Scriptural text: Isaiah 29
Judah Is Rebuked for Empty Worship (Isaiah 29:13-14).
To worship God, is to approach him. And if the heart be full of love and fear, out of the abundance of it the mouth will speak; but there are many whose religion is lip-labor only. When they pretend to speaking to God, they are thinking about a thousand foolish things. They worship the God of Israel according to their own devices. Numbers are only formal in worship. And their religion is only to comply with custom, and to serve their own interests. But the wanderings of minds, and defects in devotion, which are the believers’ burden, are very difficult with the withdrawing of the heart from God, so severely blamed. And those who make religion no more than a pretense, to serve a turn, deceive themselves. And as those who quarrel with God, so those that think to conceal themselves from him, in effect charge him with folly. But all their perverse conduct shall be entirely done away. (Matthew Henry Commentary). Judah’s worship of God was false and pretentious. Their hearts were far from God in their worship of him.
Warning against Making Secret Plans (Isaiah 29: 15-16).
Here the danger is the err of thinking that the Lord does not see what is going on in your life. This is a widespread danger today among Christians. Some actually believe that they can allow evil thoughts, pornography, bitterness, attitudes of hate and rebellion, etc., to pervade their minds and that God does not see this, and even if he does, he will do nothing about it.
Notice how the prophet reacts to that. Verse 16 is a cry of amazement: “You turn things upside down! Do you really think that the One who made you does not know you, that he does not understand what is going on in your life?” It is incredible that anyone would allow himself to think that way. Yet many people feel that God is so remote from their lives that he has no real interest in what they are doing. When we begin to feel that way we are in need of a warning, a stop sign that says, “Watch out! You are drifting into danger.”
A New Day Is Coming (Isaiah 29:17-21).
God’s judgment (verse 14), whatever it is, will pass. In a little while there will be a great change. The lowly will be exalted, the proud abased. From the “meek” and the “poor” will be raised a body of true worshippers who will possess spiritual discernment (verse 18), while the oppressors and the scorners will be brought to naught. When Isaiah expected this change is uncertain; but he holds out the hope of it here, to keep up the spirits of people and prevent them from sinking into a state of depression and despair. Verse 17. Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field.
Lebanon, the wild forest, shall become smiling garden-ground, while garden-ground shall revert into wild uncultivated forest. An inversion of the moral condition Judaea is shadowed forth by the metaphor.