16 17 18

Isaiah 1:16-18 English Standard Version

16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17  learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. 18 “Come now, let us reason[remove doubt] 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.

Now we have come full circle to the point where this study was inspired. We are in Christ and Christ is in us. These verses are directed towards us in our present state now that we have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.

Verse 16 should be seen as confession and repentance. Removing deeds of evil has to be seen as refraining from things we know of a truth to be wrong. The label of sin has been removed, it is now based on knowing truth and doing truth.

Verse 17 is speaking to us about the desires of the indwelling Christ who is truth and leads us in righteous paths. We are told these truths and it is up to us to walk with Him.

Verse 18, once again is to be understood as removing all doubt, to be clear in what Christ asks of us as individuals in relationship. We might see ourselves as damaged goods but He does not. How to change our opinion of ourselves will come by hearing the truth and obeying the truth.

What is good for us as individuals is a matter best suited to our Lord to determine. As I once told a dear friend, “You are the Lord’s temple, He will clean it as He see fits.”

“But there are dust bunnies under the bed!”

He knows that as He kills the scorpion on the ceiling.

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