“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
When I was growing up I used to help my dad do a lot of things. I became really good at knowing what he needed to fix on this or that. He would always say to work smarter not harder. Well, as life moved on, I would find myself telling others to help me. I would task them to go and get this or that to fix something. As my dad would tell you, I often brought the wrong tool and would have to go and get the right tool. The wrong tool was still a tool, but if I did not have the right tools we could not fix the problem. You have to have the right tools.
Isaiah was a prophet, and he was not very well liked by the kings he served under. This is because he would tell them what the Lord God had to say about issues and that, for the most part, was not very pleasant. Chapter one opens up with a rebuke from God to a rebellious nation. Isaiah is telling them, straight from the Lord, that “your whole head is injured and your whole heart is afflicted.” (verse 5)
I know we have all been there once or twice. The place where our thoughts and intentions are not in line with what the Lord wants us do. As humans, we attempt to make it right by providing solutions to our own problems. The Israelites thought that if they sacrificed enough animals and offered enough prayers, then the Lord would show up and fix everything. In verse 11 the Lord says, “The multitude of your sacrifices — what are they to me?” and in verse 13 he says, “Stop bringing meaningless offerings!” Wow, you would think that that would do the job, you know, get back on God’s good side but no. All the offerings in the world would not do. They showed up with the wrong tools.
The Lord tells them again what tools are needed in verse 16, “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.” Yes he said it, “stop doing wrong.” Ah, the right tool to fix the problem. Not so fast, one more tool is also needed, “come now, let us settle the matter.” We have to go to the Lord, show up, pray up, read up, and praise up.
The Lord is waiting for you to come and settle the matter. You can do all the worldly things to put the Band-Aids back on your life but your gunshot wound will never heal until you let the Lord in so He can do some heart surgery. He is waiting for you to come every day, in every case, for every reason even when our whole head and heart is injured and afflicted.
The last part of verse 18 says it all, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Jesus has paid it all. He yells from the cross “It is finished” in John 19:30. All of our sins are paid for by His blood on that cross. The Fathers sees us through His son’s blood and we are white as snow. Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. Jesus settled the matter. He is the right tool for job.
Prayer: Father help us to see what an amazing show of grace and mercy the cross was. I pray that we spread the good news of the gospel and tell everyone that Jesus has settled the matter of sin and of death. We are washed as white as snow. In Jesus name, amen.
Let It Go 
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