Isaiah 1:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

NIV: Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

NASB: Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor, Obtain justice for the orphan, Plead for the widow’s case.

CSB: Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow's cause.

NLT: Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

KJV: Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

NKJV: Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

The Lord is telling the people of Judah how to change, how to restore their relationship with Him. He has described them as a sinful nation and covered in iniquity (Isaiah 1:4). He has called their sacrifices and offerings and religious gatherings meaningless (Isaiah 1:13) because of their sinful lifestyles.

Now the Lord tells them how to learn to do good. They must make themselves clean by stopping their evil practices. The form of good is revealed in this verse as the good the Lord always desires from any people in community: Bring about justice for those who are wronged, especially the orphans and widows, as well as intervene to stop the powerless from being oppressed by the powerful.

The natural course of any people group is for the rich to become richer and to take advantage of the poor and powerless for their own gain. Human nature is corrupt that way. Social goodness requires communities to act together to interrupt these cycles and hold the powerful accountable for wrongdoing while standing up for those without resources to stand up for themselves. God's chosen people Israel, above all people, should practice this goodness.

Isaiah has already compared the people of Judah to those in Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah 1:9–10). He wants them to get off the path that leads to similar destruction. Sodom's sexual immorality and violence were not their only sins. A culture can be depraved in many ways; all wickedness means rejection of God. Other Scriptures note that the cities destroyed in Genesis chapter 19 were guilty of many other crimes. Their refusal to do the kind of good mentioned here contributed to their destruction by the Lord: "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy" (Ezekiel 16:49).

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).