Isaiah
29:1
1 Woe [howy] to Ariel ['Ari'el], to Ariel ['Ari'el], the
city [qiryah] where David [David] dwelt [chanah]! add [caphah] ye year [shaneh (in pl. only),] to year [shaneh (in pl. only),]; let them kill [naqaph]
sacrifices [chag]. KJV-Interlinear
1 Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city
where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round. ESV
When Christianity become a ritual habit, and has lost
its meaning, then no spiritual benefit comes to the individual who pretends or
lives their life in some sort of delusion.
And this occurs when people do not listen or make any attempt to learn,
and therefore do not learn the basics of that which is expected of them. Generally they do not learn because they are
not interested in learning. And that
leads to what is in this verse.
Woe, is a reference to distress or alarm, in the
extreme. Ariel is a substitute name for
Jerusalem, referring to the sacrifices.
It means alter or hearth, where the sacrificial offerings are burned,
symbolizing Gods wrath of divine judgment on sin. This is the principle taught of Christ on the
Cross when God sent punishment against sin, onto Him.
But here, the sacrifices have become routine ritual
and have lost their meaning. They are
done out of habit and the principles that the sacrifices teach, are not
learned.
People then begin to believe that whatever it is that
they do, is correct, and that all they need do is continue in their ways of
pretense.
Year after year, refers to this continued habit, which
is a useless and senseless habit, which is a worthless and empty habit.
And the only thing worse than the person who does not
learn doctrine, is the person who adopts habits that are phony and false, yet
believes that they are useful, and continues doing day after day, year after
year, in a habit that is totally wrong.
And that is a quintessence of a wasted life.
They do not learn correctly, because they are not
interested in learning. They adopt wrong
habits and patterns of life, and continue in them, all the while wasting their
entire life. And, they never realize it,
until their life is over.
And the sad thing is, that they always have the
opportunity to turn their life around because doctrine and teaching is readily
available, but they simply ignore it.
