Isaiah 1:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

NIV: But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish.

NASB: But wrongdoers and sinners together will be broken, And those who abandon the Lord will come to an end.

CSB: At the same time both rebels and sinners will be broken, and those who abandon the Lord will perish.

NLT: But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed, and those who desert the Lord will be consumed.

KJV: And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

NKJV: The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, And those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

Isaiah has been painfully clear and will continue to do so. There is no hope for those in Judah who refuse to repent of their sinful ways and to return to faithfulness to the Lord. He emphasizes that "rebels and sinners" will be destroyed by the Lord together. In other words, God's judgment will come down equally on those who are "merely" sinners, failing to obey God. As well as those who are "rebels," denying God's right to rule over them. Lesser disobedience will be no protection from the coming destruction. When God's message is clear, and so are the consequences, there is no room for halfhearted obedience.

Those who forsake Yahweh will be consumed. The time to repent and return to obedience is now, not later. Isaiah is pointing forward to the coming invasion of Judah by the Babylonians, who will decimate the city and carry the people of God into exile (Isaiah 36).

Isaiah 1:21–31 focuses on the city of Jerusalem as representative of the people of Judah in Israel. Once faithful to God and known for justice, the city has become a prostitute and a town in which murderers walk free and leaders are friends with thieves. The Lord declares that He will purify the corruption from the city and return it to a place of justice. Those who repent will be redeemed. Those who don't will be broken and consumed. Those who have worshipped false gods will be embarrassed and then destroyed.

After identifying himself as the son of Amoz, Isaiah begins his vision from the Lord with the introduction of God's lawsuit against the people of Israel. His children are living in rebellion against Him. They are saturated in sin and have forsaken the Lord. Their spiritual sickness will lead to their destruction, though a few will be saved. Their offerings are meaningless because of their sinful lifestyles. If they repent now, they will be redeemed. If not, they will be destroyed. The Lord will restore justice to once righteous Jerusalem. All who do not repent will be consumed.

Isaiah 1 begins Isaiah's massive book of prophecy with the Lord presenting a lawsuit against His people Israel in Judah for breach of covenant. They live in rebellion against Him and are saturated in sin. They refuse to treat their spiritual illness and will be decimated by their enemies. Their offerings are meaningless. They must stop doing evil and start doing what is good. The Lord will burn off the corrupt from Jerusalem and return it to a place of justice and righteousness. Those who refuse to repent will be broken and destroyed.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 12/22/2024 7:42:11 AM