Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18 KJV
The prophet Isaiah was one of the most remarkable prophets in the old covenant. He prophesied through several kings. His prophecies captured events that were far ahead of his time, right through the birth and the return of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. These were truths that the average Jew could not understand in his time.
The book begins with a controversy that needed settling. God said
Isaiah 1:2 KJV
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
It almost seemed like God was in a court room, calling the heavens and the earth as witness against his rebellious children. While this chapter spoke about the Children of Israel, the controversy started long before their time in a garden called Eden.
God decided that He needed a son. He created this son in his image and called them, both male and female, Adam, Genesis 5:1 . This man was placed in a garden and was asked to tend to the garden. He was given dominion over all creation and this creation was in perfect harmony. All creation had record of this time when there was perfect harmony. Creation has record of the glory and majesty and the righteousness of God in His care towards His creation, Psalm 19:1-4. They also witnessed the rebellion of Adam and the consequences. This Adam, who was to be the ruler of the earth, deteriorated in glory and honour that was once his.
In Isaiah 1:3, God pointed out that even the Ox knew its owner, yet man had deteriorated to the point where he could not recognize his owner, God. This deterioration was captured in Daniel 4, when Nebuchadnezzar lost his reasoning and was sentenced to a life as a beast, due to pride. The lack of the true knowledge of God made a man no better than a beast of the field.
Man, sensing the level of depravity and trying to reach to a God he does not know, resorted to religion, sacrifices and efforts which are futile, as far as God is concerned. God’s law needed to be kept and man could not. God was in a court case, with the heavens and earth as witness, having full evidence against man, yet, He chose to right things. Like a lawyer who decides to take the case outside of the court, He said to man, come let us reason together. This on its own implied that God was willing to settle the controversy Himself and raise man out of his beastly mindset to the point where He could converse with God, where his reasoning was restored and he could keep God’s law. This could not be achieved by the blood of bulls and goats, but only by the blood of Jesus Christ.
This is the story of our redemption. God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. We no longer need futile creeds, religion to converse with God. We come as family.
Prayer for today: Lord Jesus thank you for your sacrifice on the cross that settled the age old controversy I had with you. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that enables me to approach you as a son and not a convict. Lord, help me to live every day as a son, not like a servant offering religious sacrifices and futile efforts to an unknown God. I choose to join the heavens and earth today to bear record that You are righteous and Your mercies endure forever. Amen.
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