In thinking about Isaiah 1 and the Appraisal of God of His people we note the phrase “For the Lord Has spoken”. This was the God with Whom Israel had a national covenantal relationship. That relationship carried with obligation, responsibility and accountability.
For - Since it is Yahweh, the Creator God that speaks, all the universe is summoned to attend. This is actually quite a formal and quite a dramatic statement. The word is a conjunction that indicates relationship in Hebrew. There is a relationship between what the first phrase commends and what is said later. In this instance the relationship is causal. Why should the heavens and the earth hear and give ear? BECAUSE the Lord has spoken.
Remember that one major part of the condemning evidence against Judah is that their rebellion has occurred over a long period time; as well as in the face of the patient and indulgent mercy of God and especially in the face of His command. God has inherent authority as the LORD and that authority demands obedience for a wealth of reasons, chief among which is simply that He is God and we are not. When God speaks, it is incumbent upon His creation, all of it, to hear and obey.
The implication in this section is that the heavens and the earth either hear and obey or they are judged by God. The one great end in the work of creation is the manifestation of the glory of the Creator (Col. 1:16; Rev. 4:11; Rom. 11:36). God’s works, equally with God’s word, are a revelation from him; and between the teachings of the one and those of the other, when rightly understood, there can be no contradiction.[1] Many of the creation stories of the myths and religions around the Israelites contained the idea that God had struggled with the primordial matter and chaos and brought order to it, many times as a kind of evolutionary process with their god or gods bringing order over time. That is distinctly different than what is proclaimed in the Bible. There we find a sole, sovereign master of the universe directing the work of creation by verbal command and a freely determined plan. God is here shown making the world in six days and resting on the seventh (cf. Exod. 20:11).[2]
Such power to create and call forth from nothing is the baseline from which Isaiah wants the Israelites to reason. He created the world and it does His bidding. Since God created the universe out of nothing, it is His and will always serve His purpose. As He shaped creation without any interference from anyone, He will bring creation to its desired end. No power can frustrate God in His purpose to complete the process started in creation and revealed in Scripture. Our hope rests in the sovereign power of Him who created the world and then re-created us through the saving power of His Son, Jesus Christ.[3] The stain of sin has affected the earth and how it functions, but the earth has not rebelled and does not seek to overthrow God’s authority.
Similar language is used in Ps. 33:8-9 though certainly not in the same context.
‘Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the World stand in awe of him. For he spake and it was done; he commanded and it stood fast.’
All over the Bible we see the connection of God’s speaking with His sovereign power and authority. Though surely that authority is often flaunted and ignored by those to whom these commands and decrees are spoken, but yet they are inevitably portrayed as sovereign, non-the-less. The reason for this is exactly what we see here – the issue of accountability or responsibility. We will use the term interchangeably here as one is irrelevant and meaningless without the other.
By accountability[4] we mean that each man is responsible for and give account to God for all that he is and does. There are a number of different “kinds” of accountability. We might better think of them as aspects or facets of the topic rather than different types as all are present in each person’s life. Of course, we begin with the idea of universal accountability. Rom. 14:12 tells us that
“…each of us shall give account of himself to God.”
This passage is in the context of a general statement that “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess…” where God calls on His very Being as witness to the truth of this fact. Verse 12-13 then concludes that all men ought to see to it that they are not doing anything that might cause a brother to stumble. Why? Because they will give account to God. The key here, for our purposes, is this is true of all men, without exception.
2 Sam. 12:1–15 tells us that this accountability will be personal, that is, we will individual stand and give answer. Nathan comes to David, after he has taken Bathsheba and had Uriah killed and confronts him, holding him responsible for his actions, speaking for God.
Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.
The account continues and what is pertinent to us is that they accounting that Nathan calls David to give is a personal one, He did it and he will answer for to God. It is interesting that the effects of the sin, felt in the form of judgment, reach down through the generations and affect his entire family. This is dramatically illustrated in the account of Achan in Josh. 7:1–26. We are clearly told that the sin was Achan’s, at least in the most general sense, but we see that his entire family endured the judgment that resulted. It is surely true that at least some of his family must have had some hint of his wrongdoing, but it is very clear that judgment fell on all of them, children and adult alike. Accountability and the results fall not just on the individual, but very often on all of those around him as well.
Such results can even be national! In 2 Sam. 24:1–17 David numbers Israel and as a result, God calls him to account and there will be judgment. God sends Gad, the prophet and gives David a choice:
13 So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”
Of course, we know that David chooses to place himself in God’s hands and a plague falls and 70,000 people die.
Such an accountability is often delayed but will certainly be exacted. 2 Sam. 21:1ff tells us of a famine in the land. When David inquires of the Lord, God tells him:
“It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
Saul had sought to destroy them and God had waited, until David was King, to call Israel to account. The Gibeonites ask for seven men of Saul’s house and David delivers them for judgment. This was quite a while after Saul had sought their destruction. The point being that accountability is never escaped, though at times, it is postponed a while. There will always be a final accounting. Rom. 2:1–12 nicely sums the matter up for us:
1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law
Of particular note is that the passage speaks to men in general, but the implication is that each individual man will be held accountable for their rebellion against God. The entire passage develops this truth and verse 11 concludes that all men will answer because, in this matter, there is no partiality with God. “For as many as” in verse 12 a phrase that is specifically generally and inclusive. All who have sinned, even without the presence of the Law to illuminate that sin, will perish (be held accountable and judged) right alongside of those who had the Law.
[1] Easton, M. (1996, c1897). Easton's Bible dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). Harper's Bible dictionary. Includes index. (1st ed.) (192). San Francisco: Harper & Row.
[3] Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of: Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.
[4] Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's quick reference topical Bible index. Nelson's Quick reference (14). Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
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