Are You An Ungrateful Beast?

Scripture: Isaiah 1:1-20

Sermon preached at Gospel Light Christian Church, Singapore
by Pastor Dr Paul Choo
on 14 January 1996

Introduction: Most men rank ingratitude as the most detestable sin. Most of us would be ashamed to be labeled as an ungrateful beast, and would do our utmost to escape such a label. It is bad enough being ungrateful to a good person, but it is really shameful to be ungrateful to someone who has been exceptionally good to us.

Lessons from Isaiah 1:

v.1 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. - Isaiah cries out to the heavens and the earth because the ungrateful Jews are unwilling to hear his message, and because ingratitude is a sin of such great magnitude. God has chosen the Jews as His special people, delivered them from slavery, given them a land flowing with milk and honey, and blessed them with the means to fellowship with God. Instead of gratitude they rebel against God by disobeying His commandments. Isaiah does not speak of God here as a judge but as an ill-treated father.

v.3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: [but] Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. - Even the dumbest domestic beasts (i.e. the ox and the ass) are grateful to their masters because of the provisions that they provide (i.e. the crib) - even though these provisions are given so that they can serve their masters. But Israel (which literally means: prince of God) doth not consider God. Though they do not consider God, God calls them my people.

Man needs little prompting to seek after great men, good men, great helpers, those that love them, etc. But it is an evidence of our spiritual dullness that we find it extremely difficult to consider God and His goodness. It is not difficult to consider religious practices but difficult to consider God. It is easy to consider our ingratitude towards men, but not towards God. Man needs no prompting to consider his past, present or future physical, financial, emotional, or scholastic conditions, but finds it extremely difficulty to consider his spiritual condition.

In the things of God there is no substitute for careful consideration. Thoughtless external religious rites cannot save us. Neither can we pay someone to consider religious matters for us. Neither can we earn our salvation. It is our duty to consider God and His goodness, in His creation, His providence, His Word, songs of praise, etc., lest we become ungrateful beasts. It is a sad truth that men left to themselves end up worse than beasts.

v.4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. - Ingratitude towards God was a universal sin committed by the whole nation. It was grievously committed by God's people (i.e. they were laden with iniquity). Our sin of ingratitude has separated us from God (i.e. gone away backward) and led us to other sins (i.e. seed of evildoers).

v.5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. - Israel had been repeatedly chastised (i.e. stricken) for their ingratitude and revolt against God. Instead of repenting, they revolted more and more. Many Christians do not repent when they are chastised but harden their hearts more and more instead.

v.7 Your country [is] desolate, your cities [are] burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and [it is] desolate, as overthrown by strangers. - Israel was severely punished (verses 7 - 10) for their ingratitude and rebellion.

v.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. - Though they were ungrateful and rebellious they were faithful in their external religious practices.

v.13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity, even the solemn meeting. - God wants our hearts, not external worship. Obedience is better than sacrifice.

v.16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; - Repent of our ingratitude and God will forgive us (v.18).