A most solemn word is found here, "Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob."

The people spoken of here are the natural descendents of Abraham which made up that physical nation Israel, the house of Jacob. There is but one true nation in this world before God. It is God's nation. It is not the physical nation spoken of in this passage but a spiritual nation. The Lord's spiritual nation and house is made up of his elect people out of every temporal nation on earth, Jew and Gentile. The Lord did not forsake the remnant of his elect who were in national Israel. However, the Lord did forsake the temporal nation Israel. In this passage we are told why.

The Lord gave Israel the light of the law and the prophets (Rom 3:1, 2; Deu 4:7.) God favored the nation Israel and for thousands of years left every other nation in the world to themselves (Deu 7: 6-9.) Isaiah, the prophet, declared plainly to them that a day was coming in which Christ would establish his church in righteousness (Isa 2: 1-4.) Just as every messenger of God had done which the Lord God sent to the nation Israel, Isaiah gave the Lord's command and every man's responsibility, "O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD (v5.)

The house of Jacob was probably convinced that they were walking in God's light. They came to God's appointed place of worship with the sacrifices God commanded, they assembled at the appointed times, and they prayed often (Isa 1: 11, 13-15.) When they were introduced to their neighbors to the east they presumed them to be brethren and embraced them as such. The soothsayers were to them like the sciences and the arts as they predicted the future by looking at nature and the seasons (v6.) The house of Jacob had a good work ethic, enriching their nation with silver and gold and endless treasures. Protecting their nation they built a great army with horses and chariots (v7.) As their nation flourished so too they felt more obligated to the things they had built, to the work of their own hands. Gradually it became more difficult to worship in the way God commanded and still maintain their responsibilities. Therefore they embraced new ways of worshipping. Anything that comes between a man and God is an idol, thus their land became full of idols (v8.) Every class of people was affected; from the least to the greatest they were all eventually worshipping man rather than God, bowing themselves to images, as well as to the world on which their hearts were set (v9.)

God promised to be their God but they took more pleasure in the gods of the Philistines. The Lord promised to provide their every need but they found more security in earthly riches. God promised to be their defense against all their enemies but they trusted in horses and chariots instead. Yet, they were never satisfied; there was no end to their treasures and no end to their chariots. The nation as a whole had refused the light God had given them and turned to idolatry. Thus the Lord says through Isaiah, "therefore forgive them not" (v9.)

The reprobation of national Israel in no way altered God's eternal purpose of grace toward his elect in that nation (Rom 11: 1,5.) In fact, through it the Lord turned his hand to the Gentiles. However, God has left desolate that physical nation Israel, which was once so highly favored (Mat 23: 37, 38.) May the temporal nation Israel be an example to God's true Israel scattered in every nation.

The path which the house of Jacob took sounds an awful lot like the times in which we live (2 Tim 3: 1-18; 2 The 2: 1-14.) Most every one claims to be a believer. But we are a world who embraces anything and everything; just as satisfied worshipping anywhere as nowhere. We live in an age where parents are more zealous to hand their children over to this evil world than to teach them to forsake this world for Christ. If God blinds us so that we can not know him we will have no one to blame but ourselves. If God hardens our hearts so that we can not believe him it will only be because we forsook him first by refusing to walk in the Light he has given. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

For more, click on the message link above or go to our website at:

SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH Of Princeton, New Jersey

LOCATION & TELEPHONE
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd floor
150 Washington Street, Rocky Hill, NJ, 08553
Pastor's Telephone: 615-513-4464

SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
Sunday 10 AM Bible Class
11 AM Morning Worship
Thursday 7:00 PM Mid-week Service
(The first Sunday of each month, morning worship begins at 10am followed by observing the Lord's Table. Afterwards we have lunch together.)