“If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.” (Isaiah 1:9, ESV)
When the Lord brought this message to the nation, it had just experienced a time of great prosperity. Judah, the Southern Kingdom, had experienced a time peace and prosperity and yet a significant threat loomed from foreign powers. The leaders looked at the state of the nation and felt satisfied. God had blessed them. However, with such prosperity often comes the inevitable apostasy. The nation fell away from God (v4). Their hearts were far from Him (Isaiah 29:13). While they experienced material blessing, they were spiritually impoverished.
The apostasy of the nation would lead to the devastation of the nation by others whom the Lord would permit as a chastisement for their sin. Yet, the nation would not meet its total demise, as did Sodom and Gomorrah. God would rise up a few survivors, a remnant to carry on with His mission, to glorify His name.
We can draw many parallels between the days of Isaiah and the time in which we live. Today, as in the days of Isaiah, we seem to be in a time of great prosperity. Our government leaders focus upon the economic situation at hand and pleasing the appetites of people rather than biblically moral virtues. The society around us seems to be moving farther from God as evidenced in its degeneration in moral values. Church attendance, nationwide is on the decline.
Moreover, those that claim the name of Christ do not fare much better than our society. We must remember that the people in the time of Isaiah were very religious, participating in the worship practices prescribed by the Law (v11, ff.). The problem was that they were blind to the fact that their religion lacked heart. Similarly, the church at large today seems blind to the peril of apostasy in its own ranks. The observant can see the result of this in that the moral values and actions of those who call themselves Christian are steadily morphing into that of the world.
However, as there was good news in Isaiah’s message for the people of His day, there is good news for us. God has a remnant called out, a select few who are to carry on with the mission of the Lord. The Lord God has always maintained a faithful remnant, that select few whose hearts were aligned with Him. The remnant today is those that God has saved by grace through faith in Christ. These are clearly identifiable as they are not bending the knee to the world system, but are seeking the Lord with all their hearts. The Lord is using this select few, the true believers, to glorify His name by proclaiming the wonder of His grace in both word and action.
So, what is our response to this message? We, the remnant of this age, must examine ourselves to ensure that we have not allowed the world to dilute our passion for God. We are a select remnant who must stand as an example of devotion to God in the midst of an apostate world. We must call the professing church to spiritual renewal, which makes us stand out as unique in Christ. This will result in glorifying God and influencing the world around us.
Renewing the Heart 