During the message this weekend, we talked about the reliability of the Bible, turning to many reasons why we can trust that it is fully trustworthy and we can stake our entire lives on God’s Word. One of the places we can turn to as we talk about the reliability of God’s word is textual evidence. Textual evidence is simply proof that the Bible we have today is consistent with the original copies of Scripture. You see, over time, scribes would take copies of Scripture and go through the painstaking but rewarding process of copying every word to preserve it and provide more copies of God’s word to more people. As they did this, they meticulously wrote down every word from Scripture. Imagine the carefulness they had to practice as they did this! Over time, some of the very early copies were lost. That’s why, as we heard in the weekend message, the gap between the original copies of the Old Testament and the present-day copy of the Old Testament is 1,300 years. Some skeptics have used that data to argue that, with a gap that large, some of the writings must have been altered over time. In 1947, however, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, containing a number of Old Testament books. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls was the entire book of Isaiah, dating all the way back to 150 B.C.! What a treasure! The remarkable thing that scholars found was that there were no significant changes between the newly discovered older copy of Isaiah and the copy that had been written many, many years later. This finding should give all of us confidence in the reliability of God’s word.
Let’s take a few minutes to pay attention to the words in the first chapter of the book of Isaiah that scholars read when they opened the book of Isaiah among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The message begins with a rebuke in Isaiah 1. God said through the prophet Isaiah, “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me…Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize My care for them” (verses 2-3). God’s people, the Israelites, were straying from their God, who loved them so much. As a result, Isaiah lamented, saying, “Oh what a sinful nation they are—loaded down with a burden of guilt” (verse 4). God’s people had broken His heart by their rebellion against Him. This would have been a completely hopeless situation for the Israelites if not for the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God. Later in this chapter, He revealed through the prophet Isaiah that His people could turn back to Him, and He would restore and forgive them. Isaiah wrote, “Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphans. Fight for the rights of widows” (verses 16-17). This way of living, repenting, doing what is good, and caring for widows and orphans, was what honored God and still honors Him today. If they repented and lived this way, God would restore them. He said to them through Isaiah, “Come now, let’s settle this…Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow.” (verse 18). What remarkable hope that God offered His people and still offers us today if we will repent and follow His instructions to us in His word!
When the scholars opened the book of Isaiah among the Dead Sea Scrolls, they found words of hope, mercy, forgiveness, and instruction that are just as significant for us today. May we be people of the Book, following God’s word, committed to repentance, turning away from sin, and doing what is right. This is what pleases our God.
In order to understand the process that Scribes went through in order to make sure God’s word was recorded and preserved, your challenge is to practice recording Scripture for yourself. Take time today to write down the entire first chapter of Isaiah 1 by hand, working meticulously to make sure that not one word is forgotten. As you write, focus on the message of Isaiah 1, praising God for all He has done for us and for the gift of His word.
Prayer Prompt: Use this prompt to guide you as you pray.
The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
A Rebellious Nation
2 Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”
4 Woe to the sinful nation,
a people whose guilt is great,
a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord;
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.
5 Why should you be beaten anymore?
Why do you persist in rebellion?
Your whole head is injured,
your whole heart afflicted.
6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head
there is no soundness—
only wounds and welts
and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged
or soothed with olive oil.
7 Your country is desolate,
your cities burned with fire;
your fields are being stripped by foreigners
right before you,
laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.
8 Daughter Zion is left
like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut in a cucumber field,
like a city under siege.
9 Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us some survivors,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the instruction of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land;
20 but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
21 See how the faithful city
has become a prostitute!
She once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!
22 Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,
partners with thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
and avenge myself on my enemies.
25 I will turn my hand against you;
I will thoroughly purge away your dross
and remove all your impurities.
26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,
your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City.”
27 Zion will be delivered with justice,
her penitent ones with righteousness.
28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,
and those who forsake the Lord will perish.
29 “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks
in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens
that you have chosen.
30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,
like a garden without water.
31 The mighty man will become tinder
and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
with no one to quench the fire.”
