Isaiah 29:13 — “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me…” In Isaiah chapter 29 we see the prophet coming to the people of Judah with a message of judgment, and when we consider the context, this seems very strange. This message came while Hezekiah was the king and after he had instigated a reformation of worship. Judah had returned to the worship of the one true and living God. The temple at Jerusalem was humming with activity, so why a word of judgment? It was because the people were not worshipping sincerely. They were singing, praying and offering sacrifices, but their hearts were far from the LORD.
Authentic worship — that’s what the LORD was seeking from His people in Isaiah’s day, and that’s what He’s looking for when His people gather today. Is that what sees when He looks at us?