Week 4, Part 2: Lessons from the Prophets
Day 5 – Isaiah and the Fatherless: Isaiah 1:17, 23; 9:17; 10:2
Post Theme: When God Doesn’t Show Mercy to the Fatherless
In the last blog, (If you were brave enough to read the whole thing!), we looked at the backdrop of Isaiah with hardly a mention of the fatherless. Today, we consider where the fatherless fit into the picture.
Some of God’s words about the fatherless came during the reign of Ahaz, not surprisingly. But, they were directed not just at Ahaz but also at the leaders of the land.
Isaiah 9:16,17 says, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed. Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for everyone is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”
Wait a minute! Isn’t God the Father of the Fatherless? Isn’t it against His nature to NOT show mercy to them?
God is merciful but he is also just. We must remember this. His character never contradicts itself.
A few verses further down, in the opening verses of chapter ten, we get a little better picture of what is happening. “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!”
Remember, from the book of Exodus, God’s consequences for afflicting the widow and the fatherless? In light of that, there are two obvious reasons why God would not be showing mercy to the fatherless.
No Mercy because of Unrighteous Rulers
First, the rulers had already become so wicked in their practices that they themselves were falling under judgment. It is possible that many of the fatherless and widows that are spoken of here would be the wives and children of the leaders of Israel. So the very fact they are in that situation is a result of God’s judgment.
No Mercy because of Hypocrisy
Secondly, Exodus twenty-two says, “If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry…” The children of Israel were not worshiping God. They might have cried, but their cry was not going up to Him, and it certainly was not going up to Him in “spirit and in truth.” He says they are hypocritical – what better example of hypocritical worship than offering God’s sacrifices on altars built to other gods?
This was the practical, sad application of Exodus twenty-two. It also sheds light on the first mention of the fatherless in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter one, God confronts His people with their hypocrisy and sin. He brings their religious practices under scrutiny. In essence He says to them, “Why are you offering all of these sacrifices?” He wants no more of it, His soul “hateth” their rituals. (Isaiah 1:11-15.)
In verse 23, He describes the actions of the leaders toward the fatherless and the widow, “Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.” The people as a whole were not receiving mercy because they were not showing mercy.
More specifically, the fatherless were not feeling the relief of God’s mercy because they were participating in the sin. Isaiah 9:16,17, says that everyone was both a hypocrite and an evildoer and every mouth spoke folly. We don’t like to think of orphans in this light, but even the most adorable child has the capability of holding the most despicable of hearts in their breast. I have personally witnessed children who have been blessed with mercy after mercy run away from safety back into the dangers of life on the street. I’ve seen them publicly throw their Bibles in the trash and mock God. I’ve grieved to learn of bad decisions that led to their deaths before they were out of their teens.
God is love. He is a God of compassion, comfort, and mercy. But, He is also a God of truth and justice and must behave as such. None of these ever disappears from His character, and He consistently abides by them, even if that means judgment for those He longs deeply to show mercy. But He didn’t leave them hopeless. He had a plan.
God’s Solution
In Isaiah 1:16,17, He tells them what course of action they are to take:
- Cleanse yourselves,
- put away your evil doings,
- cease to do evil;
- learn to do well,
- seek judgment,
- relieve the oppressed,
- judge the fatherless,
- plead for the widow.
And then those famous words,
“Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
In Isaiah 1:19,20, He gives His final declaration: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
God’s desire was not for hypocritical sacrifices and fasts, but for obedience. As we have already covered in looking at the life of Job, our salvation is not by works. Caring for the fatherless, the widow, the stranger, the poor and needy are not our bargaining ticket as we come to “reason together” with God, but simply evidence of the sincerity of our faith.
If someone was to measure the sincerity of your faith strictly based on your care of the widow, the fatherless, the stranger, the poor and the needy – what would they find?
Up Next: Week 5: Lessons from the Prophets continued
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