podcast 41, Isaiah 1:19-31, “Promises of God.” In the last podcast we examined Isaiah 1:1-18 in which the Lord chastened the Jews for breaking his everlasting covenants. Following his chastisement, he made great promises if they would repent and come back into the covenant. He continues those promises. Isaiah 1:19 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: One of the covenants the House of Israel broke was the Ten Commandments. From the above one is remind ...