“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
“If you consent and obey,
You will eat the best of the land;
“But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Is God "fair" in His justice and His covenant with His people? That might be the headline written over the above passage. The book of Isaiah is like a court document that a prosecutor might outline as he brings a case against someone who has committed an egregious act against a Sovereign. God invites the "defendant" (Israel in this case) to sit down and reasonably listen to the case and see if they don't come up with the same conclusion. The prosecutor even offers a solution to settle out of court, as we see in the verses above. God had looked at the offerings and the sacrifices and the worship of Israel and seen that they are done with a cold heart and were simply form worship. That will be the theme of the entire book. He tells them in Isaiah 1:15, 21 that they come to worship, but they have blood on their hands. In Isaiah 1:17, the verse just before this indictment, God tells them to replace their worship services with simply mercy and grace to the poor and the widows. God wants their hearts not the formal, repetitive acts of their ceremonial hands. God offers them a reprieve, however, in the above text. IF they simply confess their sins and seek to do His will, God will take away the redness of sin and change it to the crystal white of snow. Think of that imagery. From bright red to bright white ... instantly!! This is what God offers His people. That change in heart will result in a heart of obedience rather than simply just form acts of worship. Later in the New Testament we read from the book of James something very similar to Isaiah's plea:
James 1:26-27
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Does this not seem reasonable? Pure religion is not about going to church. Pure religion is about doing acts of kindness and showing others an unstained walk before God in an unholy and filthy world. God is just in His case against Israel. God wants to reason that ought with them. No judge, or no people, who used their God-given tools of reason would not see that God is right in this indictment. God is "fair" and "right" in His judgement and covenant ... just reason it out!!
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