The invitation in v. 5 displays the purpose of this section: “come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” That is addressed to God’s people. This invitation follows the description of what will happen as “all the nations flow to” the mountain of the house of the Lord (v. 2). It’s interesting that the reaction of the nations becomes a model for all God’s people. Again, the assumption of this section is that there are many among God’s people that are not currently walking in the light of the Lord. In light of what the nations will do in the future, it’s time for God’s true Believers to be sure their lifestyle matches their profession. One way to move to the Gospel is through the imagery of v. 2 and the Son of Man being “lifted up” to draw all men to Him (cf. John 3:14; 12:32).
Randal Pelton, Ph.D., D.Min., Th.M.
Senior Pastor, Professor
Isaiah 1:10-31 Attacking Hypocrisy in the Church
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The description of God’s people continues in this section. God exposes the hypocrisy that exists in every church. It should be shocking that God addresses His people as “rulers of Sodom” and “you people of Gomorrah.” God describes what’s going wrong and how He responds (vv. 11-15, 21-25). Then in verses 16-20, 26-31 He explains how to remedy the situation. God clearly spells out what will happen to two groups of people–those who repent (v. 27) and those rebels and sinners (v. 28)–all for the purpose of moving us away from rebellion and closer to true worship. Both the talk of sacrifice (vv. 11-14) and cleansing (vv. 16, 18) provide opportunities to explain how the Gospel creates a “willing and obedient” people (v. 19).
Isaiah 1:1-9, 16-17 A Disturbing Vision of the Condition of God’s People, Plus a Way Forward
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I allowed the description of verse 2, “they have rebelled against me,” to be the focus of this sermon. Most of the section describes what this rebellion is like. It’s important to state that our Christian lives are lived out with this stubbornness playing a major part of it. Sanctification occurs as our rebellious tendencies are conquered little by little. Verses 9 and 16-17 are Isaiah’s first glimpses of hope. The “few survivors” or remnant of verse 9 are those who respond to the instructions in verses 16-17. The entire book of Isaiah will continue to aim at creating a people among God’s people who respond to the command to wash up. Of course, we wash ourselves in the blood of the Lamb, that Servant described in detail later in Isaiah 53. God provides for our cleansing as we trust Him. Statistics consistently tell us that the Church is looking more and more like society and less and less like her Savior. The opening of Isaiah’s Gospel shows God’s intention to stop this trend.
Isaiah: Turning Rebellion Into Worship
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Often, the way a book of the Bible begins and ends will provide clues for what the book is intended to do. In the case of Isaiah, the purpose of our sermons can be seen in the description of God’s people in 1:2 (“but they have rebelled against me”) and the repeated refrain in 66:24 (“the men who have rebelled against me”). Let this emphasis determine the purpose of the middle of Isaiah. Throughout the book we’re encouraging all who come to worship to be sure they are truly worshiping God and not simply claiming to worship while rebelling against Him.
Joshua 24:29-33 How Three Burials Bolster Our Faith
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Joshua 24:29-33 concludes the book by highlighting three key individuals who are buried in their piece of the Land. Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar the high priest all have strong connections to the Promised Land. Joseph’s faith in God’s deliverance was displayed in Genesis 50:25-26 “…God will surely come to your aid…” Eleazar figured prominently in the distribution of the Land (cf. 14:1; 17:4). More importantly, though, is where these three burials leave the reader. Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16, 39-40 teach us that although they were buried in the Promised Land, that land was not the promise they were waiting for. These three burials foreshadow the resurrection of the dead to eternal life spoken of in Daniel 12:1-3. The life, death, and resurrection of our High Priest, Jesus Christ, makes it possible for us to hope ultimately in the creation of new heavens and new earth where the righteous will live (cf. Is. 65:17-25).
Joshua 24:1-28 “choose this day whom you will serve”
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Joshua 24:1-28 records Joshua’s third and final farewell message to God’s people. It is designed to help them maintain the LifePlus God has graciously provided for them. One key to this section is to note the repetition of idolatry in v. 2 and v. 14. When the people express their good intentions to worship God alone, Joshua says, “You are not able to…for he is a holy God…” (v. 19). Of course, we know the rest of the story: God’s people didn’t keep their end of the covenant and were taken into exile. The covenant Joshua made with the people at this renewal service (vv. 25-27) was violated and God judged His people severely. Thankfully, the rest of the story includes another covenant made by Jesus’ blood (cf. Hebrews 8:6-12; 13:20-21). By faith in Christ we fulfill our obligation to the covenant and live a life that pleases God (cf. Gal. 2:20).
Joshua 23:1-16 The Condition for Enjoying LifePlus, Plus a Severe Warning
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In this section the wrap-up of Joshua’s message continues. Verses 6-8, 11 contain instructions that provide conditions for enjoying God’s salvation. Verses 12-13, 15-16 contain severe warnings against those who do not meet those conditions. Joshua’s second farewell sermon teaches how faith in Christ empowers us to obey our Lord and enjoy God’s life. There was no way God’s people could keep from “transgressing the covenant of the Lord” (v. 16). However, the good news is that on the cross, Jesus, the only perfect, Law-abiding citizen, gave His life so Believers could escape the wrath of God (cf. vv. 15-16).
Joshua 22:10-34 “the people of Israel…spoke no more of making war against them”: Handling the Tension between Unity and Holiness
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This section contains a situation that threatened the plan of God. Verses 12-20 contain an accusation against the 2.5 tribes that were featured in the beginning of Joshua. It was perceived that they had built an unauthorized altar. However, that was not the case (cf. vv. 21-29 for their explanation). Verse 31, thankfully, contain the resolution. Attempts to maintain holiness must be balanced with the need to maintain unity. The scenario does show us how devastating sin is in the assembly of Believers. God’s people took sin very seriously because they knew that God’s anger would lash out against “the whole congregation of Israel” (v. 18) if this perceived sin went unpunished. Emphasis on the altar and sacrifices points to our Savior’s death for sin and the creation of His unified Body.
Joshua 22:1-9 Five Requirements for Maintaining LifePlus
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In this section the book of Joshua is wrapping up. Verse 5 contains five instructions. Enjoying God’s kind of life is conditioned upon loving and obeying Him. Without such devotion to God, we cannot count on His spiritual provision and protection. In verse 8 the concept of dividing the spoil portrays our Lord who would do the same (Is. 53:12). On the cross, Jesus’ clothes were divided (Matt. 27:35). His sacrifice resulted in the ability of Believers to meet the five requirements.
Joshua 21:43-45 “not one word of all the good promises…had failed”: Believing in our Promise-Keeping God
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21:43-45 concludes the longest section in Joshua (chapters 13-21). 21:45 appeared to be such a significant summary verse that I felt it should stand alone in a sermon. Like many places in Joshua’s narrative, this story is not designed for Christians to emulate a particular character. This summary of Joshua provides Christians with great confidence in God’s ability to deliver on His promise to save/sanctify Believers. It’s amazing how much progressing in the Christian life is dependent upon whether or not I believe God will keep His promises to His people. We know that all the promises of God are “yes” in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20). In all this discussion of inheritance, we do well to remember that Christ is the true Heir of God whose life, death, and resurrection life provide the ultimate victory over God’s enemies. Belief in God’s promises-in-Christ drive our quest for practical holiness (cf. 2 Cor. 7:1). Is this important? Even though our Lord gave all their enemies into their hands (Joshua 21:44), God’s people did not always completely wipe them out. This tension explains that the Christian life involves receiving all God’s promises while, at the same time, working hard by faith in the power of the Spirit to fight temptation. This lack of faith-driven effort in the promises of God would lead to disastrous results in the Land. I must believe in the promises of God that are legitimately for the Believer and act on that faith.