It is based on Isaiah 1. Sodom and Gomorrah are actually representative of Israel in this text. The prophet has a scathing denunciation of Israel’s worship practices, saying that God has no use for sacrifices, offerings, the burning of incense, and the like. These are the very worship practices that God commanded in Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Clearly, the prophet wants Israel’s ethical, religious, and spiritual deportment to match its liturgical practices. Christians need to realize that when Isaiah speaks to and about Israel, the prophet is also addressing them, who have been adopted into the Israelite family or grafted into the olive tree that represents Israel.
