Isaiah 1:12
ESV
"When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
NIV
When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts?
NASB
When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courtyards?
CSB
When you come to appear before me, who requires this from you— this trampling of my courts?
NLT
When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?
KJV
When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
NKJV
“When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts?
What does Isaiah 1:12 mean?
The idea in this verse seems to be that God considered the Israelites to be trespassing: stomping around in His sacred presence without reason. They came to Him with sinful hearts merely to carry out religious ritual with no intention of changing direction.The Lord was the one who required them to come and make their offerings and bring their sacrifices. He is revealing here His intention for the sacrificial system: to represent the humility and repentance of God's people for their sin. Instead, Israel was using sacrifices and ritual as a substitute for making right choices and working to abandon their sinful practices. Their hearts remain sinful even in the act of worshiping the Lord.
Isaiah 1:2–20 begins a presentation somewhat like a lawsuit against the people of Judah in Israel. The Lord will show many of the ways they have broken their covenant with Him. The people are saturated with sin. They have forsaken Him. Isaiah describes a spiritual sickness Israel refuses to treat. It will lead to their physical destruction by enemy invaders. Their offerings are meaningless because of their sinful rebellion. God calls them to stop sinning and to do good. He offers to make their sins white as snow if they repent and to consume them if they rebel.
After identifying himself as the son of Amoz, Isaiah begins his vision from the Lord with the introduction of God's lawsuit against the people of Israel. His children are living in rebellion against Him. They are saturated in sin and have forsaken the Lord. Their spiritual sickness will lead to their destruction, though a few will be saved. Their offerings are meaningless because of their sinful lifestyles. If they repent now, they will be redeemed. If not, they will be destroyed. The Lord will restore justice to once righteous Jerusalem. All who do not repent will be consumed.
