Isaiah 1:10-15 – Worship is a lifestyle

God addressed the people of Judah and Jerusalem calling them Sodom and Gomorrah. These twin cities were destroyed many years prior to Isaiah’s existence so he could not be talking about them. Here Isaiah was referring to them metaphorically. We often think that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was homosexuality. But in reality, homosexuality was only one of them. Think of what Ezekiel the prophet said about these twin cities in Ezekiel 16:49-50, “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.” The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were not only rich and prideful but were also living in careless idleness. Besides, they were uncaring about the poor and needy and full of abominations. They would oppress the poor and exploit them. God was referring to Judah and Jerusalem as Sodom and Gomorrah because He saw them in much the same way as the twin cities who had gone astray.

God saw hypocrisy in their religious practices. They were elaborate in their worship ceremonies. But they were done mindlessly and without a heart. They were doing it cursorily without meaning and motivation to honor God. Such acts were mere meaningless religious activities and were offensive to God. He detested them. Whether it was their sacrifices, assemblies, offerings, and even their prayers, God had no regard for them for they were only empty rituals. The scathing indictment God gave to the people of Judah should become a warning to us who love and worship Him. These verses tell us that God hates hypocrisy, especially in the worship and service we offer to Him.

A broader context we draw from these verses is this: worship is a lifestyle. It is living a life to glorify God. Anything less would be a life of hypocrisy. Whatever we do in church, at work, or home, even in our recreation, we can either glorify God or discredit Him. Don’t be known as a Christian in label but living a life devoid of God being at the centre of all our activities and conduct in life. It will do us well to make Colossians 3:17 the dictum of our lives: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”