Come, Let Us Reason Together

God's plea to you and me

The book of Isaiah is, admittedly, an area of Scripture with which I am rather unfamiliar. I know Isaiah 53— a Messianic prophecy— like the back of my hand, but I do not know the other themes and theologies of the book that well. A couple of weeks ago, however, I did a short reading in the first chapter, and it really stuck with me.

In verses 2-15, Isaiah preaches to the people of Judah and condemns their evil ways. He charges them with various sins, relaying God’s message of disappointment with their impure hearts and wicked behaviors. Verse 11 says this:

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?”
Says the LORD.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.”

Simply put, God was tired of their futile, vain worship. They were sinful and showed no desire to truly follow God, so He did not delight in their hypocritical sacrifices.

Verses 16 and 17 are slightly different; instead of convicting them of their sin, God commands them to repent and change their ways. He says:

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.”

But the thing I want us to notice most is actually found in verses 18-20.

“Come now, and let us reason 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 be as wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

God was undoubtedly upset with His people. They were rebellious and iniquitous, making Him sorrowful and angry. However, notice what He called them to do— how He pleaded with them: “Let us reason together.” You see, God is reasonable, and He wants to “settle the matter” with us just as He did with the people of Judah (NIV). He is a logical God, and He wants to be logical with us.

He does not ask us to believe any lies. He does not ask us to believe or accept things that lack evidence. He does not ask us to follow Him blindly. Rather, the glorious, holy, and reverend God of the Bible humbly asks us to listen to what he has to say, think logically with Him, and repent of our sins. Let’s be logical and reasonable, just like our God, and let us repent of our sins, allowing him to make us “as white as snow.”