Come to Me – Day 1
Guilty as charged
Bible text(s)
God Reprimands his People
I love TV shows about lawyers and the intriguing cases they have to defend or prosecute! Before the nitty-gritty of who did and did not do what is revealed, the prosecutor explains the charges against the accused. The book of Isaiah starts out a bit like a court case; he is a prosecutor laying out his case to a jury.
It is clear to see why charges have been brought against Judah and Jerusalem – they have broken the sacred covenant that the Lord made with them. They are corrupt. They do evil and practise sin. They have no regard for God.
However, what about the defence? What does the accused have to say for themselves? I imagine they would be very indignant – after all, the people on trial for rejecting God have a long list of all the “righteous” things they do. They would say, “But your Honour! We give offerings, we confess our sins, we go to church, we pray.” The problem of course, was their attitude. They were simply going through the motions; saying one thing on Sunday and doing the opposite on Monday morning.
God hates hypocrisy – then and today. When people just go through the religious motions of going to church to impress people or cover up wrongdoing, God hates it. When you consider whether you live a righteous life, is your regular church attendance at the top of your “I’m living right” list? Have you considered how you live from Monday to Saturday?
