Isaiah 1:21-31
21 How the faithful city has become a harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord says,
The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,
"Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries,
And take vengeance on My enemies.
25 I will turn My hand against you,
And thoroughly purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city."
27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her penitents with righteousness.
28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
29 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.
30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades,
And as a garden that has no water.
31 The strong shall be as tinder,
And the work of it as a spark;
Both will burn together,
And no one shall quench them.
God’s judgment is against all the unrighteous (Romans 1:18) who forsake Him. In their rejection they are rejected because His wrath is against sin which is the disbelief and disobedience of turning away from Him and His word of righteousness. Israel is the model of what we should not continue doing therefore; instead, we should listen and turn from sin to Him and follow in His righteousness as we keep in step because of the forgiving grace of Christ. The examples of unfaithfulness include hatred (which Jesus explained is murder), polluting purity with the scum of sin like metal unable to be purified because contamination is added back in while refining, bribery with favoritism greasing palms, and not standing up and supporting the helpless orphan and widow (true religion in practice as James 1:27 says). These are some few examples of their unfaithfulness and ours to our shame. These things should not be true among us! The Lord told His people then that He would respond with retribution on His enemies and purify them by taking away their sin, a picture of Christ taking our sin (dross) on Himself and away from our record, our account of accountability to Him. His purpose is to restore each of us as the whole of His church just as He did the earthly kingdom of Israel. He redeems with justice because He paid the price Himself as the just one who judges faithfully and truly. It came at the price of His one and only Son, passing sentence on us but accepting the punishment in our stead. He reminded Israel here that destruction comes on the just and unjust and consumes those who forsake Him. Those who reject the Son will face eternal punishment as a form of destruction, not literally but as if destroyed because they will not be in His presence. Yes, they will be ashamed of the false gods and idols like the terebinth trees that do not last. The trees of the faithful redeemed who did not reject Him in disbelief will give life and healing to all in Christ in the end (Ezekiel 47:12, Revelation 22:2). Those rejecting God’s Son will be forsaken and rejected, inheriting a burning fire of their idol trees of idolatry in all its forms. This is the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15). The question remains for us all now as to whether we will reject and forsake the Son and be forsaken forever, or believe and receive Him instead to spend eternity in His very presence because we have been washed clean of sin’s unrighteousness by Christ’s life given for our due accountability of divine justice (Psalm 2:12, John 1:11-12).
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