Guilty as charged

Xanthe Galanis

Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.  The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”  Isaiah 1:1-3

I love TV shows about lawyers and the intriguing cases they have to defend or prosecute! But before the nitty-gritty of who did and didn’t do what is revealed, the prosecutor explains the charges against the accused. The book of Isaiah starts out a bit like a court cause; he’s a prosecutor laying out his case to a jury.

It’s clear to see why charges have been brought against Judah and Jerusalem, they’ve broken the sacred covenant that the Lord made with them.  They are corrupt. They do evil and practice sin. They have no regard for God.

But what about the defence? What does the accused have to say for themselves? I imagine they’d be very indignant – after all, the people on trial for rejecting God have a long list of all the ‘righteous’ things they do. They’d say, “But your Honour! We give offerings, we confess our sins, we go to church, we pray.” The problem of course, was their attitude. They were simply going through the motions, saying one thing on Sunday and doing the opposite come Monday morning.

God hates hypocrisy – then and today.  When people just go through the religious motions of going to church to impress people or cover up wrongdoing, God hates it.  When you consider whether you live a righteous life, is your regular church attendance at the top of your "I'm living right" list? Have you considered how you live from Monday to Saturday?

Prayer:  Lord, forgive me for the times when my faith has been superficial and empty. Help me to live according to your will today, this week, and every week. Amen