Isaiah 1:11. “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.”
APPEARANCES. They move in stately order to the appointed places - The pecking order carefully maintained. Everything looks proper; there is a somber countenance on their faces - To those looking on, they would see tradition is sustained. But another One is looking on who sees more than face or form. While men look on outward appearance, He looks on the heart. Their smug attitude towards holy things, should have them mourn - The intention God had was fellowship with them from the start.
The enemies were near, but instead of calling upon God - They turned to mercenary men who were waiting on them nearby. When a nation's leaders turn away and forsake the Lord - They are bound to fail in every enterprise they choose to try. As God observed their departure and predicted their downfall -
He, through His prophets, still called for them to come and reason. There was a place of repentance if they turned from sin to call - On the Lord who loved them and still desired to save them.
History is repeating itself, our nation that was so blessed - Is turning from the inward faith to blatant outward sham. Tolerance is the new watchword and sin has so deeply messed With our national character that we soon will be a beggared land. Our priority has changed from fear of God to the pleasure of man - And anything the citizens desire is what goes in place of laws. Some of the appearances may seem the same, but it seems no one can Turn the tide of materialism back to a righteous cause.
Unless there is some divine intervention, we will be captive to the nations. The national will and loyalty to truth and righteousness is gone. We may for a while keep up appearances, but the real situation Is no longer as a nation under God, are we all as one. Each one wants his own, no longer is there patriotic cohesion; Moral darkness and greed for gain has us overcome - The righteous past we had when opportunities came, we seized them. But now we have wasted them, and what we had will soon be gone.
“O God, have mercy on our nation. If there is any chance at all for recovery; bring it to pass. If not, help me to be involved in seeing some saved before the end comes. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”