He Calls On Creation To Be Aware of God's Judgment on His People (Isaiah 1:2-9).
The book begins with a chiasmus, a pattern which had been commonly used in the Pentateuch, and which has also been depicted above, whereby statements are made, and then applied one way or another in reverse order.
Opening Indictment (Isaiah 1:2-3).
a “Hear, O heavens, give ear, O earth,
b For Yahweh has spoken.
c I have nourished and brought up children,
d And they have rebelled against Me.
d The ox knows his owner,
c And the ass his master's crib.
b Israel does not know.
a My people do not consider.” '
Note that in ‘a' the heavens and earth are to hear but in the parallel His people do not consider. In ‘b' even though Yahweh has spoken, in the parallel Israel do not come to knowledge. In ‘c' He has nourished and brought up children and this is compared with the ass eating at his master's crib. But in ‘d' their rebellion against Him is seen as in direct contrast with the ox knowing his owner.
The book begins with Yahweh calling loudly on the heavens and the earth to witness His words, spoken in judgment against His people. Let them take note as to why what must be, must be. There are two aspects to the charge. The first is that He had given them dominion over creation along with the rest of mankind. And the second is that Israel had been especially privileged in being chosen by Him as His children. They are His ‘firstborn' (Exodus 4:22), especially chosen and adopted by Him. Not only had He given them dominion over all creation, but these were the ones whom He had especially brought up and fed. He had loved them and watched over them (Deuteronomy 32:9-14; Exodus 4:22; Hosea 11:1; Hosea 11:3-4). And yet even so they have rebelled against Him.
This, He declared, is unnatural. While the ox is obedient to his owner, and the ass recognises and feeds from his master's crib, Israel neither knows the One Who feeds her, nor acknowledges His right to control her. She is base and ungrateful, not even willing to attain to the standards of the brute beasts.
Ox and ass rightly acknowledged their owners and masters, the ones whom God had set over them, man. But the ones to whom He not only gave this privilege of being set over creation, but actually especially chose as His son, have in their turn refused to recognise their own Owner and Master, while at the same time accepting from His hand the right to rule the brute creation. Such was their ingratitude and rebellion. No wonder that nature is called on to bear witness and be scandalised.
‘Hear, O heavens, give ear, O earth.' Heaven and earth are often called on as solemn witnesses (Deuteronomy 4:26; Deuteronomy 30:19; Deuteronomy 31:28; Deuteronomy 32:1; Psalms 50:4; Jeremiah 2:12; Jeremiah 6:19; Micah 6:2), for God is the Creator Who rules over them. But it is particularly apposite in this case. Israel is rebelling against the natural order of creation.
‘Yahweh has spoken.' He has given His verdict. Sentence is passed. Compare Isaiah 1:20; Isaiah 16:14; Isaiah 22:25; Isaiah 24:3; Isaiah 25:8; Isaiah 37:22; Isaiah 40:5; Isaiah 58:14; 2 Kings 19:21; Jeremiah 13:15; Joel 3:8; Obadiah 1:18. We note that Isaiah has no doubt that he has received the genuine word of Yahweh.
‘THEY (of all people) have rebelled against me.' The ‘they' is emphatic, ‘they of all people'. And that is what seems so incredible. These especially chosen ones, to whom He has shown such love, for whom He has done so much, these are the very ones who have rebelled against Him, while in contrast the animal world in its turn goes on, in spite of often unkind and unreasonable treatment, in submission and obedience to men. What a lesson we can learn from our domestic animals.
These people were especially His from among mankind because He had chosen and adopted them, and had thereby raised them above all others. He had showered His mercies on them. He had not only made them in His image, but had delivered them from bondage with His outstretched arm. How great therefore was their ingratitude.
Note the two aspects of their rebellion. They do not recognise and respond to their Owner, and they do not eat at their Master's crib. They are both disobedient and idolatrous. They are His especially set apart people (Exodus 6:6-7; Exodus 19:5-6), and yet they do not genuinely ‘know' Him, they have no personal and vital relationship with Him, there is no genuine response in their hearts towards Him. They are cold towards Him. Nor do they ‘consider' what they are doing, they do not see to the heart of things, they fail to recognise their privilege and responsibility. They are too taken up with other things. There is nothing more prominent in creation than the ingratitude of man towards God. Men receive all at His hand, and then refuse to do what He asks. We must beware that we are not like that too, with our even greater privileges.
‘Israel does not know. My people do not consider.' We find here that Judah and Jerusalem are included in the term ‘Israel'. God's wider people who trace their source back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel are still in mind. And they are neither aware of Him nor consider His ways. (Note that in Isaiah ‘Israel' can sometimes mean all God's people, and can sometimes refer to the northern kingdom alone. Like all the prophets he sees both kingdoms as one, and only split because of the sinfulness of the people).
These words sound a clarion call to all. All of us need to review our lives in the light of them and ask how we ourselves are behaving with regard to our relationship with God. Are we any indeed any better than they?