The Argument of Forgiveness (Isa. 1:18)
Read Isaiah 1:18. After going over it numerous times, write what you
believe the Lord is saying here (read a few verses beyond it to get
the whole context).
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God has provided powerful evidence that the Judaeans, the accused,
are guilty of breach of contract (Isa. 1:2–15), and He has appealed
to them to reform (Isa. 1:16, 17). This appeal suggests there is hope.
After all, why urge a criminal deserving execution to change his
ways? How could a prisoner on death row “rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow” (NRSV)? But when God says
“Come now, let us argue it out” (Isa. 1:18, NRSV), we can see the
Lord still seeking to reason with His people, still seeking to get them
to repent and turn from their evil ways, no matter how degenerate
they have become.
The Lord says to them that “Your red sins shall become white.” Why
are sins red? Because red is the color of the “blood” (blood guilt) that
covers the hands of the people (Isa. 1:15). White, by contrast, is the
color of purity, the absence of blood guilt. Here, God is offering to
change them. This is the kind of language King David used when he
cried out to God for forgiveness for his sin of taking Bathsheba and
destroying her husband (read Ps. 51:7, 14). In Isaiah 1:18, God’s argument is an offer to forgive His people!
How does God’s offer of forgiveness serve as an argument for them to
change their ways? (Compare Isaiah 1:18 to Isaiah 44:22.)
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Now we see the purpose of God’s sharp words of warning against
His people. They are not to reject His people but to bring them back to
Him. His offer of forgiveness is the mighty argument supporting His
appeal for the people to purify themselves morally (Isa. 1:16, 17). His
forgiveness makes it possible for them to be transformed by His power.
Here we see the seeds of the “new covenant,” prophesied in Jeremiah
31:31–34, in which forgiveness is the basis of a new-heart relationship
with God. We start off “in the red,” owing a debt we can never repay.
From the humble position of acknowledging our need for forgiveness,
we are ready to accept everything God has to give.