Spiritual Practices: Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina, or Diving Reading, is a method of reading, reflecting on, and praying the Scripture that has been used by the church for centuries. It focuses on communing with God in Scripture rather than simply studying Scripture for intellectual understanding. Click here for more information on how to practice Lectio Divina. Here are some suggested verses in this passage that may lend themselves to conversation with God through the practice of Lectio Divina.
Suggested Verses
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
(Isaiah 1:18-20)
Lectio Divina, or Diving Reading, is a method of reading, reflecting on, and praying the Scripture that has been used by the church for centuries. It focuses on communing with God in Scripture rather than simply studying Scripture for intellectual understanding. Click here for more information on how to practice Lectio Divina. Here are some suggested verses in this passage that may lend themselves to conversation with God through the practice of Lectio Divina.
Suggested Verses
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
(Isaiah 1:18-20)
Exploring the Text: What God really requires
In Isaiah's first prophetic message, God tells Isaiah to declare that he despises Israel's sacrifices, burnt offerings, incense, convocations, and appointed feasts. What makes this shocking is that all of these things that God is saying he despises are the exact things that he commanded the Israelites to do. They were the religious activities that God required, the way that he said he wanted to be worshiped. Now, years later, he is saying that he can no longer endure them. What is going on?
God did prescribe religious activities and observances for the Israelites. Their purpose was to teach the people God's ways and to point to Jesus. By this time, though, the people are going through the activities, observances, and requirements, but they are doing it with no thought, no feeling, no desire to connect with God or to learn from him. Instead, they are doing it just as an obligation and to mark it off of their to-do list. They are going through the motions without any heart. Even worse, they are rejecting God's ways and doing exactly the opposite of what he requires in their daily lives even while going through the religious motions. In verses 16 and 17 God lays out what needs to change; they need to stop doing evil, learn to do what is right, oppose oppression, and pursue justice for the poor and needy. It's not that their religious observances were wrong, its that their heart was, and God was more concerned about their heart than their observances. Going through the motions, doing the religious activities, wasn't enough if it didn't impact their hearts.
It is the same today. We have our own religious observances and activities. We go to church, read the Bible, spend time in prayer and meditation, pay tithe, and many others. Going through the motions doesn't get us anywhere if it doesn't change our hearts, however. Our religious practices are good, but only to the extent that they help us connect with God and help transform us into the image of Jesus.
In Isaiah's first prophetic message, God tells Isaiah to declare that he despises Israel's sacrifices, burnt offerings, incense, convocations, and appointed feasts. What makes this shocking is that all of these things that God is saying he despises are the exact things that he commanded the Israelites to do. They were the religious activities that God required, the way that he said he wanted to be worshiped. Now, years later, he is saying that he can no longer endure them. What is going on?
God did prescribe religious activities and observances for the Israelites. Their purpose was to teach the people God's ways and to point to Jesus. By this time, though, the people are going through the activities, observances, and requirements, but they are doing it with no thought, no feeling, no desire to connect with God or to learn from him. Instead, they are doing it just as an obligation and to mark it off of their to-do list. They are going through the motions without any heart. Even worse, they are rejecting God's ways and doing exactly the opposite of what he requires in their daily lives even while going through the religious motions. In verses 16 and 17 God lays out what needs to change; they need to stop doing evil, learn to do what is right, oppose oppression, and pursue justice for the poor and needy. It's not that their religious observances were wrong, its that their heart was, and God was more concerned about their heart than their observances. Going through the motions, doing the religious activities, wasn't enough if it didn't impact their hearts.
It is the same today. We have our own religious observances and activities. We go to church, read the Bible, spend time in prayer and meditation, pay tithe, and many others. Going through the motions doesn't get us anywhere if it doesn't change our hearts, however. Our religious practices are good, but only to the extent that they help us connect with God and help transform us into the image of Jesus.