The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. – Isaiah 1:1 ESV

Hebrew
חֲזוֹן/chazown: vision, prophecy

Why It Matters
It’s summer! For many of us it’s the time when our lives slow down, we take our vacations and our schedules generally relax. When this happens it’s important to recharge our batteries and lean into the enjoyment of this particular season. However, it’s also tempting to simply go through the motions of life and focus less on why we do what we do. This is the situation (spiritually speaking) that the people of Judah found themselves in at the time Isaiah was prophesying. They were really good at the “how” of worship – things like offering proper sacrifices at the right time and in the right manner – but had become lax in their understanding of why worship mattered. Isaiah arrived on the scene in this environment and articulated the chazown (vision or prophecy) God had given him. This Hebrew word means more than a picture of a future reality. Chazownalso holds the concept of God’s idea (one could even use the word dream) of what our current reality could look like. The inhabitants of Judah were good at religious obligation, but didn’t have a chazown of their own and it led them to see their worship as mere ritual. And as we will see in this great book, misunderstanding worship always leads to a failure in defending the causes that are close to the heart of God. Isaiah reminds us that we need a chazownfor our own life, but if we don’t have a chazown for the implications of our worship we will very quickly miss the mark altogether.

Declaration of the Week
I will choose to let my love for God be evidenced in the way I love others.

Application
In light of the patience God displays toward me, who is he asking me to be patient with?

Music Response
Kicked off a new series singing about a good God who came for us and saved us. He takes our brokenness and “open wounds” and patiently shows us how to be free. Believing these songs remind us of his faithfulness and patience, and move us to action. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” – Isaiah 1:3 ESV

Hebrew
הִתְבּוֹנָֽן׃/hiṯ·bō·w·nān: to perceive thoughtfully or consider

Why It Matters
There’s a scene at the end of the movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” when the antagonist Gollum is consumed by his pursuit of owning The One Ring. In fact that pursuit is so consuming that even when he is being enveloped by lava moments before his death he doesn’t seem to perceive anything but the ring he is holding. His desire for The One Ring kept Gollum from being able to hiṯ·bō·w·nān what really mattered. This illustration serves to show us what Isaiah was saying to the people of Judah in verse 3. It should be obvious to them when God is at work, but instead they are consumed by lesser loves and their own agenda. This Hebrews word carried with it the idea of considering carefully or perceiving thoughtfully. Just as Gollum should had been able to hiṯ·bō·w·nān the deadly circumstance he found himself in, the presence and work of God should have been abundantly obvious to the people of Judah. Oxen and donkeys know their master but this nation did not. Thankfully, the story does not end there. Isaiah would point to a day when the Messiah would hiṯ·bō·w·nān (consider carefully) the decision to carry out His Father’s will, and take the place of stubborn and imperfect people like us!

Declaration of the Week
I will choose to let my love for God be evidenced in the way I love others.

Application
In light of the patience God displays toward me, who is he asking me to be patient with?

Music Response
Music is prayerfully selected to further engage the themes shared in the message. Now you can respond with those songs during the week via the “Uncommon Cause” series playlist. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. – Isaiah 1:4ESV

Hebrew
עָוֺ֔ן כֶּ֣בֶד/‘ā·wōn ke`bed: laden with guilt or weighed down with iniquity

Why It Matters
Isaac Watts is known as the Godfather of Modern Hymnody, and the inspiration for his songs is often taken from the text of scripture. Isaiah 1:4 seems to be the influence for Watts’ hymn entitled “Laden With Guilt and Full of Fears.” Verse 1 reads as follows:

Laden with guilt and full of fears
I fly to Thee my Lord
And not a glimpse of hope appears
But in Thy written word
The volumes of my Father’s grace
Does all my griefs assuage
Here I behold my Savior’s face in every page

Watts was onto something significant when he wrote about seeing his Savior’s face in every page of scripture while being inspired by Isaiah. He is the prophet who references the Messiah more than any other Old Testament writer. To Isaiah, the Savior is the antidote to the truth that we are ‘ā·wōn ke`bed (laden with iniquity). Even though He wouldn’t be born for another 700 years, Isaiah foretold that the Christ would be the One to lift the burden of the guilt connected with our sin. The people of Judah were ‘ā·wōn ke`bed because as verse 4 says they had rejected the Lord and despised the Holy One of Israel. The irony of this in their lives was that the One they were rejecting and despising was the only One capable of lifting that burden! When we sense being ‘ā·wōn ke`bed in our lives, may our first response be to run toward Him so that we too can say, “the volumes of my Father’s grace does all my griefs assuage!”

Declaration of the Week
I will choose to let my love for God be evidenced in the way I love others.

Application
In light of the patience God displays toward me, who is he asking me to be patient with?

Music Response
Music is prayerfully selected to further engage the themes shared in the message. Now you can respond with those songs during the week via the “Uncommon Cause” series playlist. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations — I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.  Isaiah 1:13 ESV

Hebrew
שָׁ֔וְא/sāw: empty, meaningless, nothing

Why It Matters
Around this time of year it’s fairly common to see small children picking a bouquet of flowers for their loved ones, and often the flower that children have easiest access to is a dandelion. As adults we understand that these are actually weeds and – once picked – won’t last long, but because of who the gift comes from our response is (almost always) joy and sincere gratitude. The principle playing out in this scenario is that “it’s the thought that counts.”
In our verse today, Isaiah is pointing to the same principle, but illustrating it in a negative light. He uses the Hebrew word sāw (empty, meaningless) to show that it truly is the thought that counts, and the people of Judah were not giving thought to what their acts of worship were for. Sāw together with the Hebrew word for offerings literally means “a gift of nothing.” So although they were performing their obligations dutifully, the gift they were bringing amounted to nothing. Just like that loved one who receives the bouquet of dandelions, God is more concerned with the thought behind the gift than the gift itself. Am I engaging in worship with this principle in mind?

Declaration of the Week
I will carefully consider the implications of the gifts I bring to God in worship.

Application
In what tangible ways can I display adoration to the Lord?

Music Response
This week we sang the song “From The Inside Out” by Hillsong Worship. The song focuses on the restorative work that God can do in our lives when we bring an honest willingness for Him to do so. As we consider how we will tangibly display adoration to the Lord, the lyrics that speak to putting God’s will above ours and losing ourselves to bring Him praise will help point us toward a healthy Christ-centered perspective. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. Isaiah 1:17 ESV

Hebrew
לִמְד֥וּ/lim-dū: subject yourself to instruction, develop a new mindset

Why It Matters
Some of the most viewed YouTube videos are of young people performing a skill at a ridiculously high level. Whether it be in the arena of sports, music or academia, as a culture we are enamored by high performance at an early age. It’s tempting to think that these boys and girls are able to perform at such levels without much practice, that they come by their skills intuitively. However, natural talent must be coupled with training toward growth in order to maximize one’s potential. A classic example of this is Mozart, who displayed incredible skill at a young age, but who worked tirelessly and was willing to sit under tutors in order to grow into the world-class musical composer he became. 
God speaks through Isaiah in 1:17 and encourages the people of Judah to lim-dū (subject yourself to instruction) to do good. God then lists some ways the people of God could leverage that learning toward fighting for justice. Thankfully, God doesn’t just expect us to know exactly how to accomplish this good without first being positioned to lim-dū and develop these traits. As we worship, we are connecting with the One who judges with righteousness and who even refers to Himself as “a God of justice” (Isaiah 30:18). We are invited to lim-dū at the feet of Him who longs to correct oppression, and as we linger in His presence, we can develop a new mindset in which doing something about injustice will begin to come naturally to us.

Declaration of the Week
I will carefully consider the implications of the gifts I bring to God in worship.

Application
In what tangible ways can I display adoration to the Lord?

Music Response
Music is prayerfully selected to further engage the themes shared in the message. Now you can respond with those songs during the week via the “Uncommon Cause” series playlist. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”  Isaiah 1:20 ESV

Hebrew
וּמְרִיתֶ֑ם/ū-mə-rî-ṯem: prove contentious, stubborn

Why It Matters
One aspect of Isaiah’s writing that doesn’t translate well into English is his masterful use of rhyme. His prophecy is full of poetry which lends itself to become more memorable to its hearers. The first half of this verse is an example of that poetry, and to the original audience would sound something like this:

If you refuse and end up pernicious
The sword will find you delicious

Isaiah uses four words to describe Judah’s rebellion against God, and in this verse the word ū-mə-rî-ṯem is used for more than just it’s rhyming ability. It’s interesting to note that ū-mə-rî-ṯem literally means to hear a command and disregard it in rebellion. So Isaiah declares that Judah isn’t just rebellious, they’re stubborn! They have just been offered the gift of cleansing from sin in verse 18, and now the choice is theirs – to listen and submit to God or prove contentious and justify their actions with an advocate. To us it seems like an obvious choice, but how often have we done the same thing? God gives us the command to trust Him and fear not, but too often we give Him a litany of reasons why those commands are too hard to keep. When we feel the temptation to stubbornly hold our ground and not move at the command of God, may we be reminded that our commander is good and our worship serves as an expression of our trust in Him.

Declaration of the Week
I will carefully consider the implications of the gifts I bring to God in worship.

Application
In what tangible ways can I display adoration to the Lord?

Music Response
Music is prayerfully selected to further engage the themes shared in the message. Now you can respond with those songs during the week via the “Uncommon Cause” series playlist. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them. – Isaiah 1:23 ESV

Hebrew
שָׁפַט/shaphat: to rule; to judge, to pass judgment, to administer justice

Why It Matters
Most of us are familiar with the phrase: “The proof is in the pudding.” This is a shortened version of the original phrase: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” (Not quite as catchy is it?) Pudding at that time was not the dessert we think of now. It referred to a type of sausage, which filled the intestines of some animal with minced meat and other things. You had to try it out carefully since that kind of food could go bad and have devastating impact. The point of the saying is to connect the fact that people and situations will reveal themselves in an undeniable way, the same way the quality of the “pudding” is revealed by trying it.
There are many people who declare to be Christ-followers, but it ends with their words. Others may even do some of the things a Christ-follower should be doing (attend church, give, serve, for example). It would appear they are the model Christian. But are they just checking the box and going through the motions of religiosity? That is for God to judge. And it is something we should personally reflect on. In Isaiah, we see the nation of Judah going through the motions of spiritual activity, but they were called to shaphat(administer justice) to those in need of a Savior.
May we be people who are in relationship with Jesus, who go beyond the empty busyness of spiritual activity. May we be people who shaphat. May we be conduits of our Savior’s love, administering justice in a world that so desperately needs it. After all, the proof is in the pudding!

Declaration of the Week
I will be a person of action, for God’s glory.

Application
Seeing the brokenness in and around me, what restorative action is God asking me to take?

Music Response
We often say “the text requires something of us” and this week was no exception. In response to the Word and how we should respond to the brokenness in and around us, we sang songs about brokenness, our need for Jesus, and finally our heart to be stirred “for the one.” Allow these songs to remind you of that and cause your prayer this week to be… “Father, ‘let all my life tell of who you are.’” To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

And I will restoreyour judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.” Isaiah 1:26 ESV

Hebrew
שׁוּב/shub: to turn back, return

Why It Matters
Ever get a new phone by trading in the old phone for credit on the new? This can be a daunting task. I recall it well, looking at the new phone with what appeared to be all my information safely on it. But then it happened; the gentleman helping me asked me to restore my phone to its factory settings before handing it over. I paused in horror as I contemplated what it meant to erase everything on the old phone! It was a scary moment and yet one I’ve wished for often in other areas of my life. If only I could shub in the midst of a conversation, relationship, or situation. Remember the all too famous “do over” as a child? How we long to shubas adults.
Judah was faced with the prophecy of their impending judgment. No doubt, they had to crave the idea of starting over. But how? When we are faced with the consequences of our decisions, the obvious reaction is regret. We don’t have the power to return to the beginning. We are getting what we deserve. But God provides a way to restoration.
When someone extends mercy to us it means that we don’t get what we deserve. When we receive grace it means that we get what we don’t deserve. Our God is so good that he extends both mercy and grace! Because of the finished work of Jesus, he has restored our relationship with him. This is the good news of the Gospel! What is Judah returning to? This reference in verse 26 is connected to the opening line of the prophecy in verse 21, “the faithful city.” We are never beyond God’s grace and mercy. It is because of his restorative work in us that we have the capacity to be agents of restoration in whatever sphere we find ourselves.

Declaration of the Week
I will be a person of action, for God’s glory.

Application
Seeing the brokenness in and around me, what restorative action is God asking me to take?

Music Response
Music is prayerfully selected to further engage the themes shared in the message. Now you can respond with those songs during the week via the “Uncommon Cause” series playlist. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.” – Isaiah 1:26 ESV

Hebrew
אַחֲרֵי/’a-ḥă-rê-: afterward, the hind or following part

Why It Matters
There’s an order to the created world that we take comfort in. The dawn always comes after the night, plants always reproduce after their own kind, winter always gives way to spring, and so on. God has designed much of creation in such a way that we can be certain that when one thing happens, something specific will follow. This verse is a great reminder that the spiritual world often works like this, too! Isaiah prophesies about a time when God would give out mercy to His people, even after their hearts strayed far from Him. When this happened, the result was that there would be an ’a-ḥă-rê- (following after) to His process. This Hebrew word carries with it the imagery of the hind part of an animal; if a hippo swam to the shore and got out of the water, her head and torso would come out first and then her hind part would obviously follow afterward. Rather than simply a wish that they would be called the righteous and faithful city, this identity is promised to them by the divine order of God! Their identity will be changed as surely as the sun will rise after the long, dark night. But notice that the catalyst for this ’a-ḥă-rê- isn’t anything the people of Judah did, but rather the work of restoration that God promises to do. This is good news for us, too, because even if our lives have been marked by moments of unfaithfulness, as we return to our gracious God we can take comfort that His constancy will initiate spiritual order that results in our good. Only the faithfulness of God is certain enough to rest in.

Declaration of the Week
I will be a person of action, for God’s glory.

Application
Seeing the brokenness in and around me, what restorative action is God asking me to take?

Music Response
Music is prayerfully selected to further engage the themes shared in the message. Now you can respond with those songs during the week via the “Uncommon Cause” series playlist. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORDshall be consumed. – Isaiah 1:28 ESV

Hebrew
וְעֹזְבֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה/wə-‘ō-zə-ḇê Yah-weh: Those who forsake the Lord

Why It Matters
Genesis 2 shows that it took God six days to create everything in our natural world. After He was done creating, His created works were completed. God had nothing to add to them and so they were at an end. Fast forward to Isaiah’s day and the prophet uses the same root word to describe wə-‘ō-zə-ḇêYah-weh, or those who forsake the Lord. Isaiah’s use of this imagery is startling to us, because even though most of us equate forsaking the Lord with a bad decision, we don’t always think of our decisions as being the reason our potential is finished. In Genesis, the reason creation was finished was that God stopped creating. In Isaiah, the reason people were destined to be finished was their own decision to turn away from God. Wait, if every person who has ever lived has sinned and is in the category of wə-‘ō-zə-ḇêYah-weh, is there hope for any of us? Thankfully, Isaiah foresaw a time when God would send a Messiah to be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5). In other words, He would take the punishment for wə-‘ō-zə-ḇêYah-wehand willingly subject Himself to being forsaken! This cosmic role reversal would be too much for us to bear, but on the cross, the sinless Son of God took on humanity’s sin and declared “it is finished” so that we could experience God’s creative power directly.

Declaration of the Week
I will be intentional concerning the decisions I make and the actions I take.

Application
What do I need to repent of today?

Music Response
This week we introduced a new song from Hillsong Worship called Remembrance. The lyrics of this song spell out a clear acknowledgment of Jesus’ sacrifice and, in response, make declarations of living our lives in remembrance of it. As we consider what we may need to repent of, let this song serve as a reminder of how good God has been to each of us and that He is not finished doing a work in our lives. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and like a garden without water. – Isaiah 1:30 ESV

Hebrew
נֹבֶ֣לֶת/nō-ḇe-leṯ: to sink or drop down, fall or fade

Why It Matters
Have you ever bought something with the expectation that it would enhance your life, only to find out that it couldn’t deliver on its promise to make your life better? Or have you achieved a goal only to realize you didn’t feel the way you thought you would? When New England Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady was interviewed on the TV show 60 Minutes, he was asked why his Super Bowl championships didn’t fulfill him the way he expected. Brady took a moment to think, then answered “I wish I knew. I wish I knew…” The Bible continually reminds us that it’s ok to have and enjoy things, but when we expect them to fulfill our ultimate hope we will always be disappointed. The people of Judah were in a situation in which they had turned from God and looked to foreign fertility idols made of wood to bless their lives and livelihood. Isaiah prophesied that if they rejected the Lord they would be like an oak whose leaf nō-ḇe-leṯ – falls or fades. He references their idol worship in this metaphor by declaring that their fertility oaks aren’t sustaining life; on the contrary they are withering (nō-ḇe-leṯ) life in Judah. Nothing we can receive or achieve will ever produce the fulfillment and hope we inherently are searching for. God reminds us through this text that only proximity to Christ will bring us to the source of life.

Declaration of the Week
I will be intentional concerning the decisions I make and the actions I take.

Application
What do I need to repent of today?

Music Response
Music is prayerfully selected to further engage the themes shared in the message. Now you can respond with those songs during the week via the “Uncommon Cause” series playlist. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them. – Isaiah 1:31 ESV

Hebrew
הֶחָסֹן֙/he-ḥā-sōn: the strong or mighty one

Why It Matters
If we are honest with ourselves, there are moments when we wish we had just a little more. Whether it’s a little more money, a little more charm, a little more wisdom or a little more energy, in our more vulnerable moments we admit that there’s something keeping us from total contentment. What’s troubling is that often we think we can pinpoint what that “something” is, and when that happens we’re identifying what we believe to be the source of our contentment. Most of us would never declare it out loud, but when we think that a little more of something will make us totally content, we might as well be saying, “The source of my contentment is …” Martin Luther said it this way: “Anything on which your heart relies and depends, I say, that is really your God.”
When Isaiah wanted to illustrate the folly of trusting in idolatry, he used the metaphor of a he-ḥā-sōn (strong man or mighty person). In the context of this passage, a he-ḥā-sōn is the person who thinks they are strong because of their connection to an idol. The nation of Judah had been lured away from God by false religion and empty idolatry, believing that they would be strengthened by a little more ritual. And Isaiah warns that the he-ḥā-sōn who trusts in idols will actually be as helpless as tinder when it meets a spark. Where do you turn for strength?

Declaration of the Week
I will be intentional concerning the decisions I make and the actions I take.

Application
What do I need to repent of today?

Music Response
Music is prayerfully selected to further engage the themes shared in the message. Now you can respond with those songs during the week via the “Uncommon Cause” series playlist. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!