11/23/2001 Sabbath Meeting Transcript

Two weeks ago we examined the beginning portion of Isaiah, chapter 1.

I would like to continue our study on this portion of scripture.

In the last couple of verses we read, remember that in spite of Judah being led by one of the more righteous kings, Yahweh was comparing Judah to Sodom and Gomorrah:

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

Isaiah 1:10 - Hear the word of YAHWEH, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our Elohim, ye people of Gomorrah.

Ezekiel 16:49 - Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Ezekiel 16:50 - And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

We are in great danger of picking up her traits if we are not on guard. In this next verse, we see that Yahweh is not pleased with the offerings of Judah:

Isaiah 1:11 - To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith YAHWEH: 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.

For instance:

Genesis 8:20 - And Noah builded an altar unto YAHWEH; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Genesis 8:21 - And YAHWEH smelled a sweet savour; and YAHWEH said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Genesis 8:22 - While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Exodus 29:18 - And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto YAHWEH: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto YAHWEH.

Remember what Samuel spoke to Saul:

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

When David sinned against Yahweh, he knew this well:

Psalms 51:16 - For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

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

Psalms 51:18 - Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Psalms 51:19 - Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Apparently, this was not the case with Judah during this period of time:

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

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.

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.

Some have used this to say that Judah was observing pagan feasts and new moons. It's possible that they could have been, but I would be wary of relying on this point alone to prove it.

For instance, Yahweh calls them "Your feasts" in the Torah:

Numbers 15:3 - And will make an offering by fire unto YAHWEH, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts, to make a sweet savour unto YAHWEH, of the herd, or of the flock:

Numbers 29:39 - These things ye shall do unto YAHWEH in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.

Leviticus 23:2 - Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of YAHWEH, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

An important lesson here though is that just because someone keeps the Sabbaths and feasts, it doesn't mean Yahweh is pleased with them.

And just because a person makes many prayers, it does not mean that Yahweh is pleased with them.

Yes, these are important matters. But if our lives are sinful and we are not interested in turning from our sins, then Yahweh says He actually "hates" them and is "weary of bearing them".

And he will not hear our prayers:

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.

Proverbs 28:9 - He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

Psalms 141:2 - Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Revelation 8:3 - Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Revelation 8:4 - And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before YAHWEH from the angel's hand.

Proverbs 15:8 - The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to YAHWEH: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

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

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

For the most part, the people in this country desire to see to it that the fatherless and the widow are cared for

So how could it apply to us?

This year, when I did a study on the home, I thought about the reasons Yahweh cares so much for the fatherless and the widow.

Perhaps it was primarily because their physical needs were not being met. But then I thought, "What about the spiritual needs of the fatherless and the widow"?

The role of a Father and husband in a family is not only one of physical providing, but also one of spiritual leadership and guidance

In fact, are not the spiritual needs just as important, if not far more important?

So, in light of the above verse, perhaps our hands aren't full of blood, perhaps our children aren't fatherless and our wives a widow. But is it so, spiritually?

Are our children on the road to destruction?

If they are young, it may not show up right away. But according to the Torah/Law of Yahweh, parents are held responsible for teaching and training their children in the ways of righteousness.

Are our children spiritually fatherless?

How much time is spent with our children in the Word? Do we fail to "talk of them" at all times?

Are our wives spiritual widows? How much time do we spend in the Word with our wives?

Considering all the scriptures where Yahweh is angry because the fatherless and widow are neglected, woe to the fathers who neglect the spiritual needs of their wife and children!

All the Sabbaths, calling of assemblies, feast days can be a burden to Him because He cannot endure the neglect. He cannot endure the sacred meetings, they are iniquity!

We see in scripture that Yahweh is VERY concerned about the wives and children, shouldn't we be?

Also, consider this..

If, as seen in Isaiah 1:13-17, Yahweh cannot endure the offerings, Feast Days and Sabbaths of those who are neglecting the physical needs of what used to be another man's wife and children (fatherless and widow), how much more so if we neglect the spiritual needs of our OWN wives and children?

1Timothy 5:8 - But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Surely, the spiritual is far more important. The first leads to physical death, the latter leads to spiritual death

So, are we worse than an unbeliever? Let it not be so among us!

Continuing in Isaiah chapter 1:

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

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

Yahweh can cleanse and purify the sins of His people.

As strong and convicting as Yahweh's words are here and throughout the words of Isaiah, we find His promises for forgiveness to also be strong toward those who are willing to change their ways.

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

Yahweh again provides a choice of being "willing and obedient" or refusing and rebelling. We have that choice too.

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

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

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.

Jerusalem.

Yerushalayim, once a faithful city, but now likened unto a harlot

Changed from righteousness to murderers, silver to dross, and pure wine, to wine watered down

The leaders are corrupt, seeking money and rewards more than righteous judgment.

The cause of the fatherless and widow doesn't come before the leaders.

Brethren, besides our wives and children in our own families, do we ignore needs in our own communities and places where we live?

I believe we need to do more. Remember what Yahushua said:

Matthew 25:32 - And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

Matthew 25:33 - And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Matthew 25:34 - Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25:35 - For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Matthew 25:36 - Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Matthew 25:37 - Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, master, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

Matthew 25:38 - When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

Matthew 25:39 - Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

Matthew 25:40 - And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Matthew 25:41 - Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Matthew 25:42 - For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

Matthew 25:43 - I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Matthew 25:44 - Then shall they also answer him, saying, master, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Matthew 25:45 - Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Matthew 25:46 - And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

We see Yahushua's desire that the people of Yahweh seek to provide for those in need.

There are many who are also spiritually destitute.

We can truly be our Father's hand, who sends rain on the just and the unjust, reaching out to provide for His children

But if we are not willing to do these things, consider the outcome Yahushua mentions.

We see a similar picture here in Isaiah when Yahweh will separate the sheep from the goats:

Isaiah 1:24 - Therefore saith the Master, YAHWEH of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Notice in verse 29-0 that that idolatry that was apparently still present during the reign of Uzziah. So either there was people who did not serve Yahweh at all or there was a little mixed worship going on

Again we see a similar situation today where idolatrous practices are mixed into the worship of Yahweh

In fact, we are approaching a season where a lot of this will be going on!

But we should not seek those things. Rather, we should seek purity of worship...

purity of our offerings to Yahweh...

to be on fire for Yahweh and not lukewarm....

to flee from idleness and excess in possessions...

And to provide for our wives and children and to provide for those in need throughout our communities.

This is the message of Isaiah, chapter one.

May Yahweh bless you and may He help us all!