Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
God declares that the new moons and appointed feasts are hated by Him, a trouble and a weariness to bear, meaning He finds the multitude of sacrifices, appearing before Him, treading His courts, vain oblations, incense, sabbaths, solemn meetings, spreading forth of hands and many prayers to be iniquity and unrequired by Him, a burden He will no longer endure, so He hides His eyes and will not hear. It was spoken to the rulers and teachers of the Jewish nation in Judah under Ahaz, addressed as Sodom and Gomorrah, who kept up the forms of divine worship and claimed to be numbered among God's people and to lean upon the Lord, while joining in idolatrous worship, building up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity, with untrue princes, false prophets and priests teaching for hire. He rejects religious observances, ceremonies, festivals and offerings when they are joined to rebellion, disobedience, hypocrisy and wrongdoing, for outward observance cannot substitute for the obedience He requires or cover wrongdoing, and becomes hateful when the heart is unclean and the life untransformed, being only heartless outward routine without the spirit of worship. The worship is hateful because the hands are full of blood through guilt and injustice, resistance to conviction, refusal to obey the commandments, hard-hearted pride, neglect of the needy, turning a deaf ear to the oppressed, withholding help and Christlike love from the afflicted, fatherless and widow, and speaking sharp cutting words to those needing kindness. The way back to acceptance is to acknowledge sin with sorrow and a broken and contrite heart, for sacrifices alone cannot remove guilt or take the place of repentance, but to wash, be clean, put away evil, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless and plead for the widow, and then though sins are as scarlet they shall be white as snow, and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land, while those who refuse and rebel shall be devoured.
Words and Historical Setting
The declaration was addressed to the rulers and teachers of the Jewish nation in Judah under Ahaz, called by the names of Sodom and Gomorrah. They kept up the forms of divine worship and claimed to be numbered among God's people and to lean upon the Lord as if no evil could come upon them. At the same time they joined in idolatrous worship of heathen deities and built up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. Their princes were untrue, their prophets were false and led astray, and their priests taught for hire.
To say the new moons and appointed feasts are hated and are a trouble and a weariness to bear means the multitude of sacrifices, appearing before Him, treading His courts, vain oblations, incense, sabbaths, solemn meetings, spreading forth of hands and many prayers had become iniquity to Him. They were unrequired by Him, hateful to Him, and a burden He would no longer endure. Therefore He hides His eyes and will not hear.
The same spiritual condition appeared again in those later driven out of the temple courts, who claimed righteousness while transgressing the law.
Why Worship Becomes Hateful
God rejects religious observances, ceremonies, festivals, new moons and offerings when they are joined to rebellion, disobedience, hypocrisy and wrongdoing. Outward observance cannot substitute for the obedience He requires, nor can it cover wrongdoing by those who claim righteousness while transgressing His law, which is the same spiritual condition as those driven out of the temple courts.
Outward worship becomes hateful and a wearying trouble to bear when the heart is unclean and the life has not been transformed by Him. It is hateful when it is only insincere, hypocritical, heartless outward routine without the spirit of worship. Outward forms cannot conceal or cure the love of sin, nor win His favor while people continue in evil.
Sacrifices alone cannot remove guilt or take the place of repentance. People must acknowledge sin, feel sorrow for sin, and repent humbly with a broken and contrite heart that is worth more than many offerings. They must turn from transgression and wrongdoing and practice justice and mercy.
The worship is hateful because the hands are full of blood through guilt and injustice. It is hateful through resistance to conviction, refusal to obey the commandments, and hard-hearted pride and vanity that lifts up the soul to vanity and thinks itself exalted in favor. It is hateful through neglect of the needy, turning a deaf ear to the oppressed, withholding help, comfort and Christlike love from the afflicted, fatherless and widow, failing to judge the fatherless and plead for the widow, and speaking sharp cutting words to those needing kindness.
The way back to acceptance is to wash, be clean, put away evil, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless and plead for the widow. Set times of worship are pleasing to God when people sincerely seek pardon for sins and ask for needed blessings. Then though sins are as scarlet they shall be white as snow, and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land and hear the welcome to inherit the kingdom, while those who refuse and rebel shall be devoured with the sword when they stand before the Judge of all the earth.
How the Warning Applies
The appointed feasts become hateful when joined to bloodguilt, and religious observances and offerings cannot cover guilt when worship is united with injustice. Giving generously to the church cannot make the gift acceptable when the money is stained by the ruin and harm done to others. Such worship is not a covering for wrongdoing but a trouble and weariness that God refuses to bear.
The same warning reaches all who claim to keep the commandments yet lack sympathy for the poor, the lowly and the oppressed. Hardness of heart, pride that lifts the soul to vanity and imagines itself exalted in divine favor, neglect of the needy, turning a deaf ear to the oppressed, withholding help and comfort and Christlike love from the afflicted, the fatherless and the widow, and speaking sharp cutting words to those needing kindness make the multitude of sacrifices, burnt offerings, vain oblations, incense, sabbaths, assemblies and many prayers to be iniquity even in the solemn meeting. Because the hands are full of blood, God hides His eyes and will not hear, and finds the new moons and appointed feasts a trouble He is weary to bear. That daily hardness offends Him and explains the lack of a larger outpouring of the Holy Spirit, for every neglect is written in heaven as if done to Christ Himself. Acceptance requires close examination of heart and action for harmony with the spirit and work of Jesus, washing and becoming clean, putting away evil, ceasing to do evil, learning to do well, seeking judgment, relieving the oppressed, judging the fatherless and pleading for the widow. Then though sins are as scarlet they shall be white as snow, and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land and hear the welcome to inherit the kingdom, while those who refuse and rebel shall be devoured with the sword when they stand before the Judge of all the earth.
God hates meanness, littleness, cheapness of action and every kind of selfish scheming in business dealings connected with His cause. This is especially true when one branch of His work schemes against another branch to gain advantage. He calls such scheming robbery, He will not serve with such sins, and He will not let His name be degraded by them. He requires noble-spirited, whole-hearted, sympathizing, liberal, tender and unselfish workers who love Him supremely and their neighbor as themselves, who have the Spirit of Christ and are elevated above desire for advantage, and after sufficient trial He will remove from His service every agent who continues to scheme for advantage over the one with whom he is dealing.
God declares that the new moons and appointed feasts are hated by Him, a trouble and a weariness to bear, meaning He finds the multitude of sacrifices, appearing before Him, treading His courts, vain oblations, incense, sabbaths, solemn meetings, spreading forth of hands and many prayers to be iniquity and unrequired by Him, a burden He will no longer endure, so He hides His eyes and will not hear. It was spoken to the rulers and teachers of the Jewish nation in Judah under Ahaz, addressed as Sodom and Gomorrah, who kept up the forms of divine worship and claimed to be numbered among God's people and to lean upon the Lord, while joining in idolatrous worship, building up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity, with untrue princes, false prophets and priests teaching for hire. He rejects religious observances, ceremonies, festivals and offerings when they are joined to rebellion, disobedience, hypocrisy and wrongdoing, for outward observance cannot substitute for the obedience He requires or cover wrongdoing, and becomes hateful when the heart is unclean and the life untransformed, being only heartless outward routine without the spirit of worship. The worship is hateful because the hands are full of blood through guilt and injustice, resistance to conviction, refusal to obey the commandments, hard-hearted pride, neglect of the needy, turning a deaf ear to the oppressed, withholding help and Christlike love from the afflicted, fatherless and widow, and speaking sharp cutting words to those needing kindness. The way back to acceptance is to acknowledge sin with sorrow and a broken and contrite heart, for sacrifices alone cannot remove guilt or take the place of repentance, but to wash, be clean, put away evil, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless and plead for the widow, and then though sins are as scarlet they shall be white as snow, and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land, while those who refuse and rebel shall be devoured.
Words and Historical Setting
The declaration was addressed to the rulers and teachers of the Jewish nation in Judah under Ahaz, called by the names of Sodom and Gomorrah. They kept up the forms of divine worship and claimed to be numbered among God's people and to lean upon the Lord as if no evil could come upon them. At the same time they joined in idolatrous worship of heathen deities and built up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. Their princes were untrue, their prophets were false and led astray, and their priests taught for hire.
To say the new moons and appointed feasts are hated and are a trouble and a weariness to bear means the multitude of sacrifices, appearing before Him, treading His courts, vain oblations, incense, sabbaths, solemn meetings, spreading forth of hands and many prayers had become iniquity to Him. They were unrequired by Him, hateful to Him, and a burden He would no longer endure. Therefore He hides His eyes and will not hear.
The same spiritual condition appeared again in those later driven out of the temple courts, who claimed righteousness while transgressing the law.
Why Worship Becomes Hateful
God rejects religious observances, ceremonies, festivals, new moons and offerings when they are joined to rebellion, disobedience, hypocrisy and wrongdoing. Outward observance cannot substitute for the obedience He requires, nor can it cover wrongdoing by those who claim righteousness while transgressing His law, which is the same spiritual condition as those driven out of the temple courts.
Outward worship becomes hateful and a wearying trouble to bear when the heart is unclean and the life has not been transformed by Him. It is hateful when it is only insincere, hypocritical, heartless outward routine without the spirit of worship. Outward forms cannot conceal or cure the love of sin, nor win His favor while people continue in evil.
Sacrifices alone cannot remove guilt or take the place of repentance. People must acknowledge sin, feel sorrow for sin, and repent humbly with a broken and contrite heart that is worth more than many offerings. They must turn from transgression and wrongdoing and practice justice and mercy.
The worship is hateful because the hands are full of blood through guilt and injustice. It is hateful through resistance to conviction, refusal to obey the commandments, and hard-hearted pride and vanity that lifts up the soul to vanity and thinks itself exalted in favor. It is hateful through neglect of the needy, turning a deaf ear to the oppressed, withholding help, comfort and Christlike love from the afflicted, fatherless and widow, failing to judge the fatherless and plead for the widow, and speaking sharp cutting words to those needing kindness.
The way back to acceptance is to wash, be clean, put away evil, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless and plead for the widow. Set times of worship are pleasing to God when people sincerely seek pardon for sins and ask for needed blessings. Then though sins are as scarlet they shall be white as snow, and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land and hear the welcome to inherit the kingdom, while those who refuse and rebel shall be devoured with the sword when they stand before the Judge of all the earth.
How the Warning Applies
The appointed feasts become hateful when joined to bloodguilt, and religious observances and offerings cannot cover guilt when worship is united with injustice. Giving generously to the church cannot make the gift acceptable when the money is stained by the ruin and harm done to others. Such worship is not a covering for wrongdoing but a trouble and weariness that God refuses to bear.
The same warning reaches all who claim to keep the commandments yet lack sympathy for the poor, the lowly and the oppressed. Hardness of heart, pride that lifts the soul to vanity and imagines itself exalted in divine favor, neglect of the needy, turning a deaf ear to the oppressed, withholding help and comfort and Christlike love from the afflicted, the fatherless and the widow, and speaking sharp cutting words to those needing kindness make the multitude of sacrifices, burnt offerings, vain oblations, incense, sabbaths, assemblies and many prayers to be iniquity even in the solemn meeting. Because the hands are full of blood, God hides His eyes and will not hear, and finds the new moons and appointed feasts a trouble He is weary to bear. That daily hardness offends Him and explains the lack of a larger outpouring of the Holy Spirit, for every neglect is written in heaven as if done to Christ Himself. Acceptance requires close examination of heart and action for harmony with the spirit and work of Jesus, washing and becoming clean, putting away evil, ceasing to do evil, learning to do well, seeking judgment, relieving the oppressed, judging the fatherless and pleading for the widow. Then though sins are as scarlet they shall be white as snow, and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land and hear the welcome to inherit the kingdom, while those who refuse and rebel shall be devoured with the sword when they stand before the Judge of all the earth.
God hates meanness, littleness, cheapness of action and every kind of selfish scheming in business dealings connected with His cause. This is especially true when one branch of His work schemes against another branch to gain advantage. He calls such scheming robbery, He will not serve with such sins, and He will not let His name be degraded by them. He requires noble-spirited, whole-hearted, sympathizing, liberal, tender and unselfish workers who love Him supremely and their neighbor as themselves, who have the Spirit of Christ and are elevated above desire for advantage, and after sufficient trial He will remove from His service every agent who continues to scheme for advantage over the one with whom he is dealing.