Some of the people became heroes in drinking wine and men of valor in mixing liquor (5:22). They acquitted the criminal as a result of a bribe but refused righteousness to the righteous (5:23). They rejected the instruction of Jehovah of hosts and despised the speaking of the Holy One of Israel (5:24b). They had become a people who forgot God and gave Him up. They did not care for God's word; neither did they care for morality or ethics, calling good evil, and evil good. According to Isaiah's description, their situation was terrible.
We need to be quiet and consider our own situation, not only our situation before we were saved but also our situation today. Although we are seeking the Lord, sometimes certain evil things rise up in our daily life. This is why we need to watch and pray (Matt. 26:41). If we pray without being watchful, our prayer will not be pleasing to the Lord. When we are careless in our daily life and are wrong with the Lord, with others, and even with ourselves, our prayers are displeasing to the Lord.
In chapter six Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord in glory. Seraphim were calling out, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hosts" (v. 3a). This indicates that God's concern is for His holiness. He wants His called people to be holy even as He is holy. When Isaiah saw this vision, he realized that he was still sinful, that he had unclean lips and dwelt in the midst of a people of unclean lips (v. 5).
Isaiah's experience helps us to understand our situation today. No matter how much we have been sanctified, renewed, transformed, and even conformed to the glorious image of Christ, we must remember that we are still in the flesh and in the old creation, that we still have the sinful nature within us, and that we are still living on earth, which is unclean to the uttermost. Thus, daily we need to confess our sins, defects, failures, shortcomings, wrongdoings, and mistakes. Often we are wrong not only with God but also with others, including the saints and the members of our family. We may also be wrong with ourselves, for example by being angry in such a way that we damage our body, which is the Lord's holy temple. The more we are enlightened by the Lord, the more we will realize our situation, confess our sins, and ask the Lord to forgive us. If we want to have the real experience of Christ, we need to know our sinfulness.
In the Old Testament, whenever God's people wanted to offer something to the Lord, they were required to add to that offering a sin offering or a trespass offering. The principle is the same with us as believers today. If we offer a burnt offering or a peace offering to the Lord, we must also offer a sin offering and a trespass offering as an indication that we remember that we are still sinful. As long as we are still living on earth in the old creation, we need to realize that we are sinful and confess our sins. If we do this, God will have a way to favor us and to grace us. Otherwise, He will complain concerning us as He did concerning Israel at Isaiah's time.