Vain Religion

As you read Isaiah 1:10-20, you discover that God’s people were doing the right things. They were offering sacrifices, like God commanded. They were coming to the temple, as God told them to. They were observing the Sabbaths and the feast days, as dictated in the law. The problem was not neglecting to obey the outward requirements as God commanded. The problem was God's people were going through the motions of worship without having a heart of adoration towards God.

God wanted his people to love him (Deuteronomy 10:12) and to devote themselves body and soul to Him and Him alone. As they entered the temple or as they prayed, they were to come to God in love and offer up their sacrifices. By faith, look to these ordinances as figures and shadows of the Messiah to come. As a result, their “worship” was actually repulsive to God. It disgusted Him and made Him angry because they had no thought of God or no fear of God as they supposedly worshiped. Their dead religion did not draw them in good standing with God, it had the opposite effect.

This is the fatal folly of trying to earn favor with God by good works. The offering given to God to gain goodwill with God, merely angers God and brings judgment. Yes, the Lord calls his people to do good works, but not good works to earn God’s approval. Judah did not come to Him in faith, offering their sacrifices and prayers to God as acts of worship.

We could draw a parallel to every Sunday in America. In every town, there are pews filled with people who have gathered to put in their time, do their duty and get back to the house in time for kickoff. What do you imagine God thinks about that worship? Singing “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound” while we are thinking about lunch. How about spending a few minutes in prayer and having no idea what you are saying; just mouthing words instead of offering prayer. Reading the Scripture, like God has instructed us, checking off the daily chapters to make sure you read, but you have no idea what was on the pages your eyes just glossed over. Outwardly going through the motions.

None of those things are wrong. In fact, you should go to church. You ought to pray, sing, and read your Bible. I’m not telling you to stop any more that God was telling His people to stop offering the sacrifices He demanded them to offer. Instead of dead religion, have a relationship. Instead of mindlessly going through the motions, thinking that you are getting on God’s good side through your works, come to God, by faith, through Jesus Christ and know Him as the perfect Saviour He is. God's call was not to stop worshiping, but to repent of their sins, serve from a clean heart by faith. This can only happened through the cleansing blood of Christ (Isaiah 1:16-18).