Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:16-17 NIV
Why did God punish Israel and Judah, sending them into exile? You might answer that it was because of idolatry. And that is undoubtedly one of the reasons. But there is another reason. One that may have been even more significant. And that had to do with social injustice.
The book of Isaiah opens with a brief description of the sorry state of the nation (Is. 1:2-9), followed by God’s rejection of their worship practice (Is. 1:10-15), and then a call to do what is right (Is. 1:16-20).
The worship that is condemned here is not idolatry. They were worshipping God as mandated by the law. But their worship was just an empty ritual not reflected in their daily lives. And God was tired of it and refused to respond to their prayer.
Caring for the Poor and Needy
God told them, “Stop doing wrong. Learn to do right. Seek justice; defend the oppressed; take up the cause of the helpless in your society.” The wrong they are accused of, at least in part, is ignoring the plight of the poor, the hurting, and the oppressed—those with little voice of their own. To do right would be to care for them.
As the people of God today, how often are we guilty of the same thing? Gathering in our lovely buildings, singing some songs of praise, listening to a sermon, and contributing our offering. But then, not caring about the people God cares about: the poor, the oppressed, and the helpless. Isaiah tells us that if we neglect the latter, the former is of little value.
