Isaiah 1:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.

NIV: Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.

NASB: I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am tired of bearing them.

CSB: I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals. They have become a burden to me; I am tired of putting up with them.

NLT: I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!

KJV: Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

NKJV: Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.

God is tired of observing the worship practices of His people while their hearts are estranged from Him (Isaiah 1—4). He uses harsh language, saying that His soul hates their observances and other law-required feasts. It's not that God did not want them to obey the requirements of the law for those things. Obedience to the law has no meaning if their hearts were hard and their daily lifestyles were continually sinful.

He finds their acts of worship to be a burden for Him, because their hearts and minds are not for Him. Instead of receiving the praises of His people with joy, He is tired of carrying them because they are false, dead weight.

Isaiah 1:2–20 begins a presentation somewhat like a lawsuit against the people of Judah in Israel. The Lord will show many of the ways they have broken their covenant with Him. The people are saturated with sin. They have forsaken Him. Isaiah describes a spiritual sickness Israel refuses to treat. It will lead to their physical destruction by enemy invaders. Their offerings are meaningless because of their sinful rebellion. God calls them to stop sinning and to do good. He offers to make their sins white as snow if they repent and to consume them if they rebel.

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 5/5/2024 6:14:19 PM