Isaiah is a prophet from Jerusalem and it is Jerusalem to which the Lord refers when He says, "See how the faithful city has become a prostitute! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her---but now murderers!" (Isaiah 1:21) Jerusalem was the center of government and the center of worship. The royal palace and the temple were there. At one time this city stood as an example of godly leadership and godly living but by Isaiah's day many leaders and many priests had gone astray. This is why the Lord calls the city a "prostitute" because she has been unfaithful to Him. She has transgressed against her holy covenant with the Lord. In the Bible we often find the Lord speaking of Himself as a husband to the nation and referring to the unfaithfulness of the nation as adultery or prostitution.
The Lord continues His indictment against the city, "Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them." (Isaiah 1:22-23) Injustice abounds. Instead of attending to the cares of the needy, the widow and the orphan and the foreigner and the destitute are being disenfranchised. Judges are being bribed to rule against them. The Lord compares those who are unrighteous to impure silver and to wine that has been diluted to the point of being tasteless and worthless.
People's hearts do not have to be this way. Conditions in the nation don't have to be this way. The Lord is going to uphold the cause of the needy and defenseless. Just as silver must be heated in the fire to burn off the dross and make it useful for something, the Lord is going to heat the nation in the fire of His wrath because of the sins taking place there. The purpose of this fiery judgment is not to wipe out the descendants of Jacob or to destroy the nation from the earth but to bring about repentance, redemption, and restoration. "Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: 'Ah! I will vent My wrath on My foes and avenge Myself on My enemies. I will turn My hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.'" (Isaiah 1:24-25)
Those who have forsaken the Lord have made themselves the enemies of the Lord. Those who are mistreating and defrauding the helpless ones in their midst are going to answer to the Lord for their inhumanity. He warned the tribes of Israel back in the book of Deuteronomy that if they did not look out for the needy in their midst, He would: "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Fear the Lord your God and serve Him." (Deuteronomy 10:17-20a) The Lord will stand up to defend the needy and He will pass judgment against those who are taking advantage of the needy.
After the Lord has purged the dross (the idolatry, the violence, the greed, the dishonesty), what is left will be useful. Godly leaders will again be found in the nation. Godly people will look after their fellow man. Jerusalem will be an example of justice and righteousness. "I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City." (Isaiah 1:26) This prophecy has been fulfilled in part, as we do not find the people of Judah and Jerusalem turning again to idolatry after their fall to Babylon and their eventual return to the land. But the prophecy won't find its complete fulfillment until the Lord Himself reigns over the earth from Jerusalem, so in that sense this is a Messianic prophecy. Not only will the Lord not wipe the descendants of Jacob from the earth, and not only will He not make an end of Israel as a nation, but the Promised One will arise from the descendants of Jacob and someday He will sit on David's throne as King of kings and Lord of lords forever. This is a beautiful promise! This is a hope to hold onto in their darkest hours. The Lord is assuring the people that He was not finished with them in spite of their sins. He's not finished with them, not by a long shot; He is just getting started!
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