Isaiah 4 begins with the conclusion of chapter 3. It offers a statement that seven women will ask one man to be their husband so their reproach will be taken away. Then the remainder of this brief chapter turns to hopeful expectation of a time when the LORD will again lead the people.
Isaiah 5:1-7 offers an analogy of God’s people as a “vineyard.” The problem is the vineyard produces “wild grapes.” Why? Because they have turned away from the LORD. The result of that turning away was the LORD taking down the walls around the vineyard and letting it be destroyed. As is always the case in the time of the old covenant, disobedience leads to judgment. As the chapter continues the LORD continues to pronounce woes on those who do wicked. While much of the book of Isaiah will offer this back and forth between the hope of a future time when the people are restored, and the judgment of the wicked, we will also see records of historical events as happens as we turn to chapter 6.
In Isaiah 6, we read of Isaiah’s call to serve as a prophet of the LORD. Isaiah describes the vision he saw in the year King Uzziah died. It was a vision of the LORD in His heavenly Temple. Isaiah realized at once he was doomed, because of his sin. But the LORD did not condemn him, He removed Isaiah’s sin, and called him to become His messenger. Isaiah was now eager to be sent by the LORD, but the message he was given, was a message of destruction, exile and desolation. While the chapter is brief, the outcome is clear: the nation will be destroyed for their lack of faithfulness to the LORD.
As we return to Mark 7, we find Jesus and the religious leaders once again embattled. This time the religious leaders ridiculed Jesus’ disciples because they ate with “unwashed” hands. The religious leaders had established elaborate hand washing ceremonies before meals and at other times. Jesus made it clear this was one of many traditions that didn’t matter. He condemned them for being more concerned with what went into a person than what came out of him. Jesus told the crowds that nothing a person eats (or we can infer, nothing in the state of cleanliness of one’s hands) matters. That’s because it’s what comes out of us that defiles us. By what comes out of us, Jesus meant the sinful desires of our lives. Jesus, thus, declared all foods clean. Jesus also went on the offensive with the religious leaders telling them their laws of Corban caused them to give away money that would have been used to support their aging parents, because the Law “required it.” After these encounters, Jesus had to explain to the disciples what He was saying. Then they went away to Syrian Phonecia for a bit of “retreat,” but they couldn’t escape the needs of people. A woman of that country asked for Jesus’ help, but at first, He ignored her, because she was a foreigner. Eventually, He healed the woman’s daughter. When the group returned, Jesus healed a man who was deaf and mute. The crowd once again affirmed Jesus saying He did all things well. The battle lines were being drawn between Jesus and the crowds on the one side, and the religious leaders on the other. While the religious leaders would somehow convince the crowd to side with them, when it came time to condemn and crucify Jesus, Jesus’ new teachings’ and His amazing healing touch led the crowds to love Him, or at least to love what He could provide them. We do well to remember Jesus came to save us from sin and death, and to create new hearts in us, so we can live more like Him, rather than to serve our every whim. Jesus did come to serve rather than to be served, and to give His life as a ransom for many. He gave His life not for our comfort, though, but for our transformation from self-centeredness, to lives of self-giving love for others that reflects His love for us.