Isa 1:11-20 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Isa 1:11-15: 1:11-15 The people had so offended God through their sin that he took no pleasure any more in their sacrifices . The Lord wanted Judah to stop the religious exercises he had commanded them to do rather than to continue them in a manner that was sinful and false (1:13 ). Ritual is never an acceptable substitute for true godliness.

Summary for Isa 1:11-15: 1:11-15 ^a The people had so offended God through their sin that he took no pleasure any more in their sacrifices. The Lord wanted Judah to stop the religious exercises he had commanded them to do rather than to continue them in a manner that was sinful and false (1:13 ^b). Ritual is never an acceptable substitute for true godliness.
1:13 ^c The incense that accompanied offerings was intended as a sweet fragrance to the Lord (see Exod 30:7-8 ^d), but when offered with hypocrisy it was a nauseating stench and an abomination to God.

• While the Lord had ordered special days for fasting at the Temple (Lev 16:31 ^e; 23:32 ^f; Num 29:7 ^g), they were ruined by the guilt of Judah’s sin (see Isa 58:1-7 ^h; Matt 6:16-18 ⁱ).

• pious meetings: These holy days were associated with the new moon and other festivals (see Lev 23 ^j).
1:14 ^k New moon celebrations occurred on the first day of each lunar month (Num 28:11-15 ^l) and included sacrifices, feasting, and rest from work.

• The annual festivals were the festivals of Passover, Harvest, Trumpets, and Shelters (Num 28:16–29:39 ^m; Deut 16:1-17 ⁿ).
1:15 ^o I will not look ... I will not listen: The Lord does not respond to prayer offered from a life of persistent wickedness. In this case, God charged the people with perverting his laws in order to practice violent injustice toward innocent victims.
1:16 ^p Wash ... and be clean! The people were defiled by their sin and the uncleanness of their sacrifices. To be clean in God’s eyes, they needed to change their behavior, get rid of their sins, and give up their evil ways (see also 1:18 ^q).
1:17 ^r Seeking justice means upholding God’s standards of fairness and advancing the rights of the oppressed, orphans, and widows—those who are weak and marginalized in society (see also Jer 7:5-7 ^s; 22:3 ^t; Zech 7:10 ^u; Matt 23:23 ^v; 25:31-46 ^w; Jas 1:27 ^x).
1:18 ^y God called his people to come and settle their dispute so that he could restore his covenant relationship with them. This required Judah to make a decision between obeying or turning away (1:19-20 ^z). Isaiah says their sins are like scarlet ... they are red like crimson, the color of blood, which Judah had unjustly shed (1:15 ^aa).

• white as snow ... white as wool: The people would be radically transformed—cleansed, purified, and made holy (see also Ps 51:7 ^ab; Dan 7:9 ^ac).
Summary for Isa 1:19-20: 1:19-20 ^ad Repentance leads to life, whereas resisting God’s will and turning away from him results in death (see Deut 11:26-28 ^ae; 28:1-62 ^af).
1:20 ^ag I, the Lord, have spoken! This statement marks the solemnity of what God has just promised. The phrase is used eleven times in Isaiah.