Shall We Be Saved?
Isaiah 64:5b-6: "Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."
As Isaiah considered the way of Israel, he wondered if there was any possibility they could return to the Lord. The Lord had withdrawn his presence, and there was a resulting darkness within the people. Isaiah knew the sin of the people; he knew how serious it was before a holy, holy, holy God. In his recognition of their sin, Isaiah also recognized that even their good deeds, their righteous works were like filthy rags before the Lord. Isaiah used graphic imagery in this passage to shock the people and awaken them to recognize the sin that consumed them.
Sin separates people from God and hardens hearts towards the Lord. The cry of Isaiah's ministry was to wake up and see your wretched sin, repent and return to the Lord. The result of sin is death; thus, Isaiah used the imagery of a leaf separated from its source of life. Without that life, the leaf fades, cracks, and eventually dies and returns to the earth. That is the picture of Israel's sin. They lost connection to their source of life and blessing; thus, they lost their zeal for the Lord and were moving towards judgement and eventual death. Isaiah longed to know if God's mercy was great enough to save them from this destructive pattern and work of sin.
Sin still separates people from God. There is still a hardness that comes upon us as we resist the will of the Father and walk in disobedience. There is one way to righteousness, and that is Jesus Christ. When we move out from under his garment of salvation, we lose the sense of God's presence and protection. Thankfully, there is always grace and mercy the Lord offers us through repentance. If we will repent and return to the Lord, we can once again experience his forgiveness, his healing, and the joy of his presence.
May that be the aim of our Advent season - to repent and return whole-heartedly to the Lord. Oh Lord, search us and know us, reveal to us any way in which we have wandered from you and from obedience to you. In your mercy, call us back.
Reflection:
Are you fully standing under the garments of Jesus' righteousness and salvation? Are there any ways in which the Lord is calling you to repent and return to him?
As Isaiah considered the way of Israel, he wondered if there was any possibility they could return to the Lord. The Lord had withdrawn his presence, and there was a resulting darkness within the people. Isaiah knew the sin of the people; he knew how serious it was before a holy, holy, holy God. In his recognition of their sin, Isaiah also recognized that even their good deeds, their righteous works were like filthy rags before the Lord. Isaiah used graphic imagery in this passage to shock the people and awaken them to recognize the sin that consumed them.
Sin separates people from God and hardens hearts towards the Lord. The cry of Isaiah's ministry was to wake up and see your wretched sin, repent and return to the Lord. The result of sin is death; thus, Isaiah used the imagery of a leaf separated from its source of life. Without that life, the leaf fades, cracks, and eventually dies and returns to the earth. That is the picture of Israel's sin. They lost connection to their source of life and blessing; thus, they lost their zeal for the Lord and were moving towards judgement and eventual death. Isaiah longed to know if God's mercy was great enough to save them from this destructive pattern and work of sin.
Sin still separates people from God. There is still a hardness that comes upon us as we resist the will of the Father and walk in disobedience. There is one way to righteousness, and that is Jesus Christ. When we move out from under his garment of salvation, we lose the sense of God's presence and protection. Thankfully, there is always grace and mercy the Lord offers us through repentance. If we will repent and return to the Lord, we can once again experience his forgiveness, his healing, and the joy of his presence.
May that be the aim of our Advent season - to repent and return whole-heartedly to the Lord. Oh Lord, search us and know us, reveal to us any way in which we have wandered from you and from obedience to you. In your mercy, call us back.
Reflection:
Are you fully standing under the garments of Jesus' righteousness and salvation? Are there any ways in which the Lord is calling you to repent and return to him?
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