Empty Religion

Daily Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 1-3; 2 Chronicles 26

Daily Focus Passage: Isaiah 1

The prophet Isaiah declared the message of the Lord for roughly 40 years. During this time, the Northern Kingdom would fall and enter into exile. The prophet’s message centered on the coming punishment because of sin and the ultimate hope of redemption from the Lord. Some call the book of Isaiah the fifth Gospel because it prophesies so directly about the coming Messiah. In Isaiah 1, the prophet warns the people of their empty religion that they rested in and called them to repentance. The warning must reach through the generations and charge us to evaluate our relationship with the Lord or the presence of empty religion in our lives.

EMPTY RELIGION IS BASED ON ACTIVITY

Isaiah begins by identifying the people with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The use of these two cities would have revealed that Isaiah noted the evil and rebellious nature of the people against the Lord. Following this declaration, the prophet launched into identifying that the people find value in their religious activities like sacrifices. Yet, these sacrifices exist only as religious activities that the people use to find purpose and value in their relationship with the Lord. They use these activities as the basis of the spiritual goodness before the Lord. Today, people often use spiritual and good activities to find spiritual value before the Lord. Yet, these activities must never become the basis of our relationship with the Lord.  

EMPTY RELIGION IS BASED TRADITIONS

Isaiah noted that the people kept the traditions of the law and the practices of the festivals and sacrifices. The people carried out the functions of faith but used them as part of their religious traditions. The traditions became the activity of their religion and the definition of right and wrong. The keeping of traditions meant that they could compartmentalize their life and live according to their plans as long as the traditions were upheld. Today, we often battle against the threat of traditions. When we overvalue tradition, we often replace our relationship with the Lord with the existence of keeping traditions.  

EMPTY RELIGION IS BASED ON EXTERNAL APPEARANCE

The people lived to demonstrate faithfulness but lived with a heart of flesh. The people appeared to live in faith before the Lord because they carried out the public, visible activities while living with a heart in rebellion against the Lord. Today, people may talk the spiritual language, attend worship, and serve on church committees, but their hearts may not be with the Lord. The threat of external appearance without heart transformation plagued Israel and threatens people today.   

EMPTY RELIGION IS OVERCOME WITH GENUINE REPENTANCE

Isaiah declared that genuine repentance is the only hope to deal with this issue. True repentance occurs when people recognize their sinfulness and rebellion against the Lord. This recognition leads the people to cry out for forgiveness from the Lord alone. Genuine repentance carries an act greater than the verbal action of asking for forgiveness because it includes turning from the path of sin and rebellion and turning to the Lord. When genuine repentance occurs, the Lord makes us white as snow and cleanses us from iniquity. Thus, repentance destroys empty religion and provides a filled relationship.