Let Us Reason Together

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Scripture: Isaiah 1:18-20 (ESV)

18  “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

       though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

       though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

19     If you are willing and obedient,

you shall eat the good of the land;

20     , but if you refuse and rebel,

you shall be eaten by the sword;

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

 

Devotion:

 

            In this brief selection from the beginning of Isaiah, we see God willing to reason with His people. This passage begins with a promise that no matter how bad our sins are, God plans to make them disappear. For Christians reading this passage, it seems to foreshadow the cross and resurrection. Under the old covenant, sins could never be dealt with permanently. New sacrifices were always required for new sins.

 

            God, however, has ways of working that mere humans cannot comprehend. God looked upon the imperfect sacrifices of the temple system and declared the people clean. We must not allow chronological snobbery to affect how we read this passage from Isaiah. God was able, by his forgiveness and power, to save even those covered by the imperfect sacrifices of the old covenant.

 

            The lesson for the 21st-century Christian in this passage is that what God did for the Israelites, He can do and is willing to do for all who trust in His Son, Jesus. God wipes out all of our sins not by the blood of animals but by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. The new covenant sacrifice is more excellent because it is a once-for-all transaction. No human or animal needs to repeat Jesus' sacrifice. In the words of Jesus from the cross, “It is finished.”

 

            The words at the beginning of this passage offers hope to us. God is willing to reason, discuss, and explain His salvation plan with His people. God is not interested in holding our sins against us. Instead, He is a gracious God who forgives sin and provides a way to have intimacy with Him that we could never attain by our own merits. Let us now join in prayers of thanksgiving for the salvation God supplies to people of all ages.

 

Prayer:

 

            Lord God, thank you for cleansing us of every stain of guilt and shame. May we rejoice in the great and wonderful love you have for humans. Keep us in your care so we may be forever assured of your love. May we follow your Son Jesus wherever He might lead us. Finally, Holy Father, be with us as we seek to live good, honorable, and beautiful lives before you. Amen.

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