Messages of Rebuke and Promises – Isaiah 1-3

We are going to spend this month with Prophet Isaiah.

Over the years Isaiah has come to be known as “the prince of the prophets”.  When you read the book of Isaiah, you can feel the majesty, the power and the towering vision that sets it off from almost any other book in the Bible.  In many ways, the book of Isaiah represents the Bible in miniature.  Like the Bible as a whole, it has two major divisions:  the first part about judgment (Chps 1-39) and the second part about hope (Chps 40-66).

You may find reading Isaiah more difficult as compared to previous readings, we are going to read a few chapters each day.

In our busy world, we like to get to the point quickly.  While it will give you the big picture from God’s perspective, Isaiah is not an abridged classic.  Instead, it is so complete that the prophet described the suffering of the coming Messiah with stunning clarity (Isa 52:13-53:12), a point that many religious leaders and disciples in Jesus’ time missed completely.

So before you grab the headlines and move on quickly, remember that there is rich material here for those who apply themselves to study the text carefully.

Let’s dive right in….

Bible Passage:  Isaiah 1-3

Wow!  The message of rebuke of Isaiah was very clear.  I am sure you have many thoughts and impressions of the passage.

Let me share a few of mine.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.

~ Isaiah 1:18

The words from this verse is also found in the lyrics in one of my favourite hymns.

And in the midst of all the rebukes, warnings and judgments that Isaiah was proclaiming to the people of Judah, this is like a beacon of hope, comfort and encouragement in the midst of despair.

Now Singapore is getting hot again.  And even though some retailers try and manufacture snow to attract crowds, it is never quite the same as the real thing.

Last year when I was in Switzerland, I happened to be there when it snowed.  Not just little bitsy snow but it really snowed.  And the rooftops were covered with thick, white snow.  And it was just so postcard picture perfect!

It certainly was very pretty. The snow was nice to look at.  And when I read the verse above and recalled the snow scene, it certainly serves as  a reminder about this Word of God.

The verse in chapter 1:18 is so special as it starts off saying…. It says, “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord.

The Lord tells us that if we come to Him and confess our sins and repent, He will take the ugly sins that we have in our life and wash them away, and make us as pure and as white as that freshly fallen snow.

What a beautiful picture of God’s forgiveness!

Though our sins be like scarlet and crimson, God says, “I will get rid of all that. I will take it away and I will wash you white as snow.”

David knew the meaning of these verses and found true grace in them and in God’s mercy. In Psalm 51, after he had sinned and fallen into adultery with Bathsheba, he wrote about the Lord and said, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Now this is not a licence for us to go and sin habitually and turn back to God in confession, expecting that we will be white as snow again.

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

~ Gal 5:13

God wants us to be His people – holy and pure – white as snow.  But His chosen people chose to rebel and resist God time and time again.  As we continue reading Isaiah, let us consider our ways.