Oaks of Shame

Isaiah 1:27-31

By D. Marion Clark

Introduction

When I was breaking chapter one into sermon segments, I was hesitant about where to place verses 27 and 28. If you are reading the NIV, you will see how the translators have them set alone. I could have preached only those verses, but you are probably already wondering how long it will take to get through Isaiah. If we continue at the pace we are, it would take a little more than seven years. The content of the verses, especially verse 27, complement the previous passage well, and the only reason I did not include them then was the obvious literary structure that I had pointed out last week.

Redemption and Rejection 27,28

In verse 26 God had said,
Afterward you will be called
the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City."

He was going to make Jerusalem a just city. He was going to make her inhabitants righteous. Verse 27 explains how.

27 Zion will be redeemed with justice,
her penitent ones with righteousness.

God will redeem Zion. He will pay the ransom necessary to deliver her from her harlotry, and he will do it with justice. I had concluded last Sunday's sermon with these thoughts:

Our God is just. What he is against is always what is unjust; it’s not a matter of his personal pet peeves. And he always act with justice, even in salvation — especially in salvation. With a God who is just, how could any of us be justified? Who is without sin? Who without failure has always promoted justice? But our comfort is that through justice God was and is able to show mercy to those who are most helpless, even ourselves.

I then quoted Romans 3:21-26 to explain how God redeems with justice and mercy.

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:21-26).

We could regard this passage as the apostle Paul’s commentary on verse 27. God’s people must somehow become righteous. God produces the righteousness necessary through Jesus: 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The people are to be redeemed. He redeems them through Jesus’ sacrifice: 24…and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

This is a redemption that fulfills the demands of justice. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Jesus took the just punishment for our sins upon himself. He satisfied the demands of the law. Furthermore he gave to us his righteousness. Thus God is able to redeem his people with justice and mercy and make them righteous.

That’s good news. But, there is a condition. This redemption is for her penitent ones. Although redemption is God’s initiative and Jesus’ work, it is given only to those who repent in response. Remember Jesus’ first words in the Gospel of Mark? 15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

This redemption is not given indiscriminately. It is not given to everyone regardless of whether or not they worship God or follow Jesus. Modern theologians like to believe that Jesus’ has procured salvation for everyone. The Church’s task is simply to get people to believe they are already saved. Verse 28, however, makes it clear that is not the case.

28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,
and those who forsake the LORD will perish.

Those who continue their rebellious ways will eventually be broken. Their rebellion cannot go on. Note the description of these rejected sinners. They are not people who stumble in sin, i.e. true followers of God who "slip up" periodically. They are people who forsake the Lord. They may not consider themselves in such light, but God does because of the true nature of their hearts that lead them away from him.

Verses 29-31 present another sin of the people of Judah. Previously, the sin highlighted was injustice, or the breaking of the commandments dealing with their relationships with one another. Now the sin is breaking the first commandment:

3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them" (Exodus 20:3-5).
29 "You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks
in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens
that you have chosen.

What is Isaiah referring to with sacred oaks and gardens? These are the high places throughout the land in which illegal worship was made. How was the worship illegal? Two reasons: one, sacrifice was offered outside the temple, the only place approved by God; and, two, the worship of other gods was added.

In Numbers 33:51-52 God gives the following instruction to Moses:
51 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places."

Worshipping in the high places was a pagan practice. These high places would be wooded areas. An altar would be built for sacrifice and idols set up. These would be set up in the context of a garden, preferably under the shade of a large tree or trees. These sites formed the heart of the pagan religions. Thus the Israelites were to erase these sites as part of their purifying the land and keeping their worship and service to God holy.

What happened instead was that these sites became a snare to the Israelites enticing them to break God’s commandments for worship and to lure them to the worship of the pagan gods.

3 Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places (1 Kings 3:2).

After Solomon built the temple, his son, Rehoboam, continued the worship in the high places.

22 Judah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than their fathers had done. 23 They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 24 There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites (1 Kings 14:22-24).

For the remainder of Judah’s history, the high places would lure the hearts of her people.

43 In everything Jehosaphat walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. The high places, however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there (1 Kings 22:43).

2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there (2 Kings 12:2,3).

3 Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. 4 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there (2 Kings 14:3,4).

It is not until we get to Hezekiah, the last king under whom Isaiah would prophesy, that the high places are destroyed.

4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles (2 Kings 18:4).

Verses 30,31 express the result that these high places will bring to their worshipers. What is essential, of course, for the health of gardens and trees is water. Without water they wither and die; furthermore, as we well know, they become susceptible to catching fire. That is what will happen to worshippers of the high places.

Far from giving them the spiritual nurture and blessing they seek, they will wither, and eventually their religious practice will result in their destruction. Verse 30 describes the natural consequence to take place, verse 31 the act of God.

Here is our question. Knowing the express command of God against this practice of worshipping on high places and worshipping additional gods, how did it become ingrained in the life of the nation as a whole? It was the one practice that even godly kings would not interfere with, most likely because it was such an established and valued custom.

For a practice to become an established custom, particularly one originally condemned by the official religion, it must offer benefits, or at least appear to do so. It must be attractive in some way. What was attractive about the high places? They were accessible and personal. The Temple for most people was far away. It was not practical for farmers to leave their property for days and weeks to make regular trips to Jerusalem. The high places provided local worship opportunities. They were also more personal. They were not crowded; the worshippers were not few among many; they could offer their sacrifices in ways more meaningful to them and not bother with the regulations of the priests. Worship on the high places was just an all-around more effective way to worship.

The people also saw, in their minds, a better return for their efforts. Remember, their livelihood was their land. They needed rain; they needed protection for their livestock from disease; they needed protection from natural pests, and so on. They can get to Jerusalem maybe two or three times a year for the feast days. They need help from God on an ongoing basis and a few sacrifices a year at best will not motivate or satisfy God enough for appropriate action. More sacrifices more often is the best insurance policy. And by the way, it cannot hurt to seek the help from other gods, however lesser they may be. Their pagan neighbors attest to Baal’s and Asherah’s response to their sacrifices; why not add them into the mix?

The sin, besides breaking God’s clear command not to worship on high places, breaking the first commandment not to worship other gods, and breaking the second commandment not to practice idolatry, is the attempt to turn worship away from the practice of giving honor to God to the practice of manipulating God for personal gain. The people were not moved to worship in the high places out of a compelling need to worship God; they went to the high places to get what they could out of God. The high places were for their sakes, not God’s. The final result is that they accomplish neither. Whatever temporary satisfaction they got in their worship, they lost what they needed most — their covenant relationship with God.

Another way you might look at it is that what they perceived as their need and what God perceived were two different things. They saw their need primarily as physical; God saw it as spiritual. If they had perceived their need in the light of his Word, both needs would have been met. As it was, they lost everything. Jesus words seem most fitting as a conclusion:

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:31-33).