Isaiah 1:17

I had a wonderful conversation with a good friend last night about a specific passage in Isaiah (Chapter 1) through which God has clearly spoken to her. It took me back to one of the first verses that God showed me when I was searching scripture to see His heart for the orphan. The verse is Isaiah 1:17,

"learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

This verse is in the middle of a chapter where God is basically telling the people of Israel that they have turned away from Him and forsaken Him. They are bringing sacrifices to Him as a pretense of worship, but their hearts are not changed. They are performing rituals but they are not living their lives in obedience to God's word. God tells them their offerings are "meaningless" because of their stubborn persistence in disobedience. Verse 16 ends by saying "Stop Doing Wrong...", which is followed by the "Learn to Do Right" command in verse 17. So what does it look like to do right? The scripture tells us in no uncertain terms:

1. Seek Justice
2. Encourage the Oppressed
3. Defend the cause of the Fatherless
4. Plead the Case of the Widow

In looking throughout the Bible, we can find countless verses and passages that echo this passage and confirm how important it is that we take seriously the commandments God has given us. We are not just to vocalize our belief in God and bring our meaningless sacrifices to Him (i.e. a few dollars in the offering plate or attending church every Sunday), but to live every part of our lives in obedience to Him, learning to do right. Here are just a few verses I have found: James 1:27, Isaiah 58, Deuteronomy 10:17-19, Deuteronomy 26:12, Psalm 82:3, Jeremiah 22:3. There are many more.

Our whole lives are to be about loving and knowing God, surrendering to Him. And when we do that, our hearts desire to obey Him, to know His heart. And scripture clearly indicates His heart for the oppressed, the orphan, and the widow. If we really know and love God, why would we ever waste our time on things that are meaningless to Him? If we really know Him and love Him why haven't we learned to do right by serving and loving those who He has clearly told us are a priority? These are questions I ask myself as I am wrestling with this hard truth that God has revealed to me.

My prayer continues to be for my relationship with God, the one true God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to be real and true, to be so consuming that I am willing to give, to do, to be, and to give up whatever it takes to know Him fully and serve Him completely. And I don't say that lightly, knowing that God's word shows us that He will sometimes choose to allow us to suffer in order for Him to be glorified and our faith to be refined. I am so unworthy and sinful, and so humbled by His grace. And it is His kindness, His love, His grace, that leads me to repent of the wrong I have done and earnestly desire for my life to be spent for His will and praise, learning and living what it means "to do right."

May all of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ never be satisfied with anything less than God and all of Him, for He is our reward, our portion. And only by knowing Him will we ever learn to do right as our hearts are changed to be in union with His.

"God...doesn't intend to help us live the Christian life. Immaturity considers the Lord Jesus a Helper. Maturity knows Him to be life itself." - Miles J. Stanford

"God is not seeking a display of my Christ-likeness, but a manifestation of His Christ." - Watchman Nee