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Once again we are given a glimpse into the heart of the Lord. His cry is for them to return to innocence by returning to and serving the Lord. His question is, how long would it take them to become aware of the spiritual poverty they were in. The Lord would rather have had them turn to Him and His forgiveness than to destroy them as a nation. Hos. 8:5 While these words are directed toward Israel, the ten tribes, the Lord was tired of, and disgusted with, those in Judah who continued the facade of serving the Lord while their hearts were far from Him.
He spoke through the prophet Isaiah and revealed His heart and His attitude toward those who practiced a mere form of religion. Incidentally, this is yet His point of view for today. Their offering of sacrifices were vain, and had absolutely no meaning to Him. Nor did they affect Him in any fashion. The burning of incense is a stench in His nostrils, an odor which is disgusting and repulsive to Him. Religious holy days with their practices and ceremonies. The gathering together for sacred meetings He cannot accept, depart from ritualism and empty religious practices, for they are sinful. Isa. 1:13.
Furthermore, the Lord declared that the whole practice of special days and special worship His soul hated. They had become a burden to Him. Their actions were troublesome and boring to Him. He was tired of having to put up with them. Isa. 1:14.
Moreover, their religious exercise of the raising of their hands was a simply a spiritual habit. It had no meaning it was nothing more than a mechanical response to their ritual. The Lord said, that He would not even look upon such empty practices. As a matter of fact, He said, that He would hide His eyes from them. The multitude or length of their prayer would not move Him in any way. His ear would be deaf to their prayers. Their hands were full of blood. Isa. 1:15.
Every individual born into this life bears the responsibility of the death of Christ and the shedding of His blood. Only when we accept that precious blood as the price of our redemption and we are washed from our sin by His blood is the sentence of eternal death removed from us. Christ died for all. 2 Cor. 5:14-15 There is but one way of salvation and that is through the precious blood of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. The temporal things of this earth, silver, or gold or even the religious traditions inherited from past generations are useless in acquainting human kind with the Lord. 1 Peter 1:18-19 There is but one avenue of approach which we may use in coming before Him and that is by His blood. Eph. 2:13.