The Deadly Danger of Unbelief

We must remember that Isaiah is writing to the people of Judah, for they will one day be in exile in Babylon. But what he portrays here is their question regarding the reason why they are there. They are pictured as blaming something other than them-selves for their predicament. In fact, they are actually blaming God. However, God will not tolerate such an accusation, so He reminds them that they are in exile – and under His judgment – because of their own sin. In other words, the fault is entirely their own; they have no one to blame but themselves. The Lord then identifies the underlying cause of all their problems, and it is nothing other than their blatant unbelief. God came to them, and spoke to them, and promised mercy to them, but they refused to listen; they did not take to heart what He said to them. The Lord expresses amazement at their attitude, for how could they forsake their own mercy by refusing to believe Him? But that is precisely what they did. I conclude the sermon with applications from the text, each of which is relevant for the modern Christian. May God be pleased to bless the preaching of His word!

A course notebook is being developed concurrently with this series. At the completion, it will become available at a nominal charge upon request.